# TMA 4300 Computer Intensive Statistical Methods

## Reference group

Name e-post Study programme
Marius Møller Rokstad marius [dot] rokstad [at] ntnu [dot] no PhD in Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering
Odd Eirik Farestveit oddeirf [at] stud [dot] ntnu [dot] no Industrial Mathematics
Mireia Duaso mireiad [at] stud [dot] ntnu [dot] no Erasmus programme

## Summary of reference group discussions

### 1. Meeting (04.02.2014):

  General comments:
* Well organized with a very nice webpage
* Lecture structure with three parts where each part is follow by exercises seems nice.
Some students would however prefer exercises along the lectures.
  Lectures:
* Slow start but now ok.
* Maybe do not spend so much time with mathematical details
and move faster forward to important statistical aspects.
This point has already improved over the last lectures.
* Examples and slides are excellent.
  Curriculum:
* Seems nice.

Exercises:
* Seems nice
* Understanding becomes better during the exercises
* Good that exercises build on each other, so that one realizes the connections.
 Other things:
* Student were not aware about Rstudio and are happy with this.
It might be good to introduce Rstudio already in earlier statistics courses, such as TMA4267

### 2. Meeting (18.03.2014):

  General comments:
* Block structure is a very good concept for this course,
and it is good to have no lectures during the exercises sessions. 
  Lectures:
* Lecturer is well prepared
* Speed is good now (not too slow anymore)
* Slides are very good
  Curriculum:
* topics are ok
* the new book by Givens and Hoeting is nice and allows
also self-study to a certain degree.
* in general the literature selection is good and can be
related to the lectures/slides.

Exercises:
* Exercise 2 is clearly harder than exercise 1, but ok.
* Understanding becomes better during the exercises.
* Help provided during the exercises was very good. Questions were answered fast.
* Extra help session for exercise 2 might be good
* Some students would like to have additional smaller (non-obligatory)
exercises along the lectures. However, it is not clear how to realize this.
Maybe point to exercises in the book without a detailled solution sketch.
 Oral presentation:
* good concept
* good that it does not count for final mark.


### 3. Meeting (08.04.2014):

  General comments:
* Last block of the course was as good as the first two.
* In general, the literature and the lecture slides are well related and
make it easy to follow the course. The exercises are chosen carefully,
fit nicely to the lecture and evolve often naturally from examples presented
in the lecture.
* "nice to be as student in this course"
  Lectures:
* Lecturer is well prepared
* Slides are very good

Exercises:
* Exercises are very time-intensive.
* Exercise 2 was clearly harder than exercise 1, but the learning outcome was good.
* Exercise 3 was a bit hard to start with, but went fine then.
The understanding improves strongly while doing the exercises.
* Help provided during the exercises was very good. 
 Oral presentation:
* good concept
* good to present exercises instead of new (but related) topics.