Instructor Office: 694 PGH
Office Hours: Wed 11-12, Fri 11-12 or by appointment
Phone Number: (713) 743-3492
E-mail address: dlabate@math.uh.edu
Homepage: http://www.math.uh.edu/~dlabate
Grader: Diego Vela Avilez2. Goals and Objectives:
E-mail address: davegaav@cougarnet.uh.edu
Office: PGH 347
Tutoring hours: Wed 3-4, Fri 2-3
The course is an introduction to statistics for biological and biomedical data. Students will learn to apply exploratory methods, generalized linear models (including linear regression), analysis of variance, cross-sectional studies, and non-parametric methods. The software R will be used during the entire course to illustrate the statistical methods presented during the course and to compute numerical solutions of exercises and assigned problems.3. Textbook (not required): "Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences, Eleventh Edition, by Wayne W. Daniel, Chad L. Cross. ISBN: 9781119496700
Note: The older 10-th edition will work equally well for theory and examples. However, the numbering of some problems might have changed.3b. Lecture Notes: I have organized the class materuial into a set of lecture notes:
Note: You can access the data sets (in CSV format) used for the homework problems from this link.
My lectures notes include several examples of R scripts that are useful to address the topics of the course. Lecture will be updated during the semester.
R resources. Students will learn to use R to compute numerical solutions for the problems assigned during the course. You can run R without the need of installing the package using R Studio Cloud. Alternatively you will have to 1) download R from the Comprehensive R Archive Network CRAN and 2) install Rstudio. Rstudio includes a console, a syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, and a variety of robust tools for plotting, viewing history, debugging and managing your workspace. Here are some manuals, a tutorial on drawing plots and a few simple examples of R scripts. Additional tutorials are found at the following site.4. Homework, Examinations and Grading:
The only way to understand and master the material presented in class is by working out the homework problems on your own. You are strongly encouraged to work out the homework problems that are assigned regularly and carefully. Copying the homework from someone else or watching someone else doing the work for you will bring you minimal benefit. The homework will count 30% towards the final grade. There will be (almost) weekly homework assignments posted at the link below. At the end of the semester, your worst HW score will be dropped.Grading:Homework submission and evaluation policy: Every week I will administer an in-class quiz (10 min) based on the homework problems. I will not collect the howmework probelms, unless announced otherwise. The quiz will be at the beginning of the lecture. If you are forced to miss class on that day, you can hand me the homework or e-mail it to me by the DUE DATE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE LECTURE (12PM); note that I might require proof of a valid justification for missing the class. No late homework submissions will be accepted since I will post the solution online right after the quiz or hw due time. A late or missed HW will receive a 0 score. Submitted quizzes and homework assignments should be in a "professional" form which allows a grader to read your solutions without unnecessary effort or ambiguity. In particular, your solution should either be typed or handwritten in a neat and legible form; if you e-mail scanned pages, it should be a single PDF file of size less than 5MB; submitted pages should be ordered with clear indication of which problem is being solved. Collected homework which does not satisfy these guidelines might receive a penalty in the score. The aggregated homework score (this includes the quizzes score) will count 30% towards the final grade. I will drop the worst HW score before computing the aggregated score.
HOMEWORK PROBLEMS: (the list below will be updated during the semester) Tests. There will be three tests in class counting 40% towards the final grade (tentatively) on WED SEP 18, WED OCT 23, MON NOV 11. The worst of your 3 tests will be half-dropped; that is, the 3 tests counts 40% towards the final grade, where the best two tests will count 16% each, the worst one will count 8%.
Homework 1 - HW1 Here find: summary table of hypothesis testing and Student t distribution table - DUE: 8/28 - Solution of HW and Quiz.
Homework 2 - From textbook: 7.3.1, 7.3.3, 7.4.3, 7.5.1, 7.6.2 - (scanned pages) - DUE: 9/4 - Solution of HW and Quiz.
Homework 3 - From textbook: 7.10.1, 7.10.2; 8.2.1, 8.2.2 - (scanned pages) - DUE: 9/11 - Solution of HW and Quiz. - Data file for Quiz #3
Homework 4 - From textbook: 8.3.1, 8.3.2; 8.4.1, 8.4.2, 8.5.2 (use R to solve the problems) - (scanned pages) - DUE: 9/25 - Solution of HW and Quiz. - Data file for Quiz #4
Homework 5 - From textbook: 9.3.3, 9.3.4, 9.4.1, 9.4.2 (use R to solve the problems) - (scanned pages) - DUE: 10/2 - Solution of HW and Quiz.
