QTM 385 - Experimental Methods

Course Description

Welcome to QTM 385! This course introduces the principles of experimental design, focusing on the design and analysis of experiments in the social and life sciences. We will cover the basics of probability theory, hypothesis testing, and statistical inference, as well as the design of experiments and surveys. You will learn how to use statistical software to analyse data and interpret results, and how to communicate your findings effectively. We will also discuss ethical issues in experimental research and the importance of transparency and reproducibility in scientific work. Throughout the course, you will develop the skills needed to design and conduct your experiments and surveys and evaluate the work of others.

Contact Information

• Danilo Freire
  • Email: danilofreire@gmail.com
  • Office hours: By appointment at any time (online or in person).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Design rigorous experimental studies, including appropriate randomisation procedures and sample size calculations.
2. Develop comprehensive pre-analysis plans (PAPs) for experimental research, demonstrating an understanding of best practices in pre-registration.
3. Apply statistical techniques to analyse experimental data.
4. Use Quarto to create reproducible research documents and presentations.
5. Critically evaluate experimental designs and results, identifying potential issues and limitations.
6. Adapt analysis strategies to address unexpected challenges in experimental data.
7. Understand and apply ethical considerations in experimental design and analysis.
8. Develop problem-solving skills through regular problem sets covering various aspects of experimental design and analysis.

Repository Structure

This repository is organised as follows:

• assignments/: Contains all course assignments
• lectures/: Includes lecture materials and code
• tutorials/: Step-by-step guides for the tools used in the course
• README.md: This file, providing an overview of the course and repository
• syllabus.pdf: Course syllabus in PDF format

The course website is available at https://danilofreire.github.io/qtm385/.

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues with the course materials or have questions about the content, please:

1. Check the course syllabus, the tutorials, and this README file for relevant information
2. Review the lecture materials in the repository
3. Consult with your classmates or post in the course discussion forum
4. Attend office hours or schedule an appointment with the instructor

Contributing to the Repository

While this repository is primarily maintained by the course instructor, everyone is welcome to contribute. Please feel free to suggest improvements or report issues by opening a GitHub issue, submitting a pull request, creating a discussion post, or contacting the instructor directly.

License

This repository is licensed under the MIT License. You are free to use, modify, and distribute the materials as needed, with appropriate attribution to the original source.

We look forward to an engaging and productive semester! Thank you! :smiley: