Wednesday 5 September 2012

ASSESS: SPSS/R Training Day


ASSESS: SPSS/R training day
Friday 2nd November 2012
Alcuin Research Resource Centre
University of York, York

Beginning  with R: comparing groups (half-day) parallel workshop
An introduction to statistical modeling in R  (half-day) parallel workshop
Friday 2nd November 2012 10 am to 12-45 pm

Chi-square tests and logistic regressions in SPSS (half-day) parallel workshop
Survival analysis with healthcare applications using SPSS (half-day) parallel workshop
Friday 2nd November 2012 1-50pm to 4-30pm

Tutorial session: Health applications in SPSS
Friday 2nd November 2012 10am to 12-35pm

Tutorial session: First steps in data analysis using R
Friday 2nd November 2012 1-50pm to 4-10pm



ASSESS is an independent user led group for SPSS and R, computer packages for analysing and presenting data. Recent ASSESS workshop topics include SPSS/R syntax, SPSS macros, Logistic regression and Hospital Episode Statistics.

Two sets of two half-day parallel workshops and two tutorial sessions are provisionally planned to be held at the Alcuin Research Resource Centre, University of York, on Friday 2nd November 2012. The R workshops and a tutorial session on ‘Health Applications in SPSS’ will run in parallel from 10am to (approx) 12-45pm and two SPSS workshops and tutorials on ‘First steps in data analysis using R’, from 1-50pm to (approx) 4-30pm. Each delegate may, therefore, attend a morning workshop or tutorial session and/or an afternoon workshop or tutorial session.

Workshop topics and other details including booking forms are at http://www.spssusers.co.uk/Events/2012/confprog.html

The workshops and tutorials will be taught in an interactive hands-on workshop-style format, with frequent examples. A full set of notes and example files will be given to all workshop attenders. There will also be handouts at the tutorial sessions.

Simon White of the MRC Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge, who will lead the ‘Beginning with R:Comparing Groups’ workshop, looks at applications of statistics to public health issues and teaches R to non-statisticians.

Thom Baguley of Nottingham Trent University will lead ‘An Introduction to Statistical Modeling in R’. Thom has twenty years of teaching and research experience and is the author of ‘Serious Statistics’.

Angie Wade is a senior lecturer in biostatistics at University College London and will lead the ‘Chi-squares and logistic regressions in SPSS’ workshop.

David Culliford, who will lead the ‘Survival Analysis with Healthcare Applications using SPSS’ workshop, teaches on statistical issues surrounding research design and researches osteoarthritis at the University of Southampton.

The ‘Beginning with R:Comparing Groups’ workshop assumes no previous experience using R and will introduce basic concepts and structures used in R together with simple plotting and group comparison procedures. ‘An Introduction to Statistical Modeling in R'  is a workshop building on a basic knowledge of R showing how to perform a range of statistical analyses in R including AN(C)OVA,  regression, meta-analysis and bootstrapping. The SPSS workshops assume a working knowledge of SPSS and an awareness of basic statistical concepts. The ‘Chi-square tests and logistic regressions in SPSS’ workshop will introduce analyses of categoric data. The ‘Survival analysis with Healthcare Applications using SPSS’ workshop introduces commonly used elementary techniques analysing time-to-event data. 

The booking fee includes a coffee break mid-workshop but not overnight accommodation.  A buffet lunch is available and is included for those attending both a morning  AND an afternoon event. Further details will be sent to delegates upon receipt of booking forms.

Come along to:
* obtain training in using SPSS and R from experienced tutors who are fellow users
* learn about statistical methods used for data analysis in R and SPSS
* exchange ideas with other SPSS users
* plan for an even better user group and suggest events for 2013


The venue for both the workshops and users' meeting is the Alcuin Research Resource
Centre (ARRC) on York University campus located in Heslington, 2 miles to the south-east
of the city centre. It takes 10-15 minutes in a taxi from the railway station.
The Number 4 bus runs regularly to the University from York railway station (see
http://www.yorkshiretravel.net/). Parking at the University is very difficult.
Location details are at http://www.york.ac.uk/np/maps/. Accommodation is
bookable via tourist information on (01904) 621756 or (01904) 554455.

PROVISIONAL PROGRAMMES FOR THE TUTORIAL SESSIONS**

Tutorials: Health Applications in SPSS (10am to 12-45pm)

* Practical tips in using SPSS syntax with Health Applications by Vikki O’Neill, MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge

* Comparing linked maternity data sets to check data quality in SPSS by Preeti Datta-Nemdharry, City University, London

* Analysing 3-D Spatial ECGs in SPSS by Gilbert MacKenzie, University of Limerick

* Driving evidence-based decision-making in Healthcare with predictive analytics. A webinar specially recorded by a representative of SPSS

Tutorials: First steps in data analysis using R (1-50pm to 4-10pm)

* Getting your data into R by Simon White, University of Cambridge

* Graphics with R by Simon White, University of Cambridge

* Correlation and Regression in R by Gilbert MacKenzie, University of Limerick

* Repeated measures in 'R' using multi-level models by Tom Dunn, Nottingham Trent University

*Planning for 2013 events

Registration and coffee begins at 9-30am for the ‘Health applications in SPSS’ tutorials’. Registration begins at 1-30pm for the ‘First steps in data analysis using R’ tutorials. Morning coffee and afternoon tea are included in the registration fee. Lunch is included if attending BOTH a morning and afternoon event otherwise is available on request. A timetable will be e-mailed to delegates in advance.