Homework 6 - From textbook: 9.7.1, 9.7.2, 10.3.1, 10.3.2, 10.4.1, 10.4.2 (use R to solve the problems) - (scanned pages) - DUE: 10/9 - Solution of HW and Quiz. - Data file for Quiz #6
Homework 7 - From textbook: 11.2.1, 11.2.2, 11.4.1, 11.4.2 (you can use R to solve the problems) - (scanned pages) - DUE: 10/16 - Solution of HW and Quiz. - Data file for Quiz #7
Homework 8 - From textbook: 12.3.2, 12.3.4, Rev. prob. 20 Ch.12, p.573, 12.4.2, 12.4.4, 12.5.2, 12.7.2, 12.7.3 (scanned pages1) and (scanned pages2)- Here find: Chi-Square percentile table - DUE: 10/30. - Solution of HW and Quiz.
Homework 9 - From textbook: 13.4.1, 13.4.2, 13.5.1, 13.6.1, 13.8.1 (here add post-hoc test), 13.11.1 (add comparison with standard linear regression) (scanned pages) - DUE: 11/6 - Solution of HW and Quiz.
Homework 10 - HW10 and related data file bodydata.csv. - DUE: 11/20 - Solution of HW.
Final exam. The final exam counts 30% towards the final grade. This is scheduled on FRI DEC 9, 10am-12pm.
Makeup test. Makeup tests will be allowed only for justified and unavoidable absences (e.g., a car accident, a medical or family emergency). In this case, if possible, previous authorization should be obtained from the Instructor. In the other cases, you will receive a zero score for a missed test. All arrangements for make-ups must be made via email.Here are the tests with solutions: (I will post the information for current tests when available)
Test #1 with Solution -- Test #2 with Solution -- Test #3 with Solution
To determine your grade I will compute a final score between 0-100 that depends 30% on the homework, 40% on the tests and 30% on the final exam.5 Additional Information:
The final grade is then determined according to a set point scale (+ and - will also be used):
90-100: A; 80-89: B; 70-79: C; 60-69: D; 0-59: F
Mental Health and Wellness Resources
The University of Houston has a number of resources to support students’ mental health and overall wellness, including CoogsCARE and the UH Go App. UH Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers 24/7 mental health support for all students, addressing various concerns like stress, college adjustment and sadness. CAPS provides individual and couples counseling, group therapy, workshops and connections to other support services on and off-campus. For assistance visit uh.edu/caps, call 713-743-5454, or visit a Let’s Talk location in-person or virtually. Let’s Talk are daily, informal confidential consultations with CAPS therapists where no appointment or paperwork is needed.
Need Support Now?
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call CAPS crisis support 24/7 at 713-743-5454, or the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat 988lifeline.org.
Title IX/Sexual Misconduct
Per the UHS Sexual Misconduct Policy, your instructor is a “responsible employee” for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations and state law and must report incidents of sexual misconduct (sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual contact, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual intimidation, intimate partner violence, or stalking) about which they become aware to the Title IX office. Please know there are places on campus where you can make a report in confidence. You can find more information about resources on the Title IX website at https://uh.edu/equal-opportunity/title-ix-sexual-misconduct/resources/.
Reasonable Academic Adjustments/Auxiliary Aids
The University of Houston is committed to providing an academic environment and educational programs that are accessible for its students. Any student with a disability who is experiencing barriers to learning, assessment or participation is encouraged to contact the Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center (Dart Center) to learn more about academic accommodations and support that may be available to them. Students seeking academic accommodations will need to register with the Dart Center as soon as possible to ensure timely implementation of approved accommodations. Please contact the Dart Center by visiting the website: https://uh.edu/accessibility/ calling (713) 743-5400, or emailing jdcenter@Central.UH.EDU.
The Student Health Center offers a Psychiatry Clinic for enrolled UH students. Call 713-743-5149 during clinic hours, Monday through Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. to schedule an appointment.
The A.D. Bruce Religion Center offers spiritual support and a variety of programs centered on well-being.
The Center for Student Advocacy and Community (CSAC) is where you can go if you need help but don’t know where to start. CSAC is a “home away from home” and serves as a resource hub to help you get the resources needed to support academic and personal success. Through our Cougar Cupboard, all students can get up to 30 lbs of FREE groceries a week. Additionally, we provide 1:1 appointments to get you connected to on- and off-campus resources related to essential needs, safety and advocacy, and more. The Cougar Closet is a registered student organization advised by our office and offers free clothes to students so that all Coogs can feel good in their fit. We also host a series of cultural and community-based events that fosters social connection and helps the cougar community come closer together. Visit the CSAC homepage or follow us on Instagram: @uh_CSAC and @uhcupbrd. YOU belong here.
