Research Design and Quantitative Methods

The third program in the MES core sequence explores quantitative methods for studying complex environmental phenomena. A primary focus is developing practical literacy in experimental design and data analysis. Students will learn statistical methods including graphical and tabular summaries, distributions, confidence intervals, t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-square tests, linear regression, multivariate statistics, and both non-parametric and resampling approaches to these statistical methods. The program also introduces software for data management and statistical analyses. Computer lab exercises and collaborative group research projects help students develop proficiency in experimental design and statistical programs.

Hi-Flex Class Format:  This course is offered in a “Hi-Flex” format. Students can attend fully in-person, fully online, or a mix of both. Each class will be offered in-person but will also include a zoom link for remote attendees. We will do our best to provide comparable experiences for both in-person and remote students. Remote students can expect to engage with one another through breakout rooms, online discussion boards and other collaborative online methods. 

Computer labs will be offered in the CAL (Computer Applications Lab), but students can attend class fully-online (Zoom) with more limited options for participation. Each class session will be broadcast over Zoom to any students who elect to attend from home or other off-campus location. Students attending remotely will be required to download appropriate software to home computers to complete the computer lab assignments and will have limited opportunities for working with others. 

Class Schedule: Tuesday and Thursday nights, 6pm-10pm.