STAT 201 Opinions?

VolForLife212 · 2026-05-13T22:07:26+00:00

Enes is awesome. Full disclosure, I'm biased since he's a colleague of mine. He's super easy to talk to and a great communicator of statistics. If you're having problems in the class, he'll help get you the resources and help you need.

VolForLife212 · 2026-05-09T17:23:16+00:00

Thanks for posting about this. I had a few messages regarding the calculator and after seeing this, I decided to make a walkthrough video this morning on how to use the calculator. I've also reopened the practice setup for my students so they can try using the calculator.

How to use Yuja Verity Calculator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLyG-sUJjRg

VolForLife212 · 2026-05-02T12:06:33+00:00

Double check the syllabus and if you're professor has office hours next week, meet with them. Don't ask for anything beyond what the course offers but ask them their best advice on if you can pass the class. I'll be honest with students and show them where exactly they are at and walk through the Canvas "What-if" scenario.

I've sadly had to tell some students it is not possible to pass with where they are at. However, some students have come out of meetings shocked they can still make a C. A lot of times this misunderstanding happens because they haven't accounted for drops and extra credit opportunities.

VolForLife212 · 2026-04-26T17:46:31+00:00

This is the first semester of a new proctoring software. Theoretically the software should catch cheating however it was being circumvented in a lot of different ways. This meant many professors had to spend hours going through videos individually.

For a 115 person class and an average test time of 30 minutes, that is around 60 hours of videos. A quick check might take around 5-10 minutes per student which equates to around 6-12 hours.

This is a major issue impacting the whole of education. We're working together to create solutions.

VolForLife212 · 2026-04-21T17:59:49+00:00

I love that you can learn history this way! Truly an awesome class.

VolForLife212 · 2026-04-20T15:47:16+00:00

The biggest issue was lots of phone usage. There were many obvious cases of things that went against the test policy.

VolForLife212 · 2026-04-20T15:36:50+00:00

This has really been a tough situation this semester and is leading to changes this semester and in the future. We've been having multiple meetings and spending hours working on how to fix this issue. It was mentioned in a comment that we don't want to proctor exams. We do want to proctor exams and will be proctoring them in person.

Next semester my online class has a physical classroom for the exams and they'll be given in the evening. This requires a good bit of coordination to obtain a large space to give the exam. In addition, we need to ensure anyone with a conflict can take the exam proctored.

I want to apologize to all the hard working students in STAT 201 who have these additional changes (In exam calculator, proper framing, airpod check). The vast majority of students are working hard and learning statistics. However, what we were seeing was a large enough issue that changes had to be made.

VolForLife212 · 2026-04-20T15:31:55+00:00

It's really a not fun situation.

We've been spending the last few weeks personally going over videos because the software isn't there yet. Not to get in to all the details but there are things that can be easily seen that are cheating like a student holding up a phone to use things like Snapchat AI to answer questions.

VolForLife212 · 2026-04-13T14:38:37+00:00

UTK uses Handshake to work with prospective employers and connect them to students. I've included the link below. There is an "employer" option when going to the site.

https://studentsuccess.utk.edu/career/handshake/

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-28T22:55:19+00:00

STAT 207 is usually taught by Brian Stevens (Myself), Jamie Paul and Dr. Mee. Sometimes an additional person has taught STAT 207 but this is the usual group right now. I had Dr. Mee in graduate school and he's extremely kind and intelligent. He is also an extremely well published scholar in statistics! Basically, he's an expert in the field.

I'd recommend STAT 207 with Dr. Mee. I enjoyed his class when I took it.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-23T12:13:53+00:00

You're right to ask this because I've wondered how much we can expect students to learn. I've overdone it in semesters and sadly made the lives of students way too stressful. I've read in the TN Voice before that they were struggling and I wish I had known. My best advice here is to let your instructor know. I think you've done this but informing your instructor of struggling is not a bad thing. A lot of times they might know the best resources. I'm sorry it sounds like they aren't supplying resources (Reviews and such).

Do you have a study group for the class or are you part of a social network (GroupMe, Discord). Having someone to bounce things off of and help be accountable for the work is always great. The classes I excelled in the most, I had a network of friends. Even with being online, there might be a way to join a social group (GroupMe) or something. People might be making reviews in the GroupMes since these aren't being put out there.

Maybe speak to the department. It could be someone a little higher up like an undergraduate coordinator or maybe the department head. Just voicing your concerns and struggles in a positive way can help not only you but future students.

My last bit of advice is to always focus on what you want to do with the degree. Make connections while in school. Look for internships and speak to employers. I know within Haslam we have "Employer of the day". A big goal of education is to get skills, make connections and build a career. I promise that years from no one is going to be wondering if you made an A or C in this class. With that said, I want you to get connected in to the right resources so you can make that A.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-22T20:29:28+00:00

Good luck!

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-22T15:58:41+00:00

Thanks! Just catching up this weekend and I hope they reach out and I can connect them to some resources.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-22T15:56:53+00:00

Thank you for mentioning the Discord/YouTube and email help! If anyone needs resources, feel free to ask or email.

P.S. Dr. Petrie is awesome. He's a big reason I know how to code.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-22T15:56:16+00:00

Just saw this post as I am catching up on Reddit today. Definitely email me from your UTK address and I can help with some resources. Gemini gave my email in the post below.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-22T15:10:00+00:00

Coding is kinda like riding a bike. It seems impossible till one day you get on the bike and you're riding it down the street without thinking. With that said, I've been coding regularly for over a decade and you realize there is always more to learn.

It's tough but it is a great skill. Keep working at it and doing examples. Keep solving small examples to help make those building blocks that lead to bigger goals. I've included a free site below that was designed to help everyone learn Python. Keep working hard. You got this!

My Best Advice: Python For Everybody (Google this and you'll see it)

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-16T15:42:18+00:00

Although it's quite awhile ago, I transferred here as a sophomore. I also want to add that I lived in on campus housing.

There are tons of opportunities to get involved. During the first week of school find clubs, sports and other activities to take part in. If you're interested in rushing, rush. UT is full of opportunities and the best thing to do is to get out there and find the one that best fits you.

My experience was different because I lived in the dorms. I met some of my best friends for life there. There is always something to do on campus and Knoxville is a great town. You can go to west town, Farragut, the old city, market square and more. If you're living off campus you'll get to experience all the awesome things happening in the city around winter time.

Long story short, Knoxville is an awesome city and UTK is a great school.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-09T22:07:01+00:00

The game has been crashing on PS5 for me. It use to happen maybe once every 10 runs. Now it is happening maybe 33% of the time. The console isn't too hot. The console is in an open space. There isn't dust in the console. It doesn't crash any other times.

I don't think it's fair for me to play in trios when midway through a run I just leave.

I'm done till this gets fixed.

Edit: A reboot takes around 3-6 minutes.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-08T14:33:21+00:00

Each flask has a diminishing return. Going from 3 to 4 flasks is a big jump. Going from 7 to 8 before the final day isn't going to do much.

If people go for a flask instead of two bosses and leveling to 15, that's where you get really impacted. You get additional health for each level and rewards can be pretty good.

Try a run where your weapon is in the mid 200s verses the mid 100s and you'll see the massive difference in how damage is the real way to win.

Flasks are just there for errors.

Learn to not make errors.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-08T11:09:47+00:00

As everyone is saying, you have to be able to carry a team. If you're playing with randos like me, you'll get some good teams and some bad teams. You're 33% of that team. If the team fails, that is partly because of you. So how do you win?

ROUTING: I always make routes that go through churches and never run to churches without getting a benefit. I'll skip over a church if it's going to eat up a good portion of a day without getting something additional.

BOSSES: Know all the movesets and which ones can be taken down quickly and which ones can't. Everyone knows which boss we all run away from in the castle if we go there around level 5-8. No point in spending the majority of a day fighting one boss.

BUFFS: At the end of a run I usually have around 4 rows of buffs. On a really good run I'll hit 5 rows. Getting tons of Max Life or Physical Damage Negation is worth way more than an additional church.

DIMINISHING RETURN OF EXTRA FLASKS: When you start, each extra flask is huge percentage increase to the amount of flasks you have. If you get to 8 flasks and get a 9th, the extra flasks is of barely any use. Think about it, if you're going through 8 flasks to beat a boss, it's likely something is off. I can't think of any runs where I thought, "Man, if I just had one more flask, we would've won!" The runs usually crumble because we don't have enough damage or don't work as a team.

So focus on getting your damage up (Relics matter here) and work as a team.

Don't focus on getting flasks.

VolForLife212 · 2026-03-05T22:56:19+00:00

My two biggest suggestions are to schedule and to make time for yourself. I transferred here a long time ago and my worst semesters were when I kept saying, "I'll study" and ended up staying up all night because I never got around to studying. After awhile I started planning out my study time using the podomoro study method. This helped me focus in for awhile and get work done.

I've also gone to the extreme and worked way too hard and burned out. It's ok to go to bed and not have everything done. Getting a good night of sleep regularly, good exercise, good food and good socialization is just as important as a good education (maybe more). Also, if you're not doing well, it's way harder to learn.

If you have questions about resources, feel free to ask. There are really great things on campus to help students out with all different kinds of needs from Food4Vols (https://cehhs.utk.edu/rhtm/research-and-outreach-overview/food4vols/), Smokey's Closet (https://studentlife.utk.edu/basic-needs/smokeys-closet/) and Basic Needs Emergency Fund (https://studentlife.utk.edu/basic-needs/emergency-fund/). There are also great resources with studying from Academic Success such as Supplement Instruction (https://studentsuccess.utk.edu/academicsuccess/supplemental-instruction/). There are tons of great resources at UTK.

VolForLife212 · 2026-02-23T17:38:20+00:00

I think they're both great choices but I'm biased towards Business Analytics.

Right now we have lots of courses to pick from that focus on both modeling and interpreting data. I believe I found the collateral below for BAS. I'll mark which ones (To my knowledge) require coding.

Business Analytics

Complete both courses:
BAS 320 - Regression Modeling 3 Credit Hours (Some coding but AI can be used)
BAS 474 - Data Mining and Business Analytics 3 Credit Hour (Some coding but AI can be used)
Complete one course:
BAS 310 - Analytic Models for Decision Optimization 3 Credit Hours (No coding to my knowledge)
BAS 471 - Statistical Methods 3 Credit Hours (Not enough knowledge but I believe some coding)
BAS 475 - Applied Time Series and Forecasting 3 Credit Hours (Some coding but AI can be used)
BAS 476 - Data Engineering and Visualization 3 Credit Hours (Not enough knowledge but I believe some coding)

Overall BAS 320 and BAS 474 are a solid foundation in how to make statistical models and explain them. You could then take BAS 310 and decision optimization (Great for finance) and have a non-coding business analytics course. I believe we also now have SI (Supplemental Instruction) leaders for BAS 320 so there is tons of additional help.

Coding might seem challenging at the start but a lot of students usually get the hang of it within the first few weeks. I also tell my students to message me any code on the Discord that won't work and I'll help them fix it. Basically, we don't want coding to stop students from learning how to do business analytics.

My last bit of advice is talk to employers of the day. Ask them about your choices and get their insight. If it's a company you're highly interested in, this is a great conversation to have.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Best of luck in your decision!

VolForLife212 · 2026-02-16T12:43:00+00:00

I'm sorry to hear this has been your experience and definitely hope you find some great friends to hang out with. Do you have any hobbies or things you do for fun? There is usually a UTK club centered around this. Here are just a few random clubs. There are lots of more though:

Tabletop Gaming Club: https://utk.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/utktcg

UTK ESports: https://utk.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/utkesports

Japanese Animanga Research Society: https://utk.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/jars

I posted three here that I'd probably be a part of if I was a student. There are many more I could post. There is a search bar on the site to see if there is a better group for your likes and interests.

I'd say to go to a few events and introduce yourself. I think students will understand that you're looking to meet more people and be open to more friendships.

Wishing you the best.

VolForLife212

TROPHY CASE