Spring 2025 Course Description
MCS 240 Statistical Computing and Visualization
Contact Info.
Instructor: Aaron Nienow
Office: 302 Olin Hall
Email: anienow2@gustavus.edu
Class Schedule: Calendar
Tutoring: Times and Locations
Times
- Classes meet from 8:00 to 9:05 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Olin 321.
- Scheduled office hour from 10:45 to 11:45 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Office hour by appointment from 9:15 to 10:15 on Tuesday and Thursday
Textbooks
- Hands-On Programming with R
- R for Data Science(2nd Edition)
- Introduction to Data Science (Tiffany Timbers, Trevor Campbell, and Melissa Lee)
- Introduction to Data Science (Rafael A. Irizarry)
Computer Software
The primary software used in this course is Posit (RStudio). Gustavus has an online version of Posit at posit.gac.edu You can read more about Posit at www.rstudio.com
Course Description
This course will utilize statistical software packages to learn about the fundamentals of data science needed for data analysis. Topics include data acquisition, data cleaning and wrangling, and visualization techniques. Focus will be on the learned techniques as well as on the communication of findings to a general audience.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Develop research questions that can be answered by data.
- Import/scrape data into R.
- Organize, clean, and merge data from multiple sources and formats.
- Manipulate common types of data to provide insight into your data and facilitate analysis.
- Create appropriate visualizations and numerical summaries based on the types of variables being studied and uncover relationships/patterns
- Collaborate on a data science project.
- Draw informed conclusions from your data and communicate your findings to a general audience.
- Consider the ethical implications of data science products.
Course Requirements
- Homework
Homework assignments are designed to help you learn the material we cover in class and in the readings. If you have questions on homework problems, you are encouraged to schedule a visit during office hours or ask the statistics tutors. You may collaborate on homework with classmates; however, you must write up your assignment individually. The grader may not grade all of the assigned problems; several representative problems from the homework may be selected and graded.
I do not accept late homework unless there are extenuating circumstances. You will be granted one 24-hour, no questions asked extension. To take advantage, email me before the homework is due. I will drop the lowest homework score at the end of the semester.
- Projects
An important part of this course is projects. The projects will provide an opportunity to synthesize everything you have learned over the course of the term. The projects will allow you to use your creativity and create something meaningful on a topic that you are interested in. The projects will be wildly open-ended, and its evaluation will emphasize originality and ingenuity in addition to sophistication and complexity. There will be deadlines related to your projects throughout the semester.
- Exams
There will be four exams in this course to check your understanding of key concepts and tools throughout the course. Format and details of exams will be given later in the semester.
Tentative Exam Dates
- Wednesday Feb. 5
- Friday Feb. 21
- Monday Mar. 17
- Wednesday Apr. 16
Grades
Your course grade will be determined as follows:
| Section | Percent |
|---|---|
| Homework | 25% |
| Exams | 50% |
| Projects | 25% |
Grading Scale
| F | D | D+ | C- | C | C+ | B- | B | B+ | A- | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [0, 60%) | [60, 67%) | [67%, 70%) | [70%, 73%) | [73%, 77%) | [77%, 80%) | [80%, 83%) | [83%, 87%) | [87%, 90%) | [90%, 93%) | [93%, 100%] |
Class Expectations
- Come to class prepared. Classes will be used for discussions, problem solving, lectures, and other activities. You should prepare for classes by doing the reading beforehand, thinking about the problems in the text, and formulating questions of your own. You should also participate as much as possible in class. Class meetings are not intended to be a complete encapsulation of the course material. You will be responsible for learning some of the material on your own.
- Look at Moodle and check your email regularly. Everything you need to know is there, and things are constantly being posted. Important announcements will also be communicated via email.
- Arrive to class prepared.Watch the recorded lectures, read through material, and work on assignments on the day they are posted. Attending and participating in class will benefit you!
- Attendance is expected. If you are ill or unable to make it to class you should notify your instructor in advance. It is your responsibility to learn the material from the classes that you miss. I reserve the right to lower your final grade by one letter grade if you have more than 4 unexcused absences. All events related to school are excused.
- Do your OWN work. In no event can you copy answers from another student, a web site, solutions manuals, old keys, artificial intelligence engines, or elsewhere. You are however encouraged to collaborate in an honorable way. This means that while you can discuss problems and their solutions, each of you should make a real effort to solve each problem by yourself. You can work together towards solutions, but should not just copy. Each person solving half the problems does NOT constitute working together.
