STAC32

Applications of Statistical Methods

Ken Butler

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Welcome to the home page for STAC32. This is the place to look for all things course-related (notes, assignments, announcements etc., linked above) except for assignment hand-ins and marks, which will be on Quercus.

This is an applied course. Expect to be describing the process by which you got your answers, and explaining what the answers mean in the context of the data you are working with: that is to say, using your language skills as well as your statistical skills. Be prepared to show your understanding and insight; this course is about a lot more than “getting the answer”.

In real life, people do Statistics to make decisions or inform actions, and you will be expected to play your full part in that process, both in this course and in your statistical future.

News (most recent at the top):

  • 2025-09-12 13:45: next week’s worksheet questions are up on the worksheet page. Answers will be available after tutorial next week.

  • 2025-09-11 22:00: a late-night Thursday update:

    • I’ll pick up the last bit of numerical summaries again in lecture on Tuesday. There are probably some things there that don’t make much sense yet.
    • I’ve taken a look at the “Assignment 0” that were submitted. If you got 1 point, it means you got something relevant that illustrates you followed the instructions in Worksheet 1 and you know how to hand in an assignment in this course. If you got 0 points from handing in something, there was a problem that you need to sort out before you hand in the real thing, and you have a comment indicating what the problem might be (at least if you got reasonably close). If you didn’t hand in anything, well, that’s up to you, but don’t expect too much sympathy if you have trouble handing in Assignment 1 when it is due. The marks don’t count for anything here (which is why “Assignment 0” had scare quotes around it); the point is to do this practice now so that you have one less thing to worry about when Assignment 1 is due. If you got 0 here, it’s probably a good idea to try again following the instructions in Worksheet 1; I will look in again in a few days. (You have unlimited attempts, so keep trying until you figure it out.)

  • 2025-09-08 13:00: Monday update:

    • Lectures this week: That is to say, we will be thinking about not only how to get these, but also how to interpret them (and what they tell us about our data).
    • Tutorials start this week (so make sure you are registered in one). You’ll be working on Worksheet 1, with a TA around to help you if you get stuck. This worksheet comes with answers (because the goal is for you to see what to do); later worksheets will not come with answers, because the struggle is part of the process (but the TAs will have the answers if you want to check after you have done some thinking for yourself). I will post the worksheet answers on Wed nights, on the worksheets page.
    • Looking ahead: the first assignment opens next week, and will be based on the material in worksheets 1 and 2. Assignments will be due on Monday night, with the first one due on Mon Sep 22. After the first assignment, assignment \(n\) will be based on worksheet \(n + 1\).

  • 2025-09-04 13:30:

    • If you want to get ahead of the game, here’s next week’s worksheet that you’ll be working on in tutorial next week.
    • Some people reported to me that they couldn’t get file.choose to work for finding files on their computer. If this happens to you:
      • make sure you have created a new project (that is associated with a folder) with a name like STAC32.
      • Open any files you want to work with, from wherever they are (eg Downloads), and “save as”, saving them in your project folder (eg STAC32)
      • Then you can read them into R using eg. read_csv with a filename, as I was doing in class.
    • Hint: if the data you want to read in is on the web somewhere, use read_csv and friends with the URL, rather than downloading the file to your computer. It is sometimes a good idea to look at the file in your web browser first (for example, you are not sure what the data values are separated by), but you should not need to download it. (Exception: if the file is an Excel spreadsheet that you want to read in with read_excel. In that case, you do have to download it.)

  • 2025-09-04 10:30: some data files for today’s class:

  • 2025-09-01 17:20: we begin tomorrow. Here’s the lecture schedule for this week:

    • Tuesday: syllabus highlights, running R
    • Thursday: reading data files.

    We might start on making graphs this week. (edit: we didn’t.)

  • 2025-08-20 15:30: link to planned course schedule, to be updated as we go.

  • 2025-08-20 14:30: updates:

    • if you are in your 4th year of study (by credits completed) and joined the waitlist before today, you should be able to get into STAC32 this fall (and thus complete the program).
    • otherwise, unfortunately we do not have the resources to enlarge the class to accommodate you, so you will have to take your chances with the waitlist.
    • (edited Aug 21) for those that have applied to the program this summer:
      • Applications are now closed. The next application period ends next May.
      • I don’t even get to see the applications until August 28, so do not expect to hear a decision until after then. I plan to get to this, and convey my decisions to the Registrar’s office, as soon as possible.
      • If there are any students in there that are in their 4th year of study, I may be able to squeeze them into STAC32 this fall.
      • Students who have applied this summer and who are in earlier years of study will definitely not be able to take STAC32 this fall and will have to wait a year to complete the program. I realize that this is not the best news, but unfortunately (as I said above) we cannot enlarge STAC32 further this year.
      • The decision on your application might be slower if you are taking a program requirement course in the summer, because I am then waiting for your course instructor to submit grades for that course before I can make a decision.
    • I am about to open up the Quercus page, but (as it says below the bad picture of me) I will only be using that for assignments and marks. News will be here through the course.

  • 2025-07-29 13:00: time to open things up for the fall 2025 edition of this course:

    • I’m aware that there is a long waitlist for this course. The problem is that the department literally does not have resources to make the course any bigger (for example, there is literally no-one to teach another section). Thus, if you are not already in this course, you will need to take your chances with the waitlist. I advise you to have backup plans. For example, if you are in your 3rd or earlier year of study according to your Degree Explorer, you may have to wait until next year to take STAC32 and STAD29. Appealing to me about this will not help you.
    • Other things:
      • Syllabus and detailed course policies. You are expected to attend lectures, take notes, and cite any help you get from outside the course. (The problems you see on assignments and exams will in any case be solvable with the course materials and your brain.)
      • I will be checking prerequisites. To take STAC32, you must have completed (by the time STAC32 starts in September) either STAB27 or PSYC08 or MGEB12, or another equivalent that has already been approved by me. If you have not completed one of these courses by then, you will be removed from STAC32.
      • Program FAQ.