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Back to Bayesian Statistics: From Concept to Data Analysis

Learner Reviews & Feedback for Bayesian Statistics: From Concept to Data Analysis by University of California, Santa Cruz

4.6
stars
3,170 ratings

About the Course

This course introduces the Bayesian approach to statistics, starting with the concept of probability and moving to the analysis of data. We will learn about the philosophy of the Bayesian approach as well as how to implement it for common types of data. We will compare the Bayesian approach to the more commonly-taught Frequentist approach, and see some of the benefits of the Bayesian approach. In particular, the Bayesian approach allows for better accounting of uncertainty, results that have more intuitive and interpretable meaning, and more explicit statements of assumptions. This course combines lecture videos, computer demonstrations, readings, exercises, and discussion boards to create an active learning experience. For computing, you have the choice of using Microsoft Excel or the open-source, freely available statistical package R, with equivalent content for both options. The lectures provide some of the basic mathematical development as well as explanations of philosophy and interpretation. Completion of this course will give you an understanding of the concepts of the Bayesian approach, understanding the key differences between Bayesian and Frequentist approaches, and the ability to do basic data analyses....

Top reviews

GS

Aug 31, 2017

Good intro to Bayesian Statistics. Covers the basic concepts. Workload is reasonable and quizzes/exercises are helpful. Could include more exercises and additional backgroung/future reading materials.

JB

Oct 16, 2020

An excellent course with some good hands on exercises in both R and excel. Not for the faint of heart mathematically speaking, assumes a competent understanding of statistics and probability going in

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601 - 625 of 832 Reviews for Bayesian Statistics: From Concept to Data Analysis

By Rakulan S

Jul 25, 2021

Very concise and informative introduction to Bayesian statistics. Requires a fair bit of research besides just watching the course videos. But that only adds to the fun. Feel much more confident in my ability to estimate uncertainties in model parameters / predictions now.

By Łukasz F

Feb 5, 2019

I really liked the course.

What I think could be nice improvement would be more nsightful notes. Which means, that after every video, there should be a separate sheet with all the formulas being described in more detail, so that you can refer to them any time during quizes.

By Thomas J M

May 21, 2018

Overall the course is pretty good. They breakdown the concepts into clear and concise lectures. My only grip, is that the quizzes occur a little too frequently. They really interrupt the flow of the class. I would definitely prefer them spaced in 30-60 minute interval.

By Ekaterini T

Oct 31, 2018

I found the need to search for most of the material needed to understand the lessons in other sources. Other than than it was a relatively easy class, which covers nearly the basics. This is not a tutorial on Data Analysis on R, although a short introduction is provided.

By Mohd S

Nov 18, 2019

Course covers the concept in a very simple way. Examples and assignments are very good.

However some of the statements made throughout the lectures needs more explanation , the course did not dedicate any videos to get familiar with terminology related to probability.

By Luiz G S S

Apr 17, 2020

It is a really interesting course. However, I think it should include more examples and meaningful ways to estimates some parameters. For example, how can I estimate alpha and beta for an Inverse-Gamma distribution in order to obtain a prior for the sigma-squared?

By h

Jan 14, 2017

Pen hard to see against shirt. Was mildly irritating to wait for prof to write out stuff, maybe prewrite it?

Went too fast forward for me, would've liked complementary optional material, eg extra quizzes, to help understand and get used to the tougher parts.

By Xuan L

May 19, 2023

The course design is fine structured. However , little explanation on the concepts presented in the course, more examples or clarification needed on utilizng the formulas and the underlying ideas. The quizzes in video was much helpful for the learning .

By Paul B

Oct 8, 2020

Honestly wish there were more practice problems that I could do outside of the quizzes. Just make them optional. It's just tough to iterate on the same problems and work to figure them out. Otherwise I really enjoyed the course and found it really helpful.

By Katsu

Jul 9, 2017

Great introductions to Bayesian statistics and inference. Quiz is actually not easy just by passively viewing videos, so taking notes during lectures is strongly recommended. Do not be afraid the Honor quiz...they are not so different from the normal ones.

By Evan S

Sep 23, 2022

For me at least, it became hard to follow around module 3. The linear regression part seemed like a step backwards, as we had been touting the benefits of the Bayesian perspective, only to end up with the same results as the Frequentist perspective.

By Ahmed A T

Oct 8, 2021

the course forms a very good basis for those who want to learn the mathematics behind Bayesian statistics and it had been a lot of fun. A lot of concepts that had been vague were clarified to me during this course appreciate all effort by Prof. Lee.

By Nyx Z

Mar 20, 2022

Overall, the course is very informative and lively, helped me get in touch with the wonder of fundamental Bayesian Statistics. However, some courses in the later chapters are taught somewhat simple, so that I spent a lot of time finding reference.

By Valerio C

Apr 19, 2021

Globally a good course, although it is a bit rushed towards the end on the part that concerns Bayesian linear regression. I would probably add a fifth week to explain that in more detail, relying less on software and more on developing the maths.

By Elguellab A

Jan 29, 2019

Likely course and practical: it help us to understand some basic notion for bayesian inference. But Some concepts are less clear and I think need more development and explication (like effective sample size, Jeffreys prior). Great job over all.

By Jerry S

Mar 13, 2017

The lectures were good, but I hope more background materials can be released. Understanding the topics needs a relative solid mathematical background. Although having completed the course, I am still confused about some concepts in this course.

By Brian M

May 21, 2020

Really enjoyable.

My first free course, so this may be way off the mark in terms of norms, but I would have appreciated if supplementary material was either provided or suggested for doing more practice exercises, with worked through examples.

By Akshay N

Sep 4, 2017

The course was excellent !...Giving a good overview of the basics needed to navigate through this topic. However, it would have been really great if some specific examples with respect to medicine and public health practice were incorporated

By Jakob W

Mar 15, 2018

I found it to be a solid course. It has given me better grasp of the basics. I also found it a bit dry, and significant time spent on equations rather than high-level understanding. This is fine, as long as you know what you are in for!

By zqin

Jan 7, 2020

Overall the class is great, especially the first two weeks' content is simple and well-explained. But from the week 3 to the week 4, the professor only writes many formula and doesn't provide enough examples to explain those formula.

By P G

Jun 17, 2019

Very high quality course. Could use some modifications (e.g. few more applied examples for regression using specific priors, MCMC etc.) and implementing some simple metaphors to introduce some topics before jumping into the maths.

By Masoud A

Aug 16, 2020

The Course was concise and helpful to build a foundation for Bayesian statistics. However, it is not recommended for those who has weak or no background in statistics, as the explanation are not thoroughly explained by details.

By Bala N P

Sep 2, 2023

Well instructed course for a person who has a good understanding of probability theory. I had to take some time and revise the concept as in the beginning I struggled to understand probability distributions. The rest was good!

By Curt J B

Nov 20, 2020

The course is quite difficult to comprehend with a loose background on stats, but the lessons prove to be interesting especially when applied to sample experiments. Eager to try the next course on Bayesian Statistics.

By Yahia E

May 4, 2019

Very good course for beginning bayesian inference. The syllabus is easy to follow, but I also think one could benefit even more by complementing the lectures with other sources (books or other youtube explanation)