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Experimental Methods - Online Course

A 4-Day Livestream Seminar Taught by

Henry May
Course Dates: Ask about upcoming dates
Schedule: All sessions are held live via Zoom. All times are ET (New York time).

10:30am-12:30pm (convert to your local time)
1:30pm-3:00pm

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This intermediate course on experimental design and analysis will focus on causal inference in randomized field trials. Topics include randomization-based causal inference, design of multilevel experiments (including cluster and multisite designs), statistical power, multiple comparisons, implementation fidelity, and techniques for addressing imperfections in real-world experiments (e.g., attrition, non-compliance).

The primary goal of any randomized experiment is to generate trustworthy inferences about the causal effects of a treatment or intervention. While randomized experiments have been a gold-standard for causal inference in medicine since the 1946 randomized clinical trial (RCT) of streptomycin, randomization-based experiments have only recently become the preferred method for studying the effects of social interventions.

For example, in the field of education, the past two decades have seen a dramatic shift toward understanding “what works” through randomized field trials as espoused by federal legislation and research grant programs. This seminar covers key aspects of designing and conducting experiments that meet the requirements of many federal and foundation grants programs focused on intervention research.

Starting July 23, we are offering this seminar as a 4-day synchronous*, livestream workshop held via the free video-conferencing software Zoom. Each day will consist of two lecture sessions which include hands-on exercises, separated by a 1-hour break. You are encouraged to join the lecture live, but will have the opportunity to view the recorded session later in the day if you are unable to attend at the scheduled time.

*We understand that finding time to participate in livestream courses can be difficult. If you prefer, you may take all or part of the course asynchronously. The video recordings will be made available within 24 hours of each session and will be accessible for four weeks after the seminar, meaning that you will get all of the class content and discussions even if you cannot participate synchronously.

Closed captioning is available for all live and recorded sessions. Captions can be translated to a variety of languages including Spanish, Korean, and Italian. For more information, click here.

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“Professor Henry May’s teaching was excellent!"

“Professor Henry May’s teaching was excellent! He is very experienced and knowledgeable in experimental methods. I think he is one of the best in mastering these methods.” 

Eric Shiu

University of Birmingham

"Dr. May was an excellent instructor.”

“The real-life examples given and the R code examples shown were both outstanding. Dr. May was an excellent instructor.”

Jack Rodman

University of Southern California

"This seminar provides a substantial amount of information..."

“This seminar provides a substantial amount of information on the content with great delivery, at a good pace, and in a very interactive manner where students are able to interrupt and ask questions.”

Sule Yilmaz

University of Rochester Medical School

“This is a wonderful introduction course to experimental methods..."

“This is a wonderful introduction course to experimental methods. Dr. May is a very effective instructor. He’s knowledgeable and clear, and the material he covers is thorough, with a good balance of comprehensiveness and depth. Highly recommended.”

Bonnie Wu

Wayne State University

"Thank you, Dr. May, for making the course so simple to understand."

“I have now fully grasped the concepts of doing experiments. With what I have learned, I can design my own experiments. Thank you, Dr. May, for making the course so simple to understand.”

Emmanuel Banchani

York University