Why will you see me in a hot dog suit in some videos throughout the semester?

Last semester when I taught Stat C1000 online for the first time, we started at the end of October, so I asked the students to submit guesses for how many pieces of candy were in a candy jar I had (see video below). I used this data throughout the course to demonstrate how to use Excel to analyze data sets. In these videos, I wore a hot dog suit. That is not really an explanation as to why I chose a hot dog suit - but since it was close to Halloween, that is the best reasoning I can provide you.

What was the prompt I gave students to gather this data?

Please watch the video below from last semester!

Jar filled with candy corns, with a decorative black skull and pumpkin; the jar is round/cylindrical, about 11 cm in diameter and about 12 cm in height.

Why Excel?

We will use Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets) a lot in this class to help us with calculations that would take a long time by hand. We can also make graphs in Excel, and it is used in SO many different careers and professions. It is a great thing to list on your resume that you are proficient in Excel (especially how to use it for statistics and analyzing data!).

Introduction to Using Excel:

As you watch this video, take notes of the ideas that seem most important. Pause the video whenever there’s something you don’t understand and write down your question.

In the next assignment, we will begin jumping into Excel for you to start working with some data on your own and learning how to get started!

If you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath! We are going to take this one step at a time together!