Online courses directory (10358)

This course will provide a solid foundation in probability and statistics for economists and other social scientists. We will emphasize topics needed for further study of econometrics and provide basic preparation for 14.32. Topics include elements of probability theory, sampling theory, statistical estimation, and hypothesis testing.

This course exposes students to the logic of statistical reasoning and its application in the quantitative social sciences. It is meant as a thorough but accessible introduction to the topics of descriptive statistics, probability theory, and statistical inference with hands-on exercises.

We are surrounded by information, much of it numerical, and it is important to know how to make sense of it. Stat2x is an introduction to the fundamental concepts and methods of statistics, the science of drawing conclusions from data.

The course is the online equivalent of Statistics 2, a 15-week introductory course taken in Berkeley by about 1,000 students each year. Stat2x is divided into three 5-week components. Stat2.1x is the first of the three.

The focus of Stat2.1x is on descriptive statistics. The goal of descriptive statistics is to summarize and present numerical information in a manner that is illuminating and useful. The course will cover graphical as well as numerical summaries of data, starting with a single variable and progressing to the relation between two variables. Methods will be illustrated with data from a variety of areas in the sciences and humanities.

There will be no mindless memorization of formulas and methods. Throughout Stat2.1x, the emphasis will be on understanding the reasoning behind the calculations, the assumptions under which they are valid, and the correct interpretation of results.

FAQ

• What is the format of the class?
  • Instruction will be consist of brief lectures and exercises to check comprehension. Grades (Pass or Not Pass) will be decided based on a combination of scores on short assignments, quizzes, and a final exam.
• How much does it cost to take the course?
  • Nothing! The course is free.
• Will the text of the lectures be available?
  • Yes. All of our lectures will have transcripts synced to the videos.
• Do I need to watch the lectures live?
  • No. You can watch the lectures at your leisure.
• Can I contact the Instructor or Teaching Assistants?
  • Yes, but not directly. The discussion forums are the appropriate venue for questions about the course. The instructors will monitor the discussion forums and try to respond to the most important questions; in many cases response from other students and peers will be adequate and faster.
• Do I need any other materials to take the course?
  • If you have any questions about edX generally, please see the edX FAQ.

Statistics 2 at Berkeley is an introductory class taken by about 1,000 students each year. Stat2.3x is the last in a sequence of three courses that make up Stat2x, the online equivalent of Berkeley's Stat 2. The focus of Stat2.3x is on statistical inference: how to make valid conclusions based on data from random samples. At the heart of the main problem addressed by the course will be a population (which you can imagine for now as a set of people) connected with which there is a numerical quantity of interest (which you can imagine for now as the average number of MOOCs the people have taken). If you could talk to each member of the population, you could calculate that number exactly. But what if the population is so large that your resources will not stretch to interviewing every member? What if you can only reach a subset of the population?

Stat 2.3x will discuss good ways to select the subset (yes, at random); how to estimate the numerical quantity of interest, based on what you see in your sample; and ways to test hypotheses about numerical or probabilistic aspects of the problem.

The methods that will be covered are among the most commonly used of all statistical techniques. If you have ever read an article that claimed, "The margin of error in such surveys is about three percentage points," or, "Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have discovered a highly significant link between ...," then you should expect that by the end of Stat 2.3x you will have a pretty good idea of what that means. Examples will range all the way from a little girl's school science project (seriously – she did a great job and her results were published in a major journal) to rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The fundamental approach of the series was provided in the description of Stat2.1x and appears here again: There will be no mindless memorization of formulas and methods. Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on understanding the reasoning behind the calculations, the assumptions under which they are valid, and the correct interpretation of results.

Statistics 2 at Berkeley is an introductory class taken by about 1000 students each year. Stat2.2x is the second of three five-week courses that make up Stat2x, the online equivalent of Berkeley's Stat 2.

The focus of Stat2.2x is on probability theory: exactly what is a random sample, and how does randomness work? If you buy 10 lottery tickets instead of 1, does your chance of winning go up by a factor of 10? What is the law of averages? How can polls make accurate predictions based on data from small fractions of the population? What should you expect to happen "just by chance"? These are some of the questions we will address in the course.

We will start with exact calculations of chances when the experiments are small enough that exact calculations are feasible and interesting. Then we will step back from all the details and try to identify features of large random samples that will help us approximate probabilities that are hard to compute exactly. We will study sums and averages of large random samples, discuss the factors that affect their accuracy, and use the normal approximation for their probability distributions.

