Fri Dec 9, 2016

Course Title

  • In catalog: Introduction to Statistical Sciences
  • New: Introduction to Statistical and Data Sciences

What is Data Science?

Dialogue with Student

Course Objective #1

Have students engage in the data/science research pipeline in as faithful a manner as possible while maintaining a level suitable for novices.

  • Cobb: Minimizing prerequisites to research
  • Not necessarily publishing in top journals, but answering scientific questions with data.

Data/Science Research Pipeline

We will, as best we can, perform all this:

Course Objective #2

Foster a conceptual understanding of statistical topics and methods using simulation/resampling and real data whenever possible, rather than mathematical formulae.

  • Real data: "Classroom data are like teddy bears and real data are like a grizzly bear with salmon blood dripping out its mouth."
  • There are two "engines" that can make statistics "work"
    • Mathematics: formulas, approximations, etc
    • Computers: simulations, random number generation

The "Engine" of Statistics

In this course, computers and not math will be the "engine". What does this mean?

  • Less of this:
    Drawing
  • But more of this:
    Drawing

Programming/Coding

  • This course is NOT a course on programming, coding, nor computer science.
  • You will however be exposed to basic computational and algorithmic thinking.
  • Hadley Wickham's Words of Wisdom
  • Coding as building, crafting, construction, but in the virtual sense
    • Before you can build one of these
    • You'll need to build a few of these

Course Objective #3

Blur the traditional lecture/lab dichotomy of introductory statistics courses by incorporating more computational and algorithmic thinking into the syllabus.

  • Completely separate lecture and labs is a legacy of a time before
    Drawing

Some Lessons Going Forward

  • Statistics and Data Science are part art/part science: Courtesy Jorge Luis Borges
  • The what vs the how: Courtesy my college english prof Killer Kennealy