Christopher Garcia
Student ID: 1213693661
WPC 300 Reflection Paper
In this class we were tasked with many problems that made us brainstorm to solve through the
action of thinking to come up with a solution. The class WPC 300 has the title “Problem Solving and
Actionable Analytics” to it. When I added this class to my schedule, I was interested in what topics would
pertain to that title. With many classes beforehand I had experience is dealing with problem solving,
whether with groups or alone. As for actionable analytics, there was a curiosity where I knew excel was
going to be used. Giving me a reminder of some classes I tool beforehand where we extremely dug into
excel and analytics, I was excited to see what challenges this class would throw at me. As I read the
syllabus, I knew exactly what to prepare for since most of the questions I had about the class were
answered after reading it. Overall, I was curios and excited on what the class would be like and scared
about the labs and group work that would entail throughout the semester.
As the class began the class the first assignments and labs gave me an idea of how this class
would play out. What I liked about the class at this point was how the professor gave detailed videos of
how to do them without difficulty. Even though there was that help I did struggle on some of the labs or
assignments as they became more difficult down the road. The videos were always a great guide and led
me to do great on labs and assignments. As for the quizzes I liked that the professor gave us the ability to
take the quiz again. This made it possible to understand my mistakes and better my notes to prepare for
the upcoming exam. What was interesting and knew to me was the screenshot of the work that was
being done. I had a few mistakes but eventually learned by watching the videos. I learned how to save
my scripts which was crucial when I turned in my work. The assignment that I did struggle with the most
was logistic regression and the lab on linear regression. Overall, I did my best and tried to use all
resources to my advantage to complete the work correctly.
In this class we were also introduced to JMP, which is a new program that I had to learn
alongside others. More about this program that I can attest to is that it was very difficult to download. I
know I might have not followed instruction correctly, but I did stress on downloading for a few hours. I
remember reading the instruction over and over until I realized what I had to do after downloading it off
the ASU link. I am not sure If there was a video instruction on how to install it. If there is good, if not it
would of really helped me save some time as I am sure it a key program that I needed to complete most
of the assignments. After struggling and finally doing assignments on JMP continuously, I was astonished
to the amount of data it was able to dissect and program. Learning how to manipulate data that was
transferred over from excel opened the brain to understand the data more in depth. I remember working
on a lab and then getting into deep focus to find the answer on model prediction for assignment 7. With
this program I was able to study and maneuver a new program that I was not accustomed to like excel,
giving me a great insight of how it could be used in everyday life.
In the class I knew there would eventually be a group assignment that would be a great part of
the total grade. From experience I always did fear that my group would not put in the same effort as I did
or that I would receive a bad grade for everyone not cooperating. To my surprise the assignment was to
our knowledge as we all participated and studied the material well from the lectures. Meeting up with
my group with ease gave me the confidence to contribute my best effort. Working on the assignment
there was great obstacles we passed as we helped one another. Even though most of had worked on
JMP and had our brain constantly working in the program, we had trouble to get the data we were
basing off our thesis. We eventually overcame it and asked each other and the professor which led to a
solution. This is what this class was about, thinking, solving and all while using analytical data on JMP.
Thinking about the past assignments and watching lecture videos again also played a role to our
accomplishment on our case. Lastly on our assignment we did struggle with conclusions and questions
but gave it our all and maybe with more determination could of done better, but still a great assignment
to get your gears moving.
Progressing throughout the semester there was a topic that I struggled in other classes but was
able to get a little more understanding in this class. When dealing with P Values and tests I always
struggled to remember how they could be understood and used properly. In this class we used JMP to
run tests that would be volatile in understanding data that was being implemented from excel. With
detail instruction from the videos, I was able to construct P value tests. I still did struggle a bit but was
able to get a better with it. Another topic that I also struggled with in this class was multiple logistic
regression. Where I failed many times to do on my own. Again, I watched the videos and was filled with
joy when I was able to be walked through it step by step on how to do it correctly. At the end I was able
to get a better understanding of P Values and of logistic regression. I also, learned how to use JMP to a
great capability, where I learned how to map out data and analyze distribution, clustering, fit modeling,
predictive modeling, and other great tools.
The practical test in this class could have been easy for me if I did the practice test. When doing
the test, I first realized that some of the material was not fresh in my head and I knew I should have
studied more. I thought that the test would be of mostly material that was recent and that anything
brought back from the beginning of the semester would come back to me easily. This of course was a
mistake for me. I recommend others to do the practical practice as I should of. With the class coming to
an end I can say that the class challenged my ability to think and remember analytical data summary in
JMP. I enjoyed the quizzes the best as they were very easy to me and gave me a better try to understand
my mistakes. The labs gave me a more detailed work plan that needed great focus to complete. The
assignments were like the labs but overlapped which helped when I used the video notes. The group
project was very concise on what was wanted and was fair since we have had much work done on JMP
to complete it with ease.
Summing up my reflection I think this class was great and should be taken by others who seek
something different than excel. If there is interest in a more analytical mindset of finding out how data
manipulation can be used to a greater understanding, I think this is the class to take. I had my fair share
of watching lectures again and again to say the material can be very complex to very simple. I am sure
with great effort; I was able to grasp enough to get the work done and do what was asked of by the
professor. I think that my mind has increased when thinking about the capability of how far data can go
in a program like JMP. Overall, I enjoyed myself and will take what I know to my next class that requires
knowledge in brainstorming to solve and find a solution.
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