Preface

For instructors

This textbook is designed around the simulation-based inference (SBI) approach popularized by Lock, Lock, Lock, Lock, and Lock in Statistics: Unlocking the Power of Data. The pedagogical sequence is:

EDA → Simulation inference → Theoretical inference → Probability → Modeling

The book contains more material than most one-semester courses will cover. The 28 chapters are organized into six parts, and instructors should select the chapters that fit their curriculum. A typical 15-week course might cover:

  • Part I: Explore (Chapters 1–5): Weeks 1–3
  • Part II: Simulate (Chapters 6–9): Weeks 4–6
  • Part III: Calculate (Chapters 10–13): Weeks 7–9
  • Part IV: Relationships (Chapters 14–20): Weeks 10–13
  • Part V: Foundations (Chapters 21–25): Select chapters as needed
  • Part VI: Design (Chapters 26–28): As time permits

Parts V (probability foundations) and VI (power/sample size) are included for courses that need them but can be omitted without loss of continuity.

StatLens integration

StatLens is a free, browser-based statistics toolkit that supports the simulation-first approach. The text features StatLens throughout but is written to be self-contained — instructors who prefer StatKey, R’s infer package, or other tools can substitute freely.

StatLens activities in this text use URL parameters for reproducibility. For example:

https://learnlens.org/statlens/simulate/bootstrap-mean/?seed=42&n=30

The seed parameter ensures every student who uses the same link gets identical results, enabling graded simulation-based assignments.

Accessibility

This textbook is designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards:

  • Text: Atkinson Hyperlegible font, designed for readers with low vision
  • Math: MathJax rendering with screen reader support
  • Color: All color choices meet 4.5:1 contrast ratio; information is never conveyed by color alone
  • Structure: Semantic HTML with proper heading hierarchy
  • Images: All figures include descriptive alt text
  • Navigation: Full keyboard accessibility with visible focus indicators

If you encounter accessibility barriers, please file an issue on the book’s GitHub repository.

Acknowledgments

This book remixes and augments material from two open-source textbooks published by the OpenIntro project: Introduction to Modern Statistics (IMS) by Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel and Johanna Hardin, and OpenIntro Statistics by David Diez, Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel, and Christopher Barr. Their commitment to open education made this work possible.

The simulation-first pedagogy is inspired by the Lock family’s pioneering work in Statistics: Unlocking the Power of Data.

StatLens was developed at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with support from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.