Quick Facts


Instructor Information

Instructor: Alex John Quijano
Office: Library 394
Email:


Class Time and Location

Lectures: F03: MWF 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM, F04: MWF 10:05 AM – 10:55 AM
Labs: F33: Tu 8:50 AM – 10:10 AM, F31: Tu 10:25 AM – 11:45 AM, F32: Tu 12:00 PM – 1:20 PM
Rooms: Lectures: PHYSIC 240A, Labs: ETC 205


Office Hours

Alex John Quijano: MWF 3PM - 4PM and TuTh 4PM - 5PM (or by appointment) - Library 394
Lab Assistants:

  • Maxwell - MW 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM (ETC 105b)

  • Gillian - MTu 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM (Zoom: reed-edu.zoom.us/j/94604917095)

  • Robin - Thu 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM (ETC 105b)


Quick Resources


Textbook

OpenIntro: Introduction to Modern Statistics (2021) by Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel and Johanna Hardin, First Edition. The textbook is free and open-source. We will use this textbook for all assignments (see tentative topic schedule).


Computing

This class will use the R programming language and the R Studio Integrated Development Environment (IDE). There are several ways to use R and R studio. Below are two ways to access R and R Studio.

  • Option 1. Reed College has an R Studio server where you can log in using your Kerberos credentials. Go to this link, rstudio.reed.edu.

  • Option 2. Downloading and Installing on your own computer. First, you need to install R; r-project.org. Next, you can install R Studio; rstudio download.

For more information and resources, visit Reed R resources.


Gradescope

Homework, lab, project assignments, and exams are submitted through Gradescope. Please sign-up as a student with your Reed email using this Gradecope entry code: 2R8X6V.


Slack Workspace

Please sign-up for the Class Slack Workspace using your Reed email during the first week of class. We will be using Slack Workspace: math141-quijano.slack.com as the main real-time communication tool; from general announcements and question-answering to direct messages. Please check the Slack Workspace regularly. Concise and specific messages are helpful. If you prefer communicating through email, note that the instructor has set up an email filter for this course and you must put “MATH 141” in your subject line. It is easy for the instructor to get notice of your email if you put the keyword in the subject line.


Quick Pep Talk


Inspirational Talk

Learning statistics and the R programming language are like learning two new languages simultaneously – like Spanish, French, Mandarin, or Tagalog. Learning probability and statistics can help you on your research/thesis and it can help you statistically assess and critique someone’s research work, arguments or claims. It can be difficult and frustrating when learning R if you have little or no experience with computer programming. Many experienced statisticians, mathematicians, and computer scientists still get frustrated occasionally when writing R codes or any programming language. Part of the R learning experience is frustration and self-denial. These are valid emotions and will slowly fade over time. Once it clicks you will feel joy and excitement but probably with a hint of skepticism making sure the code does what it is supposed to do. If you find yourself stuck or taking a lot of time to successfully execute a code snippet, talk to your fellow peers, ask questions, and most importantly send the instructor a message. Take a break and do something fun - like eating - and try R coding again. You can do this!


Jokes

I know that life sucks sometimes - especially in this pandemic times! So, here are some jokes.

Source: [Freeman M. (2006). A visual comparison of normal and paranormal distributions. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60(1), 6.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2465539/){target=_blank}

Source: Freeman M. (2006). A visual comparison of normal and paranormal distributions. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60(1), 6.