Course Description | Course Objectives | Course Topics | Course Format | Grading Policy | Evaluation | Course Materials | Contact Information | Help | Schedule | Ethical Conduct

• Lecture 1: Describing Data, Part 1
• Lecture 2: Describing Data, Part 2
• Lecture 3: Sampling Variability and Confidence Intervals
• Special Lecture: Some Useful Stata Information
• Lecture 4: The Paired t-test and Hypothesis Testing
• Lecture 5: Comparing Means Among Two (or More) Independent Populations
• Lecture 6: Comparing Proportions Between Two Independent Populations
• Lecture 7: When Time Is of Interest: The Case for Survival Analysis

The content of this course is divided into four separate modules. All the required course work can be accessed from the Course Modules page. The lecture sections are presented sequentially and should be completed in that order. Each of these sections combines audio presentation and slides—just like attending lectures in class. You may return to any previous section at any point and review its contents at your convenience. In each lecture section, you will find a listing of the section objectives, links to the lecture materials, a listing of reading assignments, and links to Web resources.

50% of grade: Your four homework assignments. These exercises will encompass the interpretation of concepts covered in class and give some practice with using Stata for very common computations. This homework portion of your final course grade will be based on the three highest scoring assignments of the four (each will contribute 16.6% to the final course grade).  

Homework solutions will be accessible on the day after the assignment is due.

25% of grade: Two quizzes. Each quiz will constitute 12.5% of your final grade. These will be multiple-choice quizzes with a time limitation. They will be administered online and each will be available for a limited time period.

25% of grade: Final exam. This is a closed-book, proctored exam. You'll receive further information and details about the final exam and identifying a proctor from your professor.

Lecture and Instructor Evaluation
Feedback from students each year has greatly enhanced the course. An online evaluation form is available during the last week of the course. In addition, during the LiveTalk session of the last week, we will discuss what was helpful or not helpful and how the course could be improved. By having a discussion, suggestions can be clarified and enhanced. These discussions have proved much more helpful than written evaluations.

There is no textbook for this course.

Reading Material

The recommended reading material for the course will be in the eReserves system. If you are prompted for a password please enter 140611sph.

Students are also encouraged to have access to "Small Stata," a version of Stata that is less powerful (in terms of the amount of data it can store and process, not in terms of functionality) than regular "Intercooled Stata," and costs significantly less ($48 for a one year license). Small Stata carries a one-year users license. However, if you intend to further your study of statistics beyond this course, you may wish to purchase a copy of Intercooled Stata 11. With the discount for graduate students, this costs $98 for a one year license, or $179 for a perpetual license. These can be ordered directly via Stata (http://www.stata.com/order/new/edu/gradplans/gp-direct.html). In order to get the academic discount, you will need to indicate that you are a student at Hopkins and you will need to provide your student ID number.

Other useful, but optional, references include the following:

• Freedman, D., Pisani, R., Purves, R. Statistics
• Moore, D., McCabe, G. Introduction to the Practice of Statistics
• Altman, D.G. (1991). Practical Statictics for Medical Research. London: Chapman and Hall

You may purchase any of these materials (except Stata) from Matthews Medical Book Center or Amazon.com. Stata may be purchased directly from Stata Corporation.

Concerns Contact Concerns about course topics and assignments John McGready (410) 614-9405 Technical concerns about the functionality and operation of course Web pages (before emailing, please make sure that you can replicate the problem) DEHelp, the central help system for all tech support inquiries related to DED courses Technical help on weekends JHSPH User Support: 410-955-3781 Concerns about your Internet connection Your Internet service provider (e.g., AT&T, Erols, etc.) Concerns about your personal software Your software vendor

The Course Schedule outlines all the important course dates and deadlines but does not contain links to access course material. The Course Modules page (password-protected) is set up like the Schedule page but provides access to course materials.

The academic ethics code, as discussed in the Policy and Procedure Memorandum for Students, March 31, 2002, will be adhered to in this class.

If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic accommodation, please contact Betty H. Addison in the Office of Career Services and Disability Support: dss@jhsph.edu, 410-955-3034, or Room E-1140.