STAT 3001 – Week 6 Assignment 2 – Reflection

STAT 3001 – Week 6 Assignment 2 – Reflection

In reflecting upon what I had hoped to gain out of this course, Statistics 3001, and reviewing my Class Café discussion, I realize that I truly had no idea what this course would entail. At the time, I had not formulated an opinion or even set an expectation other than I hoped I survived it! I had always heard that statistics was the “booger bear” of college courses, and it left me with the feeling that I had dodged a bullet somehow in not having to take it.

With all that being said, you can imagine my trepidation when my course counselor informed me that the very FIRST course I would be taking after being out of school for more than 12 years was statistics. To say I trembled in fear is putting it mildly. I nearly decided not to follow through with my decision to pursue my master’s/FNP in nursing and just sat tight where I was in life, confident in the knowledge that at least I continued to dodge that bullet.

So, it is with some surprise that I can say, as I type this paper up, that I had nothing to fear really. Statistics isn’t some “booger bear” or deathly trap for me to fall over in and perish. It’s straightforward and simple if you really consider it. It is math, which is not my forte, but there are a lot of electronic devices out there that are pre-programmed for most of the calculations it takes to perform statistical analysis. I am from an older generation where the expectation was that you did all your math on paper or in your head because a calculator was from the devil.

STAT 3001 – Week 6 Assignment 2 – Reflection

I am honestly glad that I took this course. I feel like I climbed a mountain which is a pretty good feeling for somebody like myself, old and with a bad heart. That was a joke. Kind of. I can say that the thing I learned from the course that I would most likely take with me into my field of work is how to spot the truth from a lie when it comes to a statistical quote or study. I can simply whip my calculator and figure out the standard deviation, the mean, and the critical value of x, and I can do all of that with some base information that should be readily available. I could, perhaps, even wow some of my fellow co-workers if I manage to retain this knowledge and remember exactly what to punch into that little piece of the devil, aka a calculator.

So, the next time a member of the public (or a snooty physician) proceeds to tell me that I have a 1 in 32 chance of developing some strange disease I’ve never heard of, the first thing I’m going to ask him (or her) will be what’s your sample group based on? What size was it, and how and what method did you use to obtain that sample group? Then I shall proceed from there to grill him to the depths of despair until he admits it is all hogwash, OR he proves his case. Either way works for me as it will inevitably lead me closer to the truth, which is, after all, the goal of statistics.

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STAT 3001 – Week 6 Assignment 2 – Reflection

Compose a 1- to 2-page paper in which you do the following:  Reflect upon what you hoped to get out of this course as described in your Class Café discussion in Week 1. Did you achieve your goals?

Appraise the specific skills you learned that will help you in your major and career choice and which skills you
feel you still need more practice.

Explain how you are now able to apply and evaluate statistical knowledge in your everyday life.