Teaching
For Students
- Course-specific material
- Stat 11 Introduction to Statistical Methods I
- Stat 21 Introduction to Statistical Methods II
- Stat 61 Mathematical Statistics I
- Letters of Reference
In general, I am happy to write a letter of recommendation for anyone who has taken a class with me and has communicated with me regularly in class, in office hours, or through other academic events. However, I want to make a few remarks about the process of asking for a letter of reference or recommendations to lay out clearly when I will not be willing to write a letter so that no one feels blind-sided.
As a matter of moral principle, as a statistician and education I refuse to participate in NSA recruitment activities and consequently, I refuse to write letters of recommendation for NSA jobs/research opportunities. This is not a moral or personal judgment on any individual who may be interested in (or currently working in) such jobs. Rather, this is a personal value where, as an educator and researcher, I do not wish to support the ethically and politically concerning use of mathematical and statistical work at the NSA. The Just Mathematics Collective statement on Mathematics Beyond Secrecy and Surveillance that identifies some areas of urgent concern for the greater scientific research community to address. I am very happy to discuss my policy with any student who has questions. I believe ethical reasoning, including when and how math/stat skills should be used, are lacking in our scientific community and I want to encourage your questions and discussion! However, please understand that this policy is non-negotiable. If I invoke this policy when asked to write a letter, please understand that it is not personal. For those who are interested in ethical career related decision making, the Just Mathematics Collective has compiled a list of resources I recommend checking out.
Having understood this policy, if you need me to write a letter for you, please send me an email. Be sure to specify when you need the letter by, what the letter is for, why the opportunity interests you, and why I am the right person to write this letter. Also include clear instructions for submitting the letter once it's written. It is also helpful to me if you include some sort of resume/CV --- it doesn't have to be official --- detailing your past experiences relevant to the application. All of this will help me to write the most effective letter I can for you. Finally, my colleagues and I write many such letters each year. It's a very important part of our job, and we want to do it as well as possible. So, when requesting letters from any of us, please give as much advance notice as possible, ideally at least a month ahead of the due date.
- Student evaluations
Student class evaluations are important to me and I offer multiple opportunities for students to submit anonymous feedback to me each semester for every course. I design these forms in a way that is meant to measure aspects of my class and instruction that are important to me. That being said, I encourage my students to consider potential sources of bias when completing these evaluations. Here is an illuminating article on bias in student teacher evaluations.
- Introductory stats cheat sheets
These "definitions and terms to know" documents are meant to be useful "cheat-sheets" for you whenever you find yourself performing statistical analysis. Some of these are very similar to the end of the chapter notes from the book Stats: Data and Models 4th Edition by Bock, Vellman, and Devoux. All of these are tailored to they way I teach Stat 011 and some of them contain notes and tips that may be difficult to find elsewhere.
If you find any typos in these documents, please send me an email to let me know! These are works in progress that will be updated occasionally.
- Here is a really helpful Introducion to coding in R written by my former student, Jake Chanenson!
- My personal blog also contains some other resources you may find useful!
My Teaching History
- Stat 011 Statistical Methods I
This course prepares students to carry out basic statistical analyses using computer software. Topics include summary statistics and graphics, design of surveys and experiments, one and two-sample t-tests and tests of proportions, and an introduction to simple linear regression. The course is intended for students who want a practical introduction to statistical methods. Students may not receive credit for both Stat 011 and AP Statistics.
Spring 2023 Fall 2021 Fall 2020
Spring 2020
For students interested in testing out of Stat 11, the Math/Stat Department provides placement information. More generally, here is an unofficial study guide I created to help students understand which topics you are expected to know moving out of Stat 11 and what to expect moving into Stat 21.
- Stat 021 Statistical Methods II
This is a second course in applied statistics that extends methods taught in STAT 011. Topics include a brief review of Stat 11 material, multiple linear regression, analysis of variance, and logistic regression.
Prerequisite: Credit for AP Statistics; a grade of C or better in STAT 011 or ECON 031; or a grade of B or better in STAT 001 with permission of the instructor.
Spring 2022 Spring 2021 Fall 2020 Fall 2019
- Stat 061 Mathematical Statistics I
Fall 2022
All material on this page is for educational purposes only and is not to be published or reproduced without permission.
