Course Agenda

Instructor & Course Materials

About Your Instructor

  • Name: Qiu Fei (邱飞)
  • Office: Room 62-518, Business School, Building 62
  • Personal Homepage: qiufei.site

Course Resources:

Feel free to visit my homepage for additional research and teaching materials.

Course Philosophy

Learning by Doing

The core philosophy of this course is: Learning by Doing.

  • The textbook contains a large amount of hands-on code for you to practice.
  • You will also encounter many mathematical formulas — but don’t be afraid!
  • Our focus is on application, not abstract theory.
  • Once you start running and testing the code yourself, you will gain confidence and a sense of security.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

Course Assessment

Grading System (100-Point Scale)

Your final grade is composed of two equally weighted parts:

Component Weight Details
Regular Performance 50% Lab reports, in-class interaction, attendance
Final Assessment 50% Group analysis report (2 students per group)

Final Assessment Details:

  • Form groups of 2 students.
  • Use the methods taught in this course to analyze Chinese listed company data.
  • Submit a written group analysis report.

AI Policy

This course encourages the use of AI tools.

  • You are welcome to use AI assistants (e.g., ChatGPT, DeepSeek) to help you learn, write code, and understand concepts.
  • AI is a powerful productivity tool in modern data science — learning to use it effectively is itself a valuable skill.

Course Interaction Platform

Join TeacherMate (微助教)

All course interaction, attendance, and quizzes are managed through the TeacherMate platform.

URL: teachermate.com.cn

Requirements:

  • You need a WeChat (微信) account to use TeacherMate.
  • Please register and join the course on TeacherMate before our next class.

In-Class Quizzes via TeacherMate

Each chapter includes a short in-class quiz completed on TeacherMate:

  • 4 questions per chapter:
    • 2 Multiple-Choice questions
    • 2 True/False questions
  • Quizzes must be completed during class on your phone via WeChat.
  • These scores contribute to your Regular Performance grade.

Cloud Computing Platforms

Why Cloud Platforms?

Before we dive into data, we need the right tools. We will use Cloud-based Python environments rather than installing software locally.

The Benefits:

  • Zero Setup: No need to install Python, Anaconda, or libraries on your personal laptops.
  • Standardization: Everyone runs the exact same environment. If code works for me, it works for you.
  • Accessibility: Code from any device (Windows, Mac, iPad) via a standard web browser.
  • Focus: We spend our time learning Applied Statistics, not debugging local IT issues.

Important: Real-Name Verification

Cloud platforms in China require real-name identity verification (实名认证).

  • You will need to verify your identity when registering for the cloud platforms.
  • International students: Please have your passport or student ID ready for the verification process.
  • This is a standard requirement for all cloud services in China.

Our Platform: Alibaba ModelScope

URL: modelscope.cn

For this course, we will use Alibaba ModelScope as our cloud computing platform.

  • What is it? Alibaba’s Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform, designed for the AI and Open Source community.
  • The Feature We Need: It provides free, powerful Jupyter Notebook environments (similar to Google Colab).

ModelScope: Key Features for Us

Why did we choose ModelScope for Applied Statistics?

  1. Pre-configured Environments: You can start coding immediately without installing packages like pandas, numpy, or scipy.
  2. Low Learning Curve: The standard Jupyter Notebook interface is intuitive and easy to learn.
  3. Resource Allocation: It provides sufficient free cloud computing power (CPU/GPU/RAM) for the datasets we will analyze in this class, including computationally heavy statistical models and machine learning algorithms.

Action Items

Your Action Items (Before Next Class)

Please complete the following steps before our next class:

  1. ModelScope: Go to modelscope.cn, create an account, complete real-name verification, and locate the Notebook section.
  2. Test the Environment:
    • Create a new Notebook.
    • Type: print('Ready for Applied Statistics!')
    • Run the cell.
  3. TeacherMate: Register on teachermate.com.cn via WeChat and join the course.

Questions?



Let’s get ready to explore data!