Design and Analysis of Experiments

Course number: STAT 3850b / 5850b. Spring, 2009. First class Jan 8.
Lectures Tues, Thurs, 3:05 – 4:20 pm. B543.

Instructor: Dan Johnson (Professor of Environmental Science)

dan.johnson@uleth.ca; Phone (403) 329-2040; Research Lab 317-5056
Office: Alberta Water and Environmental Science Building, WE1012
Tutorial Thurs, 4:30 – 5:50. TBA. Tutorial Instructors: Dan Johnson and Paul Irvine

Prerequisites: STAT 2780, or equivalent course, or permission of the instructor.

Textbook: Oehlert, G.W. 2000. A first course in design and analysis of experiments.
W.H. Freeman and Co., New York.

Software: JMP (with some additional examples in SAS and SPSS) and selected readings from
literature and case studies; provided in class, or on-line.

Outline: This class is intended primarily for students in Biology, Geography, and other sciences
in which experimentation is employed; students in Math, Computer Science and Business can
also benefit from the applied statistical methods covered. The purpose of this course is to learn,
apply and discuss methods of experimental design and analysis, for the purposes of identifying
probable causality, quantifying variability, distinguishing differences, detecting changes,
estimating precision, and establishing confidence. Replication, randomization, restrictions on
randomization, sampling, and model development will be emphasized, in presentations of both
theory and practical applications, with computation. Worked examples will apply simple but
powerful software, and involve practice in analysis and interpretation.

Lecture topics will generally follow the text (a more detailed list of lectures and lab topics, by
date, will be supplied in the first lecture). The core topics to be covered include the following:

Hypothesis testing, estimation and scientific knowledge

Components of effective experiments
Randomization and design
Completely Randomized Designs
Regression and Analysis of Variance; contrasts and multiple comparisons
Generalized Type I error rates
Power and sample size
Factorial treatment structure, factorial models
Random effects and fixed effects
Nesting, crossing, mixed effects, and expected mean squares
Complete Block Designs, and Incomplete Block Designs
Factorials in Incomplete Blocks
Confounding
Split Plot Designs, and related designs
Design and analysis with covariates
Contrasts and means comparisons

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 Additional general topics will include experimental, inference, data types, univariate versus
multivariate, discrete versus continuous variables, hypothesis testing, parameter
estimation, and a short history of statistical analysis, notation, conventions, schools and
people. Most methods will concern single dependent variables, but some multivariate
methods will be discuss and compared. The topics in the text will be covered in class, and
discussed.

Contents (chapter, title and pages in the 2000 edition, second printing). Reduced page
numbers for reading will be given in class.

1. Introduction. 1-11
2. Randomization and Design. 13-30
3. Completely Randomized Designs. 31-64
4. Looking for Specific Differences; Contrasts. 31-76
5. Multiple Comparisons. 77-109
6. Checking Assumptions. 111-148
7. Power and Sample Size. 149-163
8. Factorial Treatment Structure. 165-202
9. A Closer Look at Factorial Data. 203-224
10. Further Topics in Factorials. 225-252
11. Random Effects. 253-278
12. Nesting, Mixed Effects, and Expected Mean Squares. 279-314
13. Complete Block Designs. 315-355
14. Incomplete Block Designs. 357-385
15. Factorials in Incomplete Blocks, Confounding. 387-416
16. Split-Plot Designs. 417-451
17. Designs with Covariates. 453-470
18. Fractional Factorials. 471-508
19. Response Surface Designs. 509-542

A schedule with readings and assignments will be posted on the class website, to be
available January 8. Additional readings, help guides and examples will be distributed
during the course.

Lecture format: Lectures will consist of presentations, primarily by the instructor, with notes
available on a website that will be available as the class progresses. Methods, examples, and
case studies will be presented. A class website will be used to distribute notes and examples.
Readings for background and discussions will be assigned from the text, case studies and
science publications. The Thursday class will include lab-related examples and help.

Marking: Examinations will concern material from the text, lectures, labs and assigned
readings. Especially important material will be identified in class and in review sessions and
handouts. A review before each exam will clarify what will be on the final exam.

Proportional contributions to the final grade:

Mid-term short exam #1, 20% (multiple choice, short answer, definitions)

Mid-term short exam #2, 20% (multiple choice, short answer, definitions)

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 Five lab assignments (each covers 2 weeks; 8 marks each) 40%

Final exam, 20%, in class (on a Thursday, so extra time during the Tutorial Period is
available)

Policies on Assignment Quality and Conduct

Your answers are your professional reports. Students may work together, discuss and consult
with each other, but the final results are individual and cannot be copied. Your results should be
professionally prepared, meaning tidy, well-formatted, and without errors in spelling. This helps
the learning process, and is also good practice for doing future reports, as researchers,
consultants or team members in later work experience.

Assignments must be sent to the tutorial e-mail address by e-mail, in Word or Excel, or another
format if pre-approved. Use an appropriate subject heading (such as Assignment 2, due Jan
29), and a file name that includes the students name (such as Mulroney Assignment 3).

Assignments are due two weeks after they are assigned, although you may find that they can be
completed in less time. If you have problems completing an assignment, let us know and you
can be late up to 3 days without penalty, and without explaining.

Plagiarism (copying from another source on the internet, a person, a book, or another other
source, and presenting it as your own) is a serious offence and means a zero for the
assignment (for policies see University Calendar).

Graduate students can receive credit for STAT 5850, in accordance with University of
Lethbridge Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations. To qualify for graduate credit, graduate
students will complete the following additional assignment, in 3 parts:

(1) submit a 1-page proposal for analysis of data from a case study of the student’s choosing
(either student’s data or from another source);

(2) prepare and submit a presentation (Powerpoint), and submit a written 1-page abstract; (3)
present the short oral talk to the class (near the end of the course).

Final Grading Scheme (similar to some other U of L conventions)

Percentage GPV Grade Percentage GPV Grade
92-100 4.0 A+ 87-91 4.0 A
82-86 3.7 A- 78-81 3.3 B+
74-77 3.0 B 70-73 2.7 B-
67-69 2.3 C+ 64-66 2.0 C
60-63 1.7 C- 57-59 1.3 D+
50-56 1.0 D 00-49 0.0 F

A calendar of topics, readings and lab assignments will be handed out in class.