Statistics Video Project

 

In EMR16, for the midterm and the final project, students have the choose of creating a 2 minute video that explains three statistical concepts to a novice.

Students have the option to either create a video or do a 10 minute oral presentation extending or applying the lecture material.  (There is also a separate pen and paper final exam).  For the video, students work in groups of 2 or 3 and choose one topic from each of three categories.

Here are the categories and grading breakdown for the midterm project:

Category I
Question Design
Bias in Surveys
Pros and Cons of Measures of Central Tendency

Category II
Pros and Cons of Sampling Schemes
P(A|B) versus P(B|A)
Simpson’s Paradox

Category III
Monty Hall Problem
Regression toward the Mean

Grading:
Statistical content - 50% (To what extent have you accurately applied the statistical concepts to your topic?  Is your presentation of the concepts correct?)

Clarity and cohesiveness - 20% (To what degree is your project naturally tied together by a single topic?)

Originality – 20% (Note that entertainment is only valuable if it adds to rather than distracts from your main ideas)

Questions and Discussion - 10% (After your presentation or video, the teaching staff will ask follow-­up questions about the material you included)

In most cases, everyone in the group will receive the same score on the midterm project.  The teaching staff will adjust the individual grades in unusual cases where there is evidence that group members did not contribute equally. 

Here is an example of a video.  For a paper that evaluates the effectiveness of doing the video for the midterm and the presentation for the final and vice versa, click below.