Women and Gender Resource Center
The mission of the WGRC is to advance the University of Houston and promote the success of all students, faculty, and staff through educating, empowering, and supporting the UH community. The WGRC suite is open to you. Stop by the office for a study space, to take a break, grab a snack, or check out one of the WGRC programs or resources. Stop by Student Center South room B12 (Basement floor near Starbucks and down the hall from Creation Station) from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.
Academic Honesty Policy
High ethical standards are critical to the integrity of any institution, and bear directly on the ultimate value of conferred degrees. All UH community members are expected to contribute to an atmosphere of the highest possible ethical standards. Maintaining such an atmosphere requires that any instances of academic dishonesty be recognized and addressed. The UH Academic Honesty Policy is designed to handle those instances with fairness to all parties involved: the students, the instructors, and the University itself. All students and faculty of the University of Houston are responsible for being familiar with this policy.
Excused Absence Policy
Regular class attendance, participation, and engagement in coursework are important contributors to student success. Absences may be excused as provided in the University of Houston Undergraduate Excused Absence Policy and Graduate Excused Absence Policy for reasons including: medical illness of student or close relative, death of a close family member, legal or government proceeding that a student is obligated to attend, recognized professional and educational activities where the student is presenting, and University-sponsored activity or athletic competition. Under these policies, students with excused absences will be provided with an opportunity to make up any quiz, exam or other work that contributes to the course grade or a satisfactory alternative. Please read the full policy for details regarding reasons for excused absences, the approval process, and extended absences. Additional policies address absences related to military service, religious holy days, pregnancy and related conditions, and disability.
Recording of Class
Students may not record all or part of class, livestream all or part of class, or make/distribute screen captures, without advanced written consent of the instructor. If you have or think you may have a disability such that you need to record class-related activities, please contact the Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center. If you have an accommodation to record class-related activities, those recordings may not be shared with any other student, whether in this course or not, or with any other person or on any other platform. Classes may be recorded by the instructor. Students may use instructor’s recordings for their own studying and notetaking. Instructor’s recordings are not authorized to be shared with anyone without the prior written approval of the instructor. Failure to comply with requirements regarding recordings will result in a disciplinary referral to the Dean of Students Office and may result in disciplinary action.
Resources for Online Learning
The University of Houston is committed to student success, and provides information to optimize the online learning experience through our Power-On website. Please visit this website for a comprehensive set of resources, tools, and tips including: obtaining access to the internet, AccessUH, Blackboard, and Canvas; using your smartphone as a webcam; and downloading Microsoft Office 365 at no cost. For questions or assistance contact UHOnline@uh.edu.
UH Email
Please check and use your Cougarnet email for communications related to this course. Faculty use the Cougarnet email to respond to course-related inquiries such as grade queries or progress reports for reasons of FERPA. To access your Cougarnet email, login to your Microsoft 365 account with your Cougarnet credentials. Visit University Information Technology (UIT) for instructions on how to connect your Cougarnet e-mail on a mobile device.
Security Escorts and Cougar Ride
UHPD continually works with the University community to make the campus a safe place to learn, work, and live. The security escort service is designed for the community members who have safety concerns and would like to have a Security Officer walk with them, for their safety, as they make their way across campus. Based on availability either a UHPD Security Officer or Police Officer will escort students, faculty, and staff to locations beginning and ending on campus. If you feel that you need a Security Officer to walk with you for your safety, please call 713-743-3333. Arrangements may be made for special needs.
Parking and Transportation Services also offers a late-night, on-demand shuttle service called “Cougar Ride” that provides rides to and from all on-campus shuttle stops, as well as the MD Anderson Library, Cougar Village/Moody Towers and the UH Technology Bridge. Rides can be requested through the UH Go app. Days and hours of operation can be found at https://uh.edu/af-university-services/parking/cougar-ride/.
Syllabus Changes
Please note that the instructor may need to make modifications to the course syllabus. Notice of such changes will be announced as quickly as possible through {specify how students will be notified of changes}.
Artificial Intelligence
Instructors are recommended to develop language that will guide students in their use or prohibition of use of AI related tools. If an instructor allows the use of AI tools, they should clearly indicate in what ways they can be used, how they should be cited/reported, and for which assignments they are allowed. Note that Turnitin currently has a filter for ChatGPT, although there is approximately 2% rate of false positives. The following is a collection of classroom policies from a variety of universities for AI generative tools: Classroom Policies for AI Generative Tools (google.com).