Be warned: by the end of Stat2.2x you will not want to gamble. Ever. (Unless you're really good at counting cards, in which case you could try blackjack, but perhaps after taking all these edX courses you'll find other ways of earning money.)

The fundamental approach of the series was provided in the description of Stat2.1x and appears here again: There will be no mindless memorization of formulas and methods. Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on understanding the reasoning behind the calculations, the assumptions under which they are valid, and the correct interpretation of results.

FAQ

• What is the format of the class?
  • Instruction will be consist of brief lectures and exercises to check comprehension. Grades (Pass or Not Pass) will be decided based on a combination of scores on short assignments, quizzes, and a final exam.
• How much does it cost to take the course?
  • Nothing! The course is free.
• Will the text of the lectures be available?
  • Yes. All of our lectures will have transcripts synced to the videos.
• Do I need to watch the lectures live?
  • No. You can watch the lectures at your leisure.
• Will certificates be awarded?
  • Yes. Online learners who achieve a passing grade in a course can earn a certificate of achievement. These certificates will indicate you have successfully completed the course, but will not include a specific grade. Certificates will be issued by edX under the name of BerkeleyX, designating the institution from which the course originated.
• Can I contact the Instructor or Teaching Assistants?
  • Yes, but not directly. The discussion forums are the appropriate venue for questions about the course. The instructors will monitor the discussion forums and try to respond to the most important questions; in many cases response from other students and peers will be adequate and faster.
• Do I need any other materials to take the course?
  • If you have any questions about edX generally, please see the edX FAQ.

This course is an introduction to steel, exploring its history and cultural context, where it comes from, how it works, why we use so much of it, and how we might use it in the future.

It is delivered in a lively manner using everyday examples, demonstrations, and film footage of steel making. 

This course is an introduction to Markov chains, random walks, martingales, and Galton-Watsom tree. The course requires basic knowledge in probability theory and linear algebra including conditional expectation and matrix.

Everyone knows that when you identify stocks that you believe are going to increase in price you buy them. But how can you profit from stocks that you believe will decline in price? The answer is shorting. Shorting enables you to sell stock that you do not own and buy it back at a later time, ideally at a lower price. In this free online course you will learn more about stocks and shares and how they are valued. You will then learn about the process of short selling, how to borrow stocks that you do not own, what obligations you have to original owner of the stocks, and how to cover your short where you return the stocks after buying them back, hopefully, for less than the cost when you sold them. This course will be of interest to professionals in the financial services sector and anyone who wishes to understand stocks and what the process of short selling involves. Please note that while this free course will teach you about making investments in stocks in general, it does not advocate that you should buy stocks or invest in the stock market, and that any investment made in the stock market may lose money. <br />

The free online course Introduction to Strategic Management introduces you to the concept of strategic management and how management can use the principles underlying strategic management to formulate and implement major goals and initiatives. The course explains what a mission statement is and what it can achieve for a business. You will learn what parameters should be included in a strategic plan and how a strategic plan should help determine long-term decisions including an organization's objectives, goals and course of action. You will learn how clearly stated mission statements add focus to the organization's efforts. You will learn the difference between operating decisions and strategic decisions and what a strategic management decision process involves. You will also learn more about experience curves and how they are used in business strategy. Finally, you will learn about doom loops, how a business can avoid getting into a doom loop, and what steps can help a business get out of a doom loop if they are already in one. This course will be of great interest to all professionals working in management, who are involved in making strategic decisions, and to all learners who would like to learn more about the role of strategic management in business. <br />

This is a short interdisciplinary course on strategic thinking and some of its most powerful tools. Strategic thinking is not exclusive to business or military applications. The skills taught in this course can be used by everyone.

In this free online course Introduction to Stress Management, you will be introduced to stress and the history of stress. You will learn about the different types of stress and what can trigger each of them. You will also learn the three stages of stress and be able to explain each of them individually.<br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to stress and the history and genesis of stress research. You will learn about the differences between eustress and distress. You will also be able to explain the importance of how stress can be helpful to an individual.<br /><br />The course will inform you about stressors and the different types of stressors. People react differently in stressful situations, from this course, you will be able to explain why this is and why some people return to their resting rate sooner than others after a stressful situation. The course will then present you with information on how to bounce back from stress and the role of personality factors in stress. <br /><br />Finally, you will learn about how stress can occur in college for both a fresher and a senior student and ways to overcome this stress. This free Alison course would be of great interest to anyone who suffers from stress or those who have studied, or going to study, psychology and stress management.<br /><br />

