College: Harvard University
Certificate Price: $49
Length: 8 Weeks
Instructors: Rafael Irizarry

Data Science: Inference and Modeling

Statistical inference and modeling are indispensable for analyzing data affected by chance, and thus essential for data scientists. In this course, you will learn these key concepts through a motivating case study on election forecasting.

This course will show you how inference and modeling can be applied to develop the statistical approaches that make polls an effective tool and we’ll show you how to do this using R. You will learn concepts necessary to define estimates and margins of errors and learn how you can use these to make predictions relatively well and also provide an estimate of the precision of your forecast.

Once you learn this you will be able to understand two concepts that are ubiquitous in data science: confidence intervals, and p-values. Then, to understand statements about the probability of a candidate winning, you will learn about Bayesian modeling. Finally, at the end of the course, we will put it all together to recreate a simplified version of an election forecast model and apply it to the 2016 election.

Similar Courses

Computing for Data Analysis

The modern data analysis pipeline involves collection, preprocessing, storage, analysis, and interactive visualization of data. The goal of this course, part of the Analytics: Essential Tools and Methods MicroMasters program,…

Computer Hardware and Operating Systems

This is a self-paced course that provides an Introduction to Computer Hardware and Operating Systems This course will cover topics including: Fundamentals of system hardware Introduction to OS concepts OS…
C Programming: Advanced Data Types

C Programming: Advanced Data Types

In this course, part of the C Programming with Linux Professional Certificate program, you will define your own data types in C, and use the newly created types to more…
Saving Schools

Saving Schools

This course seeks to answer the question: how did a school system, once the envy of the world, stumble so that the performance in math, science, and reading of U.S.…
The Quantum World

The Quantum World

Welcome to The Quantum World! This course is an introduction to quantum chemistry: the application of quantum theory to atoms, molecules, and materials. You’ll learn about wavefunctions, probability, special notations,…
China and Communism

China and Communism

How did the Communists conquer China? What role does culture play? What are the successes and failures of the Chinese Communist Party after seizing power in 1949? What constitutes liberation?…
Big Data and Education

Big Data and Education

Online and software-based learning tools have been used increasingly in education. This movement has resulted in an explosion of data, which can now be used to improve educational effectiveness and…
Lending

Lending, Crowdfunding, and Modern Investing

In this course, you’ll learn the foundational theories behind robo-advising, crowdfunding, and marketplace lending, and how to apply these theories to optimize your investments. Professor David Musto of the Wharton…