SDS 3020
Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis
An introduction to probability and statistics. Major topics include elementary probability, special distributions, experimental design, exploratory data analysis, estimation of mean and proportion, hypothesis testing and confidence, regression, and analysis of variance. Emphasis is placed on development of statistical reasoning, basic analytic skills, and critical thinking in empirical research studies. The use of the statistical software R is integrated into lectures and weekly assignments. Required for students pursuing a major or minor in statistics or wishing to take 400 level or above statistics courses. Prerequisite: Math 132. Though Math 233 is not essential, it is recommended.
Instructors
Abigail Jager, Bowen Xie, Chakraborty, Chetkar Jha, Ding, Jager, Jha, Jimin Ding, Nilanjan Chakraborty, Shota Takeishi
Reviews
2 or less hrs/week
This guy sucks. Luckily, the homework answers can be found online and the exams are sooooo easy. Make sure to get the "Chapter X Written" pdf for each chapter, as these are easy to read notes made by a better professor. Studying should just be reading these notes, doing the problems that are scattered in the notes, and then trying the practice exam.
5/21/2024
2-4 hrs/week
Jha is the worst teacher/Professor I’ve had in ever. Lectures are impossible to pay attention to due to how boring jha is and if you do (somehow) pay attention what he says is incomprehensible. Everything I learned was from the textbook. But very easy class/tests. Jha also clearly wants his students to succeed; I just don’t know if he can help them do so…
5/19/2024
2-4 hrs/week
not that bad at all. a little annoying but you get a cheat sheet on exams so if you make that you can do well
5/18/2024
2 or less hrs/week
Really bad lectures ... easy class ... with Jha you need to teach yourself with Jager's lecture notes if he releases them. I would try and wait to take it with Jager
5/18/2024
Lectures were definitely middling but nothing unexpected. He made the first exam challenging and completely overcorrected for the following exams due to students underperforming; nice guy but failed to give me a concrete understanding of the statistics principles he tried to teach
4/1/2024
Lectures are boring and confusing. He's a really funny guy and is really lenient with grading (sometimes too lenient), I just wish that his lectures were better. Halfway through the class I just decided to stop showing up and teaching myself the content using the textbook.
12/26/2023
Professor Ding does have a slight accent, but it is not too bad to the point that you can't understand her. Her notes are pretty helpful and if you keep up with her lectures, the exams aren't that bad. She gives out a lot of extra points (gave an extra 5 points back on most exams this semester) which was very helpful.
5/6/2023
we conducted a small class attendance survey... students who attended classes at least once last week performed better in exams than those who did not attend the class by 6% in Exam 2 and became statistically significantnJiminnnFYI 5% is a single multiple choice question... She is disappointed by our low exam averages but can't figure out why...
4/25/2023
Prof. Jager is the best math professor I encounter at WashU. She gives good lectures and is very accessible outside of class. The workload for this class is very manageable. Exams are also not difficult. Definitely deserves a 5 star.
4/20/2023
She is very enthusiastic but too hard to understand. I need to listen to her lecture recording twice to understand what she is saying.
4/13/2023
(I took 3211 not 3200)nJager was super helpful, grades were mostly based on exams but if you kept up with the notes and homework you'll be fine.
1/9/2023
Dr. Jager's lecture is amazing!! She is definitely a gem at WashU. Try to go as many in-person classes as you can (although I barely went and thus got an A-). It is not easy to earn an A in MAT 3200 and you have to do some extra questions if you want to earn an A.
12/27/2022
Professor Jager is amazing! She is super nice, cares about her students, is always available to answer questions and help, and teaches with real examples and explanations rather than abstract mathematical theory. She wants all her students to succeed.
12/22/2021
Prof. Jager is great! She makes clear, helpful, and interesting lecture videos. After taking Math 3200, I really want to change my major to statistics or math. A lot of that has to do with Professor Jager and Noroozi. Thank you!
5/17/2021
Everything you would want in a math teacher, in my opinion. Extremely clear lectures that make note taking a breeze. Teaches concepts in a consistent manner, so you can see the similarities between different units. Also teaches in a way where you can easily apply concepts to homework and exam problems. Very kind and accessible outside of class too.
5/9/2021
Abby has the most amazingly structured classes I have ever taken! The fill in lecture notes are really thorough (but get right to the point) and easy to follow. Expectations are clear in this class, she sets you up to learn the material well which makes for no surprises. And she's incredibly friendly and accessible! This class made stats enjoyable.
5/6/2021
Very rough class. Probably the worst professor I've had at WashU. The homeworks ask for ridiculously advanced R knowledge that she doesn't teach in course, and her lectures are extremely hard to follow. Avoid if you can.
4/24/2020
Professor Ding is a VERY nice and funny person and she is accessible in her office hours, but those are unfortunately the only good things I can say about her course. The lectures are confusing and hard to follow, and the homeworks are very difficult. Also the computer problems she gives using R are far more advanced than they should be.
4/6/2020
Accent makes her extremely difficult to understand. Test questions are poorly worded, and tests are only out of 15 points, so if you get just a few points off your grade tanks. Worst class I've taken at WashU.
5/15/2017
Ding is a sweet person, but an overall mediocre lecturer, failing to explain already tough concepts. Students who work hard can usually attain an A (she gives great extra credit opportunities). Her exams can be tough and her homeworks are time consuming, but she is definitely fair overall. Sadly, she yet remains the best 3200 prof. at WashU.
5/13/2017