Syllabus

This course covers programming and other computer skills required for the research and application of statistical methods. The focus will be on programming in the R language; we will cover the basic language elements and methods for software development in R. We will also cover computing topics such as coding best practices, version control, copyright law, and graphics.

Instructor

Teaching Assistants

Lectures

There are no live lectures for this course.

Office Hours

Dr. Peng will hold office hours via Zoom at the following days/times:

  • Wednesdays 9-11:30am EDT
  • Thursdays 1:30-3pm EDT

All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time timezone.

Appointments can also be made via email.

Textbook

You are currently reading the textbook for this course!

Software

We will make heavy use of R in this course, so you should have R installed. You can obtain R from the Comprehensive R Archive Network. There are versions available for Mac, Windows, and Unix/Linux. This software is required for this course.

It is important that you have the latest version of R installed. For this course we will be using R version 4.0.3. You can determine what version of R you have by starting up R and typing into the console R.version.string and hitting the return/enter key. If you do not have the proper version of R installed, go to CRAN and download and install the latest version.

We will also make use of the RStudio interactive development environment (IDE). RStudio requires that R be installed, and so is an “add-on” to R. You can obtain the RStudio Desktop for free from the RStudio web site. In particular, we will make haevy use of it when developing R packages. It is also essential that you have the latest release of RStudio. You can determine the version of RStudio by looking at menu item Help > About RStudio. You should be using RStudio version 1.3.1073 or higher.

Homework

There will be 4 assignments, due every 2–3 weeks. Homeworks will be submitted electronically via the Drop Box on the CoursePlus web site (unless otherwise specified).

The homework assignments will be due on

  • Homework 0: September 3, 1:29pm
  • Homework 1: September 18, 11:59pm
  • Homework 2: October 9, 11:59pm
  • Homework 3: October 23, 11:59pm

Homework collaboration

Please feel free to study together and talk to one another about homework assignments. The mutual instruction that students give each other is among the most valuable that can be achieved. However, it is expected that homework assignments will be implemented and written up independently unless otherwise specified. Specifically, please do not share analytic code or output. Please do not collaborate on write-up and interpretation. Please do not access or use solutions from any source before your homework assignment is submitted for grading.

Discussion Forum

The course will make use of the CoursePlus Discussion Forum in order to ask and answer questions regarding any of the course materials. The Instructor and the Teaching Assistants will monitor the discussion boards and answer questions when appropriate.

Exams

There are no exams in this course.

Grading

Grades in the course will be based on Homeworks 0–3 with a percentage of the final grade being apportioned to each assignment. Each of Homeworks 1–3 counts approximately equally in the final grade. Grades for the homeworks and the final grade will be issued via the CoursePlus grade book.

Academic Ethics and Student Conduct Code

Students enrolled in the Bloomberg School of Public Health of The Johns Hopkins University assume an obligation to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the University’s mission as an institution of higher education. A student is obligated to refrain from acts which he or she knows, or under the circumstances has reason to know, impair the academic integrity of the University. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to: cheating; plagiarism; knowingly furnishing false information to any agent of the University for inclusion in the academic record; violation of the rights and welfare of animal or human subjects in research; and misconduct as a member of either School or University committees or recognized groups or organizations.

Students should be familiar with the policies and procedures specified under Policy and Procedure Manual Student-01 (Academic Ethics), available on the school’s portal.

The faculty, staff and students of the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University have the shared responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the law and respects the rights of others. Students enrolled in the School are subject to the Student Conduct Code (detailed in Policy and Procedure Manual Student-06) and assume an obligation to conduct themselves in a manner which upholds the law and respects the rights of others. They are responsible for maintaining the academic integrity of the institution and for preserving an environment conducive to the safe pursuit of the School’s educational, research, and professional practice missions.

Disability Support Services

If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic accommodation, please contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 410-502-6602 or via email at JHSPH.dss@jhu.edu. Accommodations take effect upon approval and apply to the remainder of the time for which a student is registered and enrolled at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.