575.704.81 - Applied Statistical Analysis and Design of Experiments for Environmental Applications

Course Structure

The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Modules on the course menu. A module will have several sections including the overview, content, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Most modules run for a period of seven (7) days, exceptions are noted in the Course Outline. You should regularly check the Calendar and Announcements for assignment due dates.

Course Topics

• Role of Statistics
• Data Description
• Basic Probability
  
• Random Variables
• Discrete Distributions
• Continuous Distributions
• Estimation
• Hypothesis Testing
• Confidence Intervals
  
• Control Charts
• Environmental Sampling Designs
• Research Design Principles
• Experimental Design
• Analysis of Variance
• Random Effects
• Randomized Block Design
• Two-way and General Factorial Models
• Regression and Response Surface
• 2^k Factorial Designs

Course Goals

The goal is for the student to become a confident practitioner of Statistics in Environmental Science. To achieve that, we will develop a foundational understanding of applied probability and statistics, ranging from basic notions of chance and the collection of noisy data to descriptive summary of data to advanced concepts in statistical inference.  Next, we will broaden your approach to problems so that you naturally include statistical considerations as an integral part of study planning and execution. And last, we will develop skills and comfort with statistical software so that you will be able to correctly conduct statistical analysis to achieve study goals.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• • Explain statistical principles and methods common to environmental science.
• • Plan and conduct experiments to support environmental decisions.
• • Execute appropriate analytical procedures for data interpretation and evaluation.
• • Implement statistical software to support estimation, hypothesis testing, and modeling.

Textbooks

Ayyub B.M.& McCuen, R.H. (2011). Probability, Statistics, and Reliability for Engineers and Scientists (3rd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall, CRC Press.

ISBN-10: 1439809518

ISBN-13: 9781439809518

Required Software

You will be expected to use software in the course. I don't require a specific package. I do highlight three, R, Minitab, and JMP in some of the lectures to instruct how to accomplish certain tasks. You only need access to one package.

For JMP, if you have a Hopkins student ID you should be able to get access to JMP. I am going to stop short of making this an absolute statement because I have had students who work for APL find this challenging.

As for Minitab, Minitab (version 17 or later) is the one I use most for examples in the notes, but I will use the other two for variety. Minitab is available on Windows and Mac OS systems. As a Mac user, I have drifted away from Minitab as they initially struggled to get a full Mac version again (something they had in the late 1990s and abandoned). I am still conversant in it to help you when needed, but I have moved on to R and JMP. Minitab for Windows & Mac is available through http://www.onthehub.com/minitab/. The current Minitab is still very good and quite helpful for experimental design related analyses. The cost is $35.99 for six months.

R is a free package that has grown up on the Internet much like the Linux OS. It is a tremendously flexible package. I would recommend you have this one. Access R through http://www.r-project.org/. RStudio is R with a better user interface, http://www.rstudio.com. Over the past several years, I have grown to really enjoy R and RStudio for teaching, especially.

Student Coursework Requirements

Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:

Grading Policy

REQUIRED: Provide a detailed explanation of your grading policies and outline the scale used for letter grades.

This course will consist of four basic student requirements:

1. Preparation and Participation (Module Discussions) (15% of Final Grade Calculation)

Each student is responsible for carefully reading all assigned material and being prepared for discussion. The majority of readings are from the course text. Additional reading may be assigned to supplement text readings.

Student participation in class discussions is imperative for a successful online class experience. Lessons learned and past experiences provide the entire class with a broader perspective of the topics being discussed. All students are required to participate throughout the semester. Class participation will count as 15% toward the student's final grade. Throughout the week, each student is required to submit postings to the assigned discussion thread(s). Each student is expected to respond to the initial discussion question and to at least one of your classmates' responses (additional postings are preferred). A student's initial response and one follow-on posting must be "significant" in nature (see definition below). The goals of these discussions are to (a) thoroughly examine the topic area, (b) apply critical thinking skills, and (c) gain an appreciation for the application of the subject area. 

Definition of "significant" posting: (a) 100 words or greater, (b) properly referenced if necessary, and (c) demonstrating critical thinking skills (opinion should be separated from fact). These postings will count toward class participation.

Timeline:

Day 1 (Tuesday) - discussion topic is posted, Day 1–4 (Tuesday–Friday) - initial student response is posted, Day 5–7 (Saturday–Monday) - follow-on student responses are posted

Preparation and participation are evaluated by the following grading elements:

• Timeliness on required posts
• Critical thinking/contribution substance

Generally, this is an opportunity to have a class discussion on topics and collaboration on some HW problems. It is an opportunity to help one another and enrich the class for one another. Everyone comes to this course with a unique work experience. The varying work contexts as examples are often the best part of the discussion.  Meeting requirements and a subjective determination of “very good” earns a 90. You lose points for not meeting deadlines or for minimalistic responses. You gain points for my subjective determination of extra effort. Score is determined completely within a module. Don’t assume that a Discussion week off can be made up with a prolific contribution the following week. 

2. Assignments (40% of Final Grade Calculation)

HW assignments account for 40% of the grade. Assignments will generally involve solving problems assigned from the text with some additional problems from the instructor that may require statistical software. Whether the work is performed by hand or using software, the grading occurs online in Canvas. Consequently, all work by hand and all software will be arranged in order of problems assigned and scanned as a SINGLE PDF file to upload into Canvas. That pdf file should not exceed, say 3-4 MB. I do not need photo quality images. I will not accept separate files, PNG files, TIFF files, R workspaces, Excel spread sheets, etc. If you want your work graded, it will be scanned at modest resolution to PDF (to keep the file size down) and uploaded to Canvas. Do not email assignments to me. Also, be aware that if you would rather prepare even the hand-worked problems electronically, for example in Word, you need to check the PDF conversion. If you do not have a scanner, there are some cell-phone apps that reliably produce PDF files. As an example, the App Store at Apple has Genius Scan. It is capable of scanning multi-page documents to a pdf and allows you a choice of resolution to help keep the file size modest. 

Exam and project submissions will be prepared in the same manner as HW assignments.

3. Course (Team) Project (15% of Final Grade Calculation)

A course project will be assigned over the past few weeks of the course. The next-to-the-last week will is when most of the work will be performed.

The course project is evaluated by the following grading elements:

1. Student preparation and participation (as described in Course Project Description) (20%)
2. Student technical understanding of the course project topic (as related to individual role that the student assumes and described in the Course Project Description) (20%)
3. Team preparation and participation (as described in Course Project Description) (20%)
4. Team Technical Solution (as described in Course Project Description) (20%)
5. Team report (as described in Course Project Description) (20%)

Note: Team scores (same for all) will be awarded to each team member. Student scores are individually assessed. The weighted composite determines the project grade.

4. Exam[s] (30% of Final Grade Calculation, combined from 15% for Midterm and 15% for Final)

The midterm exam will be available in Module 7 and the final exam will be available in the next-to-last Module. You will have one week to complete the exams and they will be due one week from their release. You may use course resources to complete the exams.

The exams are evaluated by the following grading elements:

1. Each part of question is answered (20%)
2. Intermediate calculations, just enough to show problem flow, are provided (40%)
3. Answer is technically correct and is clearly indicated (40%)

Grading

Assignments are due according to the dates in the Calendar and Assignments items in the corresponding modules. I will post grades one week after assignment due dates.

EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System”, Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10).

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.