Overview

• Module Information

• ExtRas

  • LeadRboard, Cloud ChallengRs, EasteR Eggs, & Hex Awards

• BarbenheimR Recap

• KahootR

Welcome to Discovering Statistics!

• In this module we will build on the foundational skills in R and critical and statistical thinking from first year

• We'll be by diving into the many permutations of the linear model first introduced in Analysing Data last term

• At the end of this module, you will have a diverse toolkit of ideas, techniques, and analyses for your third year projects!

About Us

Module Leads

• Dr Danielle Evans

  • Practicals, skills labs, worksheets, mid-term take-away paper

• Professor Andy Field

  • Lectures, tutorials, A1 take-away paper

• Dr Lazaros Gonidis

  • Practicals

• If you haven't done so already, join the Discord Server to ask us questions about the content!

Teaching Sessions

• Practicals

  • Led by Dr Danielle Evans and Dr Lazaros Gonidis along with a team of doctoral tutors

  • These sessions alternate each week between online and in person

• Lectures

  • Delivered in person by Professor Andy Field

  • Usually one lecture per week but for the first two weeks of term only there are two lectures per week - check your timetable on Sussex Direct to make sure you don't miss them!

• Skills Labs

  • Delivered in person by Dr Danielle Evans

Assessments

• Look on Canvas for more information about assessments!

• Practical Worksheets every week - 20%

• Mid-term Take Away Paper (TAP) in Week 7 - 25%

• Research Participation (SONA) - 5%

• A1 Take Away Paper (TAP) - 50%

• You will also use your analytical and interpretation skills from the mid-term TAP assessment to complete your Developmental Psychology lab report due in Week 10

LeadRboard

• In every Skills Lab, you'll have the opportunity to earn points by participating in Kahoot quizzes

• At the end of term, the students with the highest score will receive a pRize for all their hard work!

  • You just need to make sure to use the same username each week so that your points are counted

  • You don't have to use your real name, but choose something memorable and unique to you & write it down!

  • You must submit your username on Canvas so that we can verify winnRs at the end of term, so please do this now if you haven't done so already!

LeadRboard

• After the first Kahoot, you'll be able to view your score on the leadRboard on Canvas

Cloud ChallengRs

• As self-proclaimed neRds, we love nothing more than creating cool stuff in R and telling anybody who will listen all about it

• This process of problem-solving and having a go at creating something really helps to develop R skills, plus it's something fun to do in R that usually isn't stats related... 😁

  • For example, I LOVE building apps/websites in R, showing them to my friends and saying 'LOOK HOW PRETTY THIS IS', and making Spotify playlists - they're my fave!

Cloud ChallengRs

• So, on the DS workspace on the Cloud, there's a list of Cloud ChallengRs for you to play around with...

  • Have you ever wanted to find out the most used emojis/words in your Whatsapp group chat? There's a Cloud ChallengR for that!

  • Ever wanted to create a meme using code? There's a Cloud ChallengR for that!

  • Ever wanted to find out the most common lip sync song from RuPaul's drag race? There's a Cloud ChallengR for that!

• For each Cloud ChallengR you attempt, you can earn 500 points to add to your Kahoot score, you just need to submit your attempt to Canvas to get the extra points added

• We'd love to see what you create so please do share them with us in practicals/after skills labs too so we can neRd out with you 😁

• I like to hide 'EasteR Eggs' in my teaching materials because I'm a troll cool lecturer

• They might be hidden in definitions (hover over 'EasteR Eggs' above), slide text, or in images (hover over the emoji in the slide title)

• EasteR Eggs are worth 250 Kahoot points each, and there might be multiple to find within one Skills Lab lecture

• For today, there's just one to find, and I've already told you where to look... but usually it won't be that obvious!

• You just need to submit what hidden treasuRe you find to the right week on Canvas to get your extra points added each week!

Hex Stickers

• Learning R is hard work, and working hard deserves the best kind of reward: Hex Stickers!!