Introduction to Supply Chain Design is a free online course that explains what supply chain design is and provides insights on how to design supply chains to give them competitive advantages over competing supply chains. It is said that in today's market, firms don't compete, supply chains do. Supply chains determine the ability of the businesses included in them to compete in the marketplace and how their supply chains are designed will affect their ability to compete. For example, a business that is attempting to compete in a market where low cost is paramount will have difficulty if it includes high cost suppliers in its supply chain. The course explains the importance of supply chain design and the design process itself. This free online course will be of great interest to all professionals who work in the areas of operations management, logistics, procurement and information technology, and to all learners who are interested in developing a career in the area of supply chain management.<br />

Introduction to Supply Chain Management is a free online course that explains what supply chain management is and how it can be a key component in organizational success. Modern businesses and organisations competing in a global business environment require excellence in supply chain management. The course explains how the term supply chain is used to represent all the individual firms, their personnel and the physical infrastructure required to create and transport products to customers. The student will learn how each interconnected member in a supply chain may move materials or information or money in response to customers' demands. This free online course will be of great interest to all professionals who work in the areas of operations management, logistics, procurement and information technology, and to all learners who are interested in developing a career in the area of supply chain management.<br />

This course introduces the academic discipline of sustainability and explores how today’s human societies can endure in the face of global change, ecosystem degradation and resource limitations.

This class assesses current and potential future energy systems, covering resources, extraction, conversion, and end-use technologies, with emphasis on meeting regional and global energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. Instructors and guest lecturers will examine various renewable and conventional energy production technologies, energy end-use practices and alternatives, and consumption practices in different countries. Students will learn a quantitative framework to aid in evaluation and analysis of energy technology system proposals in the context of engineering, political, social, economic, and environmental goals. Students taking the graduate version, Sustainable Energy, complete additional assignments.

This class assesses current and potential future energy systems, covering resources, extraction, conversion, and end-use technologies, with emphasis on meeting regional and global energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. Instructors and guest lecturers will examine various renewable and conventional energy production technologies, energy end-use practices and alternatives, and consumption practices in different countries. Students will learn a quantitative framework to aid in evaluation and analysis of energy technology system proposals in the context of engineering, political, social, economic, and environmental goals. Students taking the graduate version, Sustainable Energy, complete additional assignments.

This class assesses current and potential future energy systems, covering resources, extraction, conversion, and end-use technologies, with emphasis on meeting regional and global energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. Instructors and guest lecturers will examine various renewable and conventional energy production technologies, energy end-use practices and alternatives, and consumption practices in different countries. Students will learn a quantitative framework to aid in evaluation and analysis of energy technology system proposals in the context of engineering, political, social, economic, and environmental goals. Students taking the graduate version, Sustainable Energy, complete additional assignments.

Swedish is spoken by over 10 million people in Sweden and is mutually intelligible in neighbouring countries such as Finland, Norway and Denmark. The Swedish language is a descendent of Old Norse which was the common language of people living in Scandinavia during the 8th to 11th centuries known as the Viking Era. Swedish has a proud tradition in literature and the arts, and today Sweden has a thriving modern economy with important trade links throughout Europe. In this free online Swedish language course, you will learn the basics of Swedish grammar and be introduced to word order in sentences, verb formation, and the use of nouns, pronouns and adjectives. You will also learn important pronunciation skills and build your knowledge of vocabulary. This free course will be of interest to all business professionals who are conducting business in Sweden or other Scandinavian countries and who feel they would benefit by learning the basics of the Swedish language, and to all learners who would like a greater understanding of this important Northern European language.<br />

This course is concerned with the concepts and principles which have been of central significance in the recent development of syntactic theory, with special focus on the "Government and Binding" (GB) / "Principles and Parameters" (P&P) / "Minimalist Program" (MP) approach.

It is the first of a series of two courses (24.951 is taught during the Fall and 24.952 is taught in the Spring). This course deals mostly with phrase structure, argument structure and its syntactic expression, including "A-movement". Though other issues (e.g. wh-movement, antecedent-contained deletion, extraposition) may be mentioned during the semester, the course will not systematically investigate these topics in class until 24.952.

The goal of the course is to understand why certain problems have been treated in certain ways. Thus, on many occasions a variety of approaches will be discussed, and the (recent) historical development of these approaches are emphasized.

Introduction to systems thinking and system dynamics modeling applied to strategy, organizational change, and policy design. Students use simulation models, management flight simulators, and case studies to develop conceptual and modeling skills for the design and management of high-performance organizations in a dynamic world.