Course Catalog
Statistical Reasoning
90-707
Units: 12
Description
This course will provide an introduction to quantitative research using statistical methods and reasoning. We
will study the principles of data collection, description, and analysis. You will learn tools for statistical inference
and modeling, as well as how to interpret results, their uncertainty, and their limitations. By the end of
the course, you will be able to interpret statistical output to support public policy and management decisions.
The class will be a combination of lectures and in-class activities to support your learning process. The
course is divided into three main units, each with problem sets, a case study, and an exam associated with
it. To further practice the class content, the course has weekly recitation sessions where you will have the
opportunity to solve additional problem sets and ask questions.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, you should be able to:
• Create and interpret graphs of sample data
• Summarize a set of observations by reporting central tendency measures
• Explain what sampling error is and why it exists
• Identify the proper summary statistics and tests for each data type
• Interpret the p-value and use it to conclude about the test statistic
• Interpret the output from a test of hypothesis and confidence interval
• Identify the dependent and independent variables and the output of regression analysis
• Communicate statistical analysis to a non-technical audience