Description
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – Mark Twain.
A mid-twentieth century book: Lessons on How to Lie with Statistics still holds true. 2020 was a year filled with lies and obfuscation which spread like wildfire on social media. What is real? What is fake?
Module 1 Discussion Week 1 Resources
How to Lie with Statistics (2022)
How Not to Lie with Charts (2022)
Remove Your Rose Tinted Glasses: Data Visualizations Designed to Mislead (2022)
How to Lie With Statistics: Tic Tacs and Averages (2022)
Week 1 Discussion Post
Based on the resources provided or your research, share how studying statistics, data analysis, and decision-making can provide a foundation for detecting lies or poorly supported “facts.” Consider a career/professional application rather than a personal one. (Research Support Required)
This post should be 2 paragraphs in length (150-200 words). Since you are engaging in research, be sure to cite in the body of the post and add a reference list in APA format. NOTE: failure to use research with accompanying in-text citations to support content will result in reduced scoring “Level 2-Developing” on the grading rubric.
Hypotheses 101
Hypotheses and hypothesis testing are important tools in analysis that use the scientific method. Most of us first learned about the topic for a science project in elementary school. As graduate students and business professionals, the stakes are higher when it comes to the activity.
Module 2 Discussion Week 1 Resources
‘Horse race’ coverage of elections can harm voters, candidates and news outlets: Research (2022)
Confirmation bias in journalism: What it is and strategies to avoid it (2022)
5 things journalists need to know about statistical significance (2022)
Week 2 Discussion Post
Based on your research, present a hypothesis test scenario you found online. Some of you will be describing a real study that is well-documented and the rest will be crafting fake results for an actual study. The background readings will provide ideas. Describe the study and the results but do not reveal the source, yet.
If your personal phone number ends in an even number, you will present FAKE results; those with an odd number as the last digit will offer a study with REAL results.
This post should be 2 paragraphs in length (150-200 words). NOTE: Research Support Required but it will not be revealed until next week.
