Howard University Sample College Data Analytical Review

In this project you will chose a data set that interests you and investigate a possible association between two variables within that data set. This project will give you an opportunity to use StatCrunch to apply the skills and techniques you have learned in this class and to produce a professional report.

To produce a successful project you must:

• Read and follow the instructions carefully.
• Give yourself sufficient time to work on the project.
• Write clearly, using appropriate statistical terminology and correct mathematical notation. College-level writing is expected, as is the use of proper grammar.
• Use StatCrunch to complete all calculations and graphs.
• Create original work. The following link describes, in detail, plagiarism, fair use and HCC’s academic policy: Fair Use and Academic Honesty (Links to an external site.) Furthermore, this means that students who are repeating the course are expected to create an entirely new project using two new variables of interest.
• Submit a professional report that is typed and formatted and organized well.

SUBMISSION PROTOCOL

• Submit your project via Canvas as a PDF or Word file.
• 10% will be deducted for each calendar day the project is submitted after the due date. A project is considered “submitted” when it is available for the professor to grade in Canvas. No credit is given after a submission 5 days late.
• This assignment utilizes Unicheck, a tool that checks for plagiarism. Unicheck is integrated into the Canvas submission process. All submissions will be compared against a database and receive an originality rating.

PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

For this project you are going to choose one data set from the list below that you find interesting and investigate an association between two variables within that data set. You will then examine the data and write a two page report. In your report you should:

1. Introduce the data set and explain why you chose it.
2. Describe the variables you chose and thoroughly explain what you are investigating. Be sure to define which variable is the explanatory variable and which is the response variable.
3. Using StatCrunch, create an appropriate graph for the association you are investigating and calculate the correlation coefficient and the linear model.
4. Be sure your graph is appropriately labeled and that it includes a title and then copy it into your paper.
5. Report the correlation coefficient.
6. Describe the association you are investigating using correct statistical terminology. Reference your graph and the correlation coefficient, and be sure to note any possible outliers.
7. Report the linear model using correct notation.
8. Interpret the slope and vertical intercept of your model, and discuss the appropriateness of your model.
9. Summarize your findings and draw a conclusion.

DATA SETS

Below is a list of data sets – choose one for your project. The links will not work directly, so please follow these directions:

1. In Canvas, click on MyLab and Mastering –> Open My Lab and Mastering –> StatCrunch (on the left) –> Visit the StatCrunch Website –> Open StatCrunch (yellow button at top of page, it will auto login)
2. Then copy/paste a URL below into either the current tab or a new tab
3. To save your data and work, go to the Data tab and choose Save
4. To Re-open your saved file, click on MyLab and Mastering –> Open My Lab and Mastering –> StatCrunch (on the left) –> Visit the StatCrunch Website –>MyStatCrunch (on the right side)–>My Data

U.S. CBP Drug Seizure Statistics: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=28…
This data set summarizes the pounds of drugs seized at ports of entry and between points of entry by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement…

U.S. Presidential Data: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=31…
This data set contains information on the U.S. Presidents from 1789-2019.

Fatal Encounters Updated September 2018: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=30…
This data set contains information on fatal encounters. Fatal Encounters is a non-profit organization that collects data on police involved deaths. Note: This is a volunteer agency collecting the data from people who are scouring new articles for evidence of these fatal encounters. Thus, this is not a complete population of fatal encounters, only a large sample. https://fatalencounters.org/

College Basketball Arenas: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=29…
This data set contains information on college basketball arenas throughout the country.

Marriage vs. the Economy: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=28…
This data set compares the number of marriages in the last 30 years to several factors of the economy.

Medical Costs: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=26…
This data set contains a variety of personal data in regards to medical costs.

MLB August 2019 Batting: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=31…
This data set contains MLB batter statistics and are year-to-date as of August 18, 2019.

Sample College Data: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=31…
This data set contains a variety of data for colleges and universities in Delaware, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Data is for the year 2011.

Fast Food Nutritional Data: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=25…
This data set contains nutritional information on a variety of fast food items. Data was collected in January 2017 from online sources for each restaurant.

Marvel vs. DC at the Box Office: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=31…
This data set contains information on how the two comic book companies have fared at the box office. Note: The Adjusted column modifies the total Worldwide gross for inflation.

NFL Player Data 2016: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=27…
This data set lists the 2,764 NFL players for all team rosters as of July 22, 2016

Car Details 2019 Models: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=32…
This data set contains information on the 2019 models of widely-known sold cars. MSRP stands for Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price and MPG stands for Miles Per Gallon.

Super Heroes: https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=26…
This data set contains various physical characteristics for over 700 fictional comic book superheroes. https://www.kaggle.com/claudiodavi/superhero-set

Movie Budgets & Box Office Earnings (Updated Spring 2018): https://www.statcrunch.com/app/index.php?dataid=21…
This data comes from the following website that tracks the financial performance of movies: https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/budgets/all; columns each are in millions of dollars

COMPLETION CHECKLIST

Use the following checklist when proofreading your project.

For each aspect below, an excellent report will:

Introduction

• Give the name of the data set chosen as well as some details describing the data set. (This may require following links or referencing the text)
• Include a clear justification for why the data set was chosen.
• Involve two quantitative variables.
• Clearly and thoroughly describe the variables chosen. (This may require following links or referencing the text)
• Clearly and correctly assign explanatory and response variables.
• Thoroughly explain the association being investigated and give a logical justification for why the author believes the association exists.

Graph

• Include an appropriate scatterplot generated using StatCrunch.
• Accurately assign and clearly label the axes for the scatterplot.
• Include an appropriate title for the scatterplot.
• Include the appropriate correlation coefficient for the association generated using StatCrunch.
• Include an accurate and thorough description of the association with reference to the graph, correlation coefficient and any outliers.

Linear Association Model

• Include an appropriate linear regression model generated using StatCrunch and written using correct notation and typesetting.
• Give an accurate and detailed interpretation of the slope of the linear regression model.
• Give an accurate and detailed interpretation of the y-intercept of the linear regression model.
• Thoroughly discuss the appropriateness of the linear regression model with reference to other aspects of the report.

Conclusion

• Includes a summary of the findings and a clear conclusion regarding the association.
• Appear highly professional, be easy to read and comprehend, and use correct statistical vocabulary.

ASSISTANCE

For this project, you may consult any resource for general help and advice provided that your computations, explanations, and embedded diagrams are your own work.

• The Math Center is a drop-in tutoring center for math located in HR230. For more information, click the following link: MaC (Links to an external site.)
• HOWL, the HCC Online Writing Lab, offers assistance with writing assignments. For more information, click on the following link: HOWL (Links to an external site.)

Rubric

Linear Regression Rubric