Ever pondered whether to include a variable in an analysis – is the variable necessary, will its inclusion/exclusion introduce bias in the analysis?  Why is the variable important anyways – is it a mediator, a moderator, a confounder some combination of these???

This course introduces how to incorporate DAGs (Directed Acyclic Graphs) in analysis planning to help think through what variables to collect and use (or refrain from using) in an analysis. 

Topics include:

·       Introducing the structure of DAGs and the rules for using them to guide variable selection

·       A deep dive into the types of variable relations captured in DAGs with emphasis on mediation, moderation, effect modification, confounding and colliders and their potential to introduce bias in analysis

·       Hands on example of how to create and evaluate DAGs in R using the package daggity

Use of DAGs may help inform data collection and analytical plans in ways that enhance reproducibility.

Course prerequisites: None. Knowledge of regression analysis and R is helpful but not required.

The HW Odum Institute is pleased to offer short courses now eligible for Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits administered through the UNC Chapel Hill William and Ida Friday Center. 10 contact short course hours = 1 CEU credit hour. CEU Transcripts are accredited by SACS COC.

NOTICE: The CEU processing fee (separate from the course registration fee) is $10 and NON-REFUNDABLE, and must be paid in advance of taking each short course to have this credit added to your CEU transcript. CEU credit cannot be added retroactively.

For CEUs from the Friday Center at UNC-Chapel Hill – Within 45 days of confirmation of completion of course requirements, you will receive an email from the Friday Center with a FID number. Use this FID number to login to the Friday Center to request your CEUs.