Final Project Template - AU3410
Project Title: e.g., Impact of Beer Consumption on Sleep Quality
Objective:
e.g., To investigate how beer consumption affects sleep quality among adults.
Project Phases:
1. Introduction and background:
o Objective: explain why you are interested in the proposed project
2. Research Question and Hypothesis:
o Objective: Formulate a clear research question and hypothesis.
o Activities:
§ Develop a research question (e.g., “Does beer consumption before bedtime affect sleep quality?”).
§ Formulate a null and alternative hypothesis (e.g., “Consuming beer before bedtime decreases sleep quality compared to not consuming alcohol.”).
3. Experiment Design:
o Objective: Plan the methodology for the experiment.
o Activities:
§ Define the target population
§ Define the sample and determine the sample size
§ Choose a sampling method (e.g., random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, etc.)
§ Design the experiment
1. Selection of the outcome variables (e.g., sleep duration, sleep efficiency, number of awakenings)
2. Selection of the factor (treatment) variables
3. Choice of the experiment
4. Additional techniques (blocking, randomization, balance checking, etc.) [optional]
§ If relevant, discuss ethical considerations [optional]
4. Data Collection:
o Objective: Gather data from participants.
o Describe how you recruit subjects and collect your data, the instruments you use, etc.
o Activities:
§ e.g., Recruit participants and divide them into control and experimental groups (or several groups if you intend to use ANOVA).
§ e.g., Have the experimental group consume a specified amount of beer before bedtime over a set period (e.g., 2 weeks).
§ e.g., Use sleep tracking devices or apps to monitor sleep quality.
§ e.g., Collect self-reported data on sleep quality through questionnaires.
5. Data Analysis:
o Objective: Analyze the collected data to test the hypothesis.
o Activities:
§ e.g., Clean and preprocess the data. Check outliers.
§ e.g., Descriptive statistics and data visualization
§ Use statistical software (e.g., JMP, R, Python) to perform. descriptive and inferential statistics.
§ e.g., Compare sleep quality metrics between the control and experimental groups.
6. Results and Discussion:
o Objective: Present and discuss the findings.
o Activities:
§ Create tables, graphs, and charts to visualize the data.
§ Discuss the assumptions
§ Discuss the potential issue of confounding, sample size, selection bias, measurement error and their consequence on the validity of the study
§ Discuss the implications of the findings.
§ Identify any limitations of the study and suggest areas for future research.
7. Conclusion and Recommendations:
o Objective: Summarize the project and provide recommendations.
o Activities:
§ Summarize the key findings and their significance.
§ Provide recommendations based on the results (e.g., advice on beer consumption and sleep hygiene).
8. Contribution Statement and References if applicable
Deliverables:
· Experiment design plan (optional; deadline Nov 8th, 2024)
· Final project report (no less than 5 pages, deadline Dec 4th, 2024)
· 5-min verbal presentation of your project (no slides; no need to prepare; talk through your project report in class; Nov 29th, Dec 2nd, Dec 4th)
Grading Criteria (a total of 30 points):
· The proposed research question is interesting and original (5 pts)
· Efforts in data collection (10 pts)
· Section of experiment design: clear demonstration of you applies Stat 3410 to your project (7 pts)
· Data analysis, result presentation, and conclusions (5pts)
· Discussion of assumptions and statistical Issues (3 points)
· Students contributing less than others in a team project will receive a penalty