About this Course

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Stanford's "Introduction to Statistics" teaches you statistical thinking concepts that are essential for learning from data and communicating insights. By the end of the course, you will be able to perform exploratory data analysis, understand key principles of sampling, and select appropriate tests of significance for multiple contexts. You will gain the foundational skills that prepare you to pursue more advanced topics in statistical thinking and machine learning.
Topics include Descriptive Statistics, Sampling and Randomized Controlled Experiments, Probability, Sampling Distributions and the Central Limit Theorem, Regression, Common Tests of Significance, Resampling, Multiple Comparisons.

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Beginner Level

Basic familiarity with computers and productivity software
No calculus required

Approx. 14 hours to complete

English

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Basic familiarity with computers and productivity software
No calculus required

Approx. 14 hours to complete

English

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.56/5 (757 Ratings)

Guenther Walther

Professor of Statistics

Department of Statistics

270,493 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating96%(14,774 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

2 hours to complete

Introduction and Descriptive Statistics for Exploring Data

2 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 30 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

10 videos

Course Welcome2mMeet Guenther Walther1mIntroduction1mPie Chart, Bar Graph, and Histograms6mBox-and-Whisker Plot and Scatter Plot3mProviding Context is Key for Statistical Analyses2mPitfalls when Visualizing Information1mMean and Median5mPercentiles, the Five Number Summary, and Standard Deviation2m[EXTRA] Industry Insight: Introduction to Andrew Radin3m

4 readings

Read First - Important Information About Your Course10mCourse Slides15mCourse Syllabus10mMeeting You - Pre-Course Survey10m

2 practice exercises

Quick Quiz About the Requirements30mIntroduction and Descriptive Statistics for Exploring Data30m

Week2

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Producing Data and Sampling

1 hour to complete

6 videos (Total 14 min)

1 hour to complete

Probability

1 hour to complete

8 videos (Total 27 min)

Week3

Week 3

1 hour to complete

Normal Approximation and Binomial Distribution

1 hour to complete

10 videos (Total 27 min)

10 videos

The Normal Curve1mThe Empirical Rule2mStandardizing Data and the Standard Normal Curve2mNormal Approximation4mComputing Percentiles with the Normal Approximation1mThe Binomial Setting and Binomial Coefficient4mThe Binomial Formula3mRandom Variables and Probability Histograms2mNormal Approximation to the Binomial; Sampling Without Replacement3m[EXTRA] Industry Insights: Opportunities in Life Sciences57s

1 practice exercise

The Normal Approximation for Data and the Binomial Distribution45m

1 hour to complete

Sampling Distributions and the Central Limit Theorem

1 hour to complete

9 videos (Total 23 min)

Week4

Week 4

1 hour to complete

Regression

1 hour to complete

10 videos (Total 34 min)

10 videos

Prediction is a Key Task of Statistics1mThe Correlation Coefficient2mCorrelation Measures Linear Association4mRegression Line and the Method of Least Squares2mRegression to the Mean, The Regression Fallacy3mPredicting y from x and x from y6mNormal Approximation Given x2mResidual Plots, Heteroscedasticity, and Transformations3mOutliers and Influential Points4m[EXTRA] Industry Insights: Challenges to Using Data Science in Medicine2m

1 practice exercise

Regression45m

Reviews

4.6

439 reviews

5 stars
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4 stars
20.30%
3 stars
5.82%
2 stars
2.10%
1 star
1.52%

TOP REVIEWS FROM INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS

by KENov 30, 2021

A very good course. Definitely a course to take for an introduction into Statistics. Also probably going to be very useful as I'm planning on taking Machine Learning.

by SPFeb 21, 2023

The topics were explained very well by the instructor. Statistics can be intimidating but the professors way of teaching with examples made it easier to understand.

by BGJan 8, 2022

Challenging but a good overview of basic principles of statistics. Will allow me to read with a more critical eye figures that are used to support arguments.

by TSJul 16, 2021

I really good introduction course. The weekly lecture and quiz time commitment is very manageable. The lectures/quizzes focus more on the theory rather than the number crunching.

View all reviews

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Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Introduction to Statistics

Introduction to Statistics

About this Course