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Zoom Links have now been mailed to all registered participants. Mail to biostats@acads.iiserpune.ac.in if not received yet.
Q. There are so many statistical textbooks, YouTube videos and online courses available. Why should I enroll for this course?
Q. There are so many statistical textbooks, YouTube videos and online courses available. Why should I enroll for this course?
The major features of this course are:
Live, interactive lectures instead of pre-recorded videos.
Focus on analyzing messy, real world data with practical suggestions relevant to data interpretations and design of experiments.
Comprehensive coverage of topics. The syllabus covered in this course is comparable, or in many cases greater, than many one-semester courses on biostatistics in several Indian colleges and universities.
Focus on intuitive understanding of the statistical procedures and interpretation of the results, rather than going into the mathematical details.
Instruction videos in terms of executing and interpreting the statistical tests using free software. Thus, you are not hampered by the availability of software.
Discussion forum for clearing doubts arising during the course.
Certificate of course completion from IISER-Pune.
Q. If the syllabus is so vast, then can it be finished within the given time-frame over two weekends?
Q. If the syllabus is so vast, then can it be finished within the given time-frame over two weekends?
Yes, we have done so nine times in the past, with great success (average rating: 4.67/5.0 in the last edition). As stated already, the focus is on understanding the concepts rather than the mathematics behind the various tests. Also, we aim to use software for various tests, rather than analyzing data by hand. Taken together, these two aspects save a lot of time, compared to traditional modes of instruction in the subject. However, it will require a lot of focus on the part of the participants as the teaching will be intense!
Q. What are the prerequisites for this course?
Q. What are the prerequisites for this course?
The course is not going to be heavy on mathematics. So knowledge of basic mathematics (Class X level) should be sufficient.
Q. Can everybody, who applies, attend the course?
Q. Can everybody, who applies, attend the course?
Since this is an online course, we hope to be able to accommodate larger number of people than what we could do in our past offline editions. However, in case the number of applications are so large that it becomes difficult to manage the class, we reserve the right to stop the application process before the last date is over.
Q. I can attend the course only partially. Can I pay partial fees?
Q. I can attend the course only partially. Can I pay partial fees?
Sorry, the answer is no.
Q. I have paid the fees, but now it is not possible for me to attend due to <some reason>. Is a refund possible?
Q. I have paid the fees, but now it is not possible for me to attend due to <some reason>. Is a refund possible?
Sorry, after the payment of fees, it is not possible to provide a refund under any circumstances.
Q. I have paid the fees, but now it is not possible for me to attend due to <some reason>. Can my friend/someone else attend the course in place of me?
Q. I have paid the fees, but now it is not possible for me to attend due to <some reason>. Can my friend/someone else attend the course in place of me?
No, it is not a transferable offer. Therefore, once you have paid the registration fees, nobody can substitute you under any circumstances.
Q. Why is a Gmail ID required for registration?
Q. Why is a Gmail ID required for registration?
All the course materials shall be provided on an access-controlled Google drive folder / Google website, for which it is essential to have a Gmail id. Also, Google makes it mandatory for the user to be logged into a Google account for uploading a file through a form. Since the payment receipt needs to be uploaded, the user needs to be logged into a Gmail account for the process.
Q. I do not have a personal laptop / desktop. Can I still attend the course?
Q. I do not have a personal laptop / desktop. Can I still attend the course?
We will have no objections to it. However, the course is intended to be a combination of both lectures and hands-on exercises. Therefore, you will benefit a lot more if you can solve the prescribed exercises on a computer, using various software that we will suggest.
Q. What will be the language of instruction?
Q. What will be the language of instruction?
The medium of instruction would be English.
Q. Why is <my favorite statistical test> not included in the course?
Q. Why is <my favorite statistical test> not included in the course?
Biostatistics is a vast subject and there is absolutely no way to cover everything in such a short time. Therefore the course has been designed to cover some of the most often-used tests and concepts in univariate statistics. Incidentally, the amount covered here is equivalent, or in many cases, greater, than many 1-semester courses on biostatistics in many Indian universities. People interested in taking the course are advised to go over the syllabus presented here in detail. In case you have any doubts about whether a particular test /concept will be covered or not, feel free to write to s.dey@iiserpune.ac.in for clarifications.
Q. I have my own data. Can you analyze it for me?
Q. I have my own data. Can you analyze it for me?
Sorry, no. The course is expected to enable you to analyze your own data. If you want a specific piece of data analyzed, please consult a professional statistician.
Q. Are you going to provide us with recordings of the course lectures?
Q. Are you going to provide us with recordings of the course lectures?
The lectures are going to be "live" and we will provide you with the recordings in a "view-only" mode (i.e. not downloadable). These recordings will be available to the participants till 31-Jul-2026. We are also going to provide you with recorded tutorials on how to do the various tests using multiple software. Those recordings will be downloadable, meaning you can retain them after the course is over.
Q. Why don't you conduct the workshops offline?
Q. Why don't you conduct the workshops offline?
Although these workshops started as offline affairs, after the pandemic, we have been conducting them online. This is primarily because offline workshops are not only more expensive for the participants, many find it difficult to manage the time to travel to Pune due to a host of other commitments. Being online also makes it easier for our international participants to attend these workshops. The availability of the videos ensures that people can go back and refer to the lectures multiple times. This helps those people who prefer to learn at their own pace. Taken together, currently, the online mode seems to be of greater value to greater number of people.
Q. Given AI, do we even need to learn Biostatistics?
Q. Given AI, do we even need to learn Biostatistics?
Although many people feel that AI is going to completely take over the role of biostatisticians, our experience suggests the opposite. In the context of data analysis for the regular user, there are some places where AI can be useful to some extent. However, the number of places where one needs to be extremely careful as an user is still very large. Therefore, what is needed is a cautious usage, along with a solid grounding in the concepts of biostatistics. This course aims to provide exactly that.
Q. I already have pro-tier access to <your favorite AI service>. Will this course teach me anything that goes beyond what I can get by writing good quality prompts in a chat-box?
Q. I already have pro-tier access to <your favorite AI service>. Will this course teach me anything that goes beyond what I can get by writing good quality prompts in a chat-box?
We aim to show you data analysis workflows where Generative AI is an integral part of the system, not a chatbot where you keep pasting your results.
Most pro-tier services are expensive, and cannot be afforded by many, particularly students. We will show you how to use AI for data analysis at the cheapest possible price using R and APIs.
The performance of Generative AI in the context of data analyis is very contextual. There are places where you can rely more on AI (though never 100%) and there are places where you should not depend at all. We will discuss all these issues in detail with real-life examples.
Q. I am not interested in AI at all. I just want to learn biostatistics the classical way. Is this course for me?
Q. I am not interested in AI at all. I just want to learn biostatistics the classical way. Is this course for me?
Absolutely. The course will talk about AI only as a tool, to be used sparingly and with lots of caution. The basic concepts covered in the course remain the same as the previous years, and we are still going to talk about all the free statistical tools to do the tests. None of that will be diluted.
Q. Do I need to buy access to paid AI subscriptions for attending this course?
Q. Do I need to buy access to paid AI subscriptions for attending this course?
Not for the course. For most of the AI-related things that we will demonstrate, you should be able to follow along using the free tiers of the various providers. For most casual users of biostatistics, that will work. However, if you want heavy usage, or wish to use the latest and the greatest models for extended periods of time, then you will need to buy the appropriate subsciptions later, based on your use case.
Also note, the above is true only for the AI part. For all statistical tests, we are going to point you towards free statistical software to get your work done.
In case of any further queries, feel free to write to biostats@acads.iiserpune.ac.in
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