Monthly Archives: March 2014

PMean: Using statistical design principles to plan a Monte Carlo analysis

I want to run a Monte Carlo analysis of various Bayesian estimators to see how they perform when the prior distribution is “wrong”. I’m like everyone else–I just plunge in and start. But halfway through the Monte Carlo analysis, I realized that I could make my life easier and produce a better quality Monte Carlo analysis if I used basic statistical design principles. Here’s a brief outline of some of these design principles. Continue reading

Recommended: Qualifications for Teaching an Introductory Statistics Course

The American Statistical Association and the Mathematical Association of America published a joint statement on the qualifications that a college teacher would need in order to teach an introductory statistics course for undergraduate students. This is an issue in many Mathematics Departments which might need to teach such a class but would not be big enough to have a degreed Statistician. A minimum amount of course work is needed, but also practical experience with data analysis, which might come from “advanced courses, projects, consulting, or research.” Continue reading