The year 2022 is the 20th anniversary of Joseph Schafer and John Graham's paper titled "Missing data: Our view of the state of the art," currently the most highly cited paper in the history of "Psychological Methods." Much has changed since 2002, as missing data methodologies have continually evolved and improved; the range of…

We present a method for Bayesian structural equation modeling of sample correlation matrices as correlation structures. The method transforms the sample correlation matrix to an unbounded vector using the matrix logarithm function. Bayesian inference about the unbounded vector is performed assuming a multivariate-normal likelihood, with a mean…

The methodology and mathematical treatment of several classic multivariate methods for the analysis of spectroscopic data is demonstrated in a straightforward way that can be used as a basis for teaching an undergraduate introductory course on chemometric analysis. The multivariate techniques of classical least-squares (CLS), principal component…

This article presents a novel approach to introducing principal component analysis (PCA), using summary tables and descriptive statistics. Given its applicability across a variety of academic disciplines, this topic offers abundant opportunity for class discussion and activities. However, teaching PCA in an introductory class can be challenging…

Although many textbooks on multivariate statistics discuss the common factor analysis model, few of these books mention the problem of factor score indeterminacy (FSI). Thus, many students and contemporary researchers are unaware of an important fact. Namely, for any common factor model with known (or estimated) model parameters, infinite sets of…

We present an innovative activity that uses data about LEGO sets to help students self-discover multiple linear regressions. Students are guided to predict the price of a LEGO set posted on Amazon.com (Amazon price) using LEGO characteristics such as the number of pieces, the theme (i.e., product line), and the general size of the pieces. By…

In this article, we discuss our attempt to teach applied statistics techniques typically taught in advanced courses, such as clustering and principal component analysis, to a non-mathematical educated audience. Considering the negative attitude and inclination toward mathematical disciplines of our students we introduce them to our topics using…

Summary statistics and data visualizations are often used to explore data and draw preliminary conclusions. Although valuable, these tools do not always reveal the underlying patterns and trends in the data and can sometimes be misleading. We describe an approach for teaching the need for more advanced statistical analysis using multiple linear…

Support vector classifiers are one of the most popular linear classification techniques for binary classification. Different from some commonly seen model fitting criteria in statistics, such as the ordinary least squares criterion and the maximum likelihood method, its algorithm depends on an optimization problem under constraints, which is…

Academic scholars face a difficult challenge when attempting to grasp the intricate world of mathematics. The complexity of mathematical concepts often lies hidden beneath layers of formulas and procedures, obscuring their true essence. Traditional educational resources often fall short in conveying the profound meaning behind these concepts,…

In medical sciences, a disease condition is typically associated with multiple risk and protective factors. Although many studies report results of multiple factors, nearly all meta-analyses separately synthesize the association between each factor and the disease condition of interest. The collected studies usually report different subsets of…

In this article, we outline several activities revolving around soccer players who participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Classroom activities are described from different perspectives, useful for a range of different statistics courses. In a first semester probability theory course, students investigate the…

To incorporate active learning and cooperative teamwork in statistics classroom, this article introduces a creative three-dimensional educational tool and an in-class activity designed for introducing the topic of agglomerative hierarchical clustering. The educational tool consists of a simple bulletin board and color pushpins (it can also be…

Since the publishing of Nolan and Temple Lang's "Computing in the Statistics Curriculum" in 2010, the American Statistical Association issued new recommendations in the revised GAISE college report. To reflect modern practice and technologies, they emphasize giving students experience with multivariable thinking. Students develop…

The Reduced Reparameterized Unified Model (Reduced RUM) is a diagnostic classification model for educational assessment that has received considerable attention among psychometricians. However, the computational options for researchers and practitioners who wish to use the Reduced RUM in their work, but do not feel comfortable writing their own…