- Study the homework solutions. One goal of this course is to become an effective communicator of statistical ideas and analyses, and by spending time with the answer key, you can discover better ways to communicate ideas: more precise, more concise, more informative , even in cases where you received most of the available points.
- Be respectful in the classroom. I am happy to take any questions in class, no matter how trivial they may seem. To facilitate an open learning environment, please respect each other. Raise your hand, listen when others are talking (including when I am speaking), and avoid distracting or rude behavior. Please avoid using your phone in class. It is an unnecessary distraction.
- Use computers respectfully. Students using computers during class time for purposes beyond MCS 241 (email, internet surfing, paper writing, etc.) may have their computer privileges revoked.
- Seek help when you need it. You can all be successful in this class. If you are struggling, talk to the instructor! I also encourage you to seek help from your peers in this class. You can also go to the Academic Support Center for help with improving your general study skills and habits.
Tutoring
The MCS department has peer tutors available for a range of introductory courses. The department keeps a schedule of when tutoring is offered and which courses the tutors can help with. That schedule can be found here.
Please be aware of the following information regarding the MCS tutors:
- All students are welcome at MCS tutoring whether it is to ask specific questions or just to use the space to work. Students, including tutors, are expected to be respectful of others.
- Students must sign in using the QR code before receiving tutoring.
- Students are responsible for bringing all necessary materials (course notes, textbook, handouts, etc.) with them to tutoring. The tutors cannot help without these materials.
- Students are responsible for knowing and communicating with the tutor about what type of assistance they are allowed to have.
- A tutor will not help with problems on an assignment in which outside resources are not allowed. However, a tutor can help explain concepts and work through a similar type of problem.
- Regardless of the type of assignment, it is not a tutor’s job to provide the correct answer or do the problem for the student.
- Students are responsible for the correctness of their answers. It is not the tutors’ job to check that all answers on an assignment are correct. Tutors are available to help students learn concepts.
Academic Integrity
You are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty, to uphold the Gustavus Honor Code and to abide by the Academic Honesty Policy. A full description of the Academic Honesty Policy and the Honor Code can be found in the Academic Catalog (online at https://gustavus.edu/general_catalog/current/acainfo).
All work that you turn in under your name must follow Gustavus's academic integrity policy. The use of solution manuals (physical or online solutions), artificial intelligence engines, homework, projects or exams done by past students are not allowed. It is your responsibility to ensure you are abiding by the Honor Code. If you have questions about the Academic Honesty Policy, what is considered cheating, or anything related to academic integrity, ask your instructor.
The honor pledge applies to ALL work that you do in the class. A first violation of the honor code will result in a grade of 0 on the assignment in question. Any further violations will result in a grade of F for the course. In all cases, I notify the office of the Provost along with your academic adviser.
Academic Accommodations
Gustavus Adolphus College is committed to ensuring equitable and inclusive learning environments for all students. If you have a disability and anticipate or experience barriers to equal access, please speak with the accessibility resources staff about your needs. A disability may include mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, physical, and/or short-term conditions. Students with a documented elevated risk of COVID-19 may also request academic accommodations. When appropriate, staff will guide students and professors in making accommodations to ensure equal access. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively; therefore, to maximize your academic success at Gustavus, please contact them as early as possible. Accessibility resources staff are located in the Academic Support Center (x7227). Accessibility Resources Coordinator, Cinde Wiebusch (cwiebusc@gustavus.edu"), can provide further information.
Help for Multilingual Students
Support for English learners and multilingual students is available through the Center for International and Cultural Education Staff can meet individually with students for tutoring in writing, consulting about academic tasks, and helping students connect with the College’s support systems. When requested, the MIPC can consult with faculty regarding effective classroom strategies for English learners and multilingual students. If requested, the MIPC can provide students with a letter to a professor that explains and supports appropriate academic arrangements (e.g., additional time on tests, additional revisions for papers). Professors make decisions based on those recommendations at their own discretion. In addition, English learners and multilingual students can seek help from peer tutors in the (Writing Center).
Reference Assistance
You can always get help with your research at the library. Reference librarians will help you find information on a topic, develop search strategies for papers and projects, search library catalogs and databases, and provide assistance at every step. Drop-ins and appointments are both welcome. Visit https://gustavus.edu/library/reference_question.php for hours, location, and more information.