• Hexagonal ("hex") stickers have been a feature of the RStats community for years

  • R enthusiasts give out or get stickers at meetings or conferences, and use them to display their pRide

• So, for every Research Methods module you pass (PAAS, AnD, DS, & QQM), you can collect a Hex sticker:

Hex Awards

• Hex Awards are special hex stickers that recognise particular achievements or contributions to this module

• There are two weekly awards:

Keen Bean

• This award will go to students who are proactive in their learning by asking questions, actively engaging in practicals and showing enthusiasm, dedication, and curiosity

SavioR

• This award will go to students who go out of their way to help other students learn and understand

• You can nominate anyone who has helped you debug your code or understand a new concept, supported or encouraged you, or any other acts of kindness on this module

Hex Awards

• There are two awards at the end of term:

High FlyR

• This award will go students who get top marks for their final overall mark on Discovering Statistics

ClimbR

• This award will go to students who have the biggest improvement between their final overall mark on Analysing Data and their final overall mark on Discovering Statistics

Calling all gRaphic DesignRs!

• Do you consider yourself an aRtiste with a flaiR for gRaphic design?

• Are you a creative poweRhouse with an eye for beauty that can turn heads and spark inspiRation?

• Do you have a passion for coding, statistics, and psychology?

Calling all gRaphic DesignRs!

• Do you consider yourself an aRtiste with a flaiR for gRaphic design?

• Are you a creative poweRhouse with an eye for beauty that can turn heads and spark inspiRation?

• Do you have a passion for coding, statistics, and psychology?

• Can you create something better than some of the world's brightest statistical minds?

Design-a-hex

• We have a competition open to all students & staff to design our new Sussex Psychology Hex Sticker!

• The requirements:

  • It must be a hexagon & in the general style of R hex stickers

  • It must capture the spirit of Sussex and coding in R in the design

• You can use whatever appropriate software you have - Adobe Illustrator is available on all student PCs and you can find free icons here

• Let your cReative juices flow and go wild!!!

Design-a-hex

• Deadline & Submission:

  • Submit an image file of your hex sticker to Canvas by 24th Nov (week 8)

  • We'll shortlist/vote on the submissions and will have the winning hex sticker ready to collect in the final skills lab at the end of term! 😱

  • As well as having the pride of seeing your hex sticker on everyone's devices, the winner will also receive an additional pRize for their sticker...

Getting Help

• This module focuses on developing R and Statistics skills

  • These are subjects that need a lot of practice!!

• But we are here to help you:

  • Ask questions in practicals, after lectures, at the R help desk

  • Post on Discord

  • Problem-solve with friends and classmates

  • Contact the student mentors

• There's no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to R/stats!!

• It's best to seek help as early as possible so we can support you

• The worst thing you can do is avoid R entirely and disappear!!

It's never too late to staRt!

When I began at Sussex, I didn’t realise that R was a part of my course. As a lazy student, I didn’t even read my prospectus before joining, so it was a complete (unpleasant) surprise that I was studying statistics and coding. I was absolutely terrified to learn that I now had to learn coding and statistics.

I would often put it off, or leave early in the first year, which lead to me getting 42% in my module. I just couldn't begin to understand this seemingly foreign language of R. As my final year approached, I began prioritising my time around learning R and stumbled into the mountainous task of completing three different methods of statistical analyses for my dissertation.

I had never even tried to learn how to do any of those analyses before. I was unbelievably stressed. With Dr Danielle's guidance, I achieved a 68 in my dissertation. Fast forward two months later, and I now work as a Data Analyst in the R Programming Language. I love my job.

As above, I was never confident in my mathematical or technical abilities. I spent a long period of my academic career putting off learning how to code. If I can get this far, you all can too. It takes time, be patient and kind to yourself.

Former Student

BarbenheimR Recap 💣

• In our practicals this week, we looked at the Barbenheimer phenomenon, and attempted a few different tasks to remind ourselves about the linear model

  • What hypotheses did you test?

  • Did you find any interesting results?

• If we still have some time left, let's take a look at what I came up with for some of the tasks!

• We'll be sticking with the linear model for quite a few weeks so even if we don't get to this today, we'll be looking at it in depth next week onwards!

KahootR

• This is your last chance to submit your Kahoot username before we begin!