10  Assignments

The primary course assignments for 431 include:

The rest of this section provides some information about each of these assignments. See the Assignments page on the course website for direct links to instructions and other details. Information on course grades is found in Chapter 11.

10.1 Deadlines for Assignments

All deadlines are posted on the Course Calendar, which is the final word for all deadlines.

  • On every assignment, we will be delighted to respond to questions up to 3 hours before the assignment is due. After that time, you may wind up on your own. The reason for this is that Professor Love and the teaching assistants will regularly post responses to frequently asked questions about assignments, and we need sufficient time to accomplish this task.

10.2 Using Artificial Intelligence Tools

  1. The use of generative AI is prohibited for check-ins and for the Quiz.
  2. Select use of generative AI is permitted (so long as you disclose it appropriately - see the assignment instructions) in developing code and improving communication in course labs and projects.

See Section 12.4.4 for additional language and policies on using generative AI software (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini) at CWRU.

10.3 Projects

You will complete three projects this semester. Project A is smaller than Project B, which is smaller than Project C. The main reason why we have three Projects is that I can’t figure out a way to get you to think about all of the things I hope you’ll learn from this course in fewer Projects. Another important reason is that I want you to be able to make mistakes during the semester without worrying about it too much, and having three projects spreads out this learning a bit.

  1. We set different tasks for each Project, allowing us to touch on a wider fraction of the things I hope you’ll learn in 431.
  2. The projects use different data sets, types of sources and study designs, and also require varying analyses and use different methods for communicating results.
  3. We provide far more guidance (and instruction) for the early projects (A and B) than for Project C.
  4. We provide brief written feedback on Project A, more substantial written feedback on B, and oral feedback on Project C.
  5. Projects A and B are lower-risk than Project C (and count less towards your grade.) 6. Completing each project makes later assignments (including the other projects) easier for you to do and for us to evaluate.
  6. Having a broad range of project activities to evaluate helps reduce the cost of a mistake on any one of them, so that you can build skills from Project to Project.

Links to the instructions for each project can be found on our Assignments page.

10.4 Labs

During the semester, there are seven lab assignments.

  • Most labs require straightforward demonstrations of mastery for core principles and fundamental skills. Some require deeper dives into more technically sophisticated material.
  • Most labs ask you to clean/visualize/analyze some data that we provide to you, and also to react to something we’re reading at the same time in the Spiegelhalter book.
  • You should anticipate that some coding in R and writing at least one essay will be required in most labs.

Lab assignments are submitted through Canvas. The link to post your responses for each Lab will appear in time for you to submit the work, usually just after the deadline for the preceding Lab has passed. After all submissions are in, Dr. Love will provide detailed answer sketches for each Lab.

More information on labs is available at this link.

10.5 Quiz

One consequence of having three Projects instead of two this term is that there is now only one Quiz this term (instead of the two we’ve done in the past.)

  • You will receive this Quiz just before the Thanksgiving break. It is an open-book, end-of-semester assessment of everything we’ll do between the start of the course and Class 24.

More information on this Quiz is available at this link.

10.6 Check-ins

Professor Love plans to set six “Check-Ins” these semester. These are brief opportunities for you to demonstrate your understanding and how well you’re keeping up with the course. Some might call them “mini-quizzes”.

Each check-in is designed to take somewhere between 15 and 60 minutes of your time. Professor Love may require you to complete and submit work live in class, or he may simply announce the check-in in class, and provide instructions for submission on a short (48 hour) deadline.

More information on check-ins is available at this link.

10.7 Minute Papers

Our Minute Papers are short surveys (completed using a Google Form) where you will answer a few questions about how the course is going for you, express your views and preferences, and comment on relevant concerns.

  • You should complete the Minute Paper even if you weren’t able to attend the most recent class.
  • Most Minute Papers take about 5 minutes to complete.
  • A good time to do these is right at the end of Tuesday’s class, but each Minute Paper is due at noon Wednesday to give you some time to reflect, if you’d like.
  • Your first assignment: the Welcome to 431 Survey uses a similar format, but is more extensive than a typical Minute Paper.

Only Professor Love sees the results of the Minute Papers with identifying information. Generally, he summarizes findings and provides feedback without identifying people as part of that week’s Thursday class.

More information on minute papers is available at this link.