Hi
A update/advert for the statistics/data management courses provided by 
Figure It Out, the statistical consultancy unit at the Institute of Work 
Psychology, University of Sheffield, in November 2009. These small group 
courses, with a maximum of 10 participants, are particularly aimed at 
researchers, practitioners and postgraduate students from the fields of 
psychology, HR, management, sociology, and the social sciences more 
generally.

This series of courses is now almost all sold out but we have a couple 
of places left to fill, as follows:

* Data Management using SPSS Syntax: Thursday 12th November 2009 (2 
PLACES LEFT)
* Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus: Friday 13th 
November 2009 (NOW SOLD OUT)
* Multi-level Modelling using SPSS: Thursday 26th November 2009 (NOW 
SOLD OUT)
* Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus (i.e. a 
repeat of the course on 13/11): Friday 27th November 2009 (1 PLACE LEFT)

The standard rate for each course is £275, the student rate is £200. If 
you attend two or more of the courses you get a further 50 pound 
discount on the total cost.

Details of the courses are given below: for further information and to 
book a place, go to 
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/trainingcourses.htm

Note that the course booking secretary has changed from previous events, 
and is now Charlotte McClelland: [log in to unmask]

These courses, plus two further courses (on Multiple Regression, and 
Questionnaire Scale Construction and Validation), are also available on 
an inhouse basis: see 
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/bespoketraining.htm

cheers
Chris



******* Course details for each course are as follows: *******


-|- Data management using SPSS syntax -|-

Thursday 12th November, 2009; 9.45am to 5.15pm, at IWP, University of 
Sheffield -|-

-|- Who is the course aimed at?
This course is aimed at a very wide audience, namely anyone who ever has 
to handle data using SPSS! There are very few grey areas in managing 
data - your data is either accurate or it is not. And if it is not, then 
it is more than likely that the results from your analysis of it will be 
incorrect too. Learn to improve your data managment skills and hence 
create more time for the more interesting parts of a study i.e. the 
analysis of it, safe in the knowledge that you are working from an 
accurate, fully documented data set.

Using the SPSS syntax language to import, organise and manipulate your 
data is substantially more efficient time-wise than using the menus, and 
has the dual advantages of simple repeatability and of providing an 
audit trail for your work. Course examples and data sets will largely 
come from survey data, but the skills learned are applicable and widely 
transferable to an incredibly wide variety of scenarios.

-|- Course level:
Whilst some previous experience of using SPSS via the menus (i.e. point 
and click) is expected, no previous experience in using the SPSS syntax 
language is required.

-|- Course content and aims:
The course will cover the following topics:
- Starting with syntax - why use SPSS syntax, the basics of writing and 
running syntax; determining when your command runs
- Some simple SPSS commands - opening and saving files, describing data 
via frequencies, descriptives and crosstabs
- Reading data into SPSS from other formats - handling text format, 
Excel format data,
- Defining and documenting data, variable names, variable labels, value 
labels, missing value, formatting data
- Creating new variables - recoding, computing, count, performing 
calculations on subsets via DO IF - END IF, making multiple calculations 
using DO REPEAT loops
- Manipulating cases - selecting subsets of data for analysis, filtering 
files, splitting files, sorting cases
- Manipulating files - aggregating files, restructuring files, matching 
files, adding cases, updating files
- Data Management: a worked example - best practice for creating and 
managing a complex data set

-|- Course Format:
The course will take the form of a mixture of teaching via examples 
worked through by the trainer on real data sets which participants can 
follow, exercises to practice the skills just learned, and a few short 
demonstrations of the further capabilities of SPSS syntax. You will also 
receive a 50-page coursebook containg all the notes and worked examples, 
providing an easy reference and reminder for the techniques you have 
learned.

-|- Course schedule:
The course will start at 9.45am, with a lunch break from 1pm-2pm, and 
short coffee breaks at 11.30am and 3.30pm. It will finish at around 5pm, 
though I will be willing to stay on for a while after this and to answer 
questions pertinent to participants' own data sets or any other 
multi-level modelling queries you may have.

For further information and to book a place, go to 
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/trainingcourses.htm


***********


-|- Multi-level Modelling using SPSS -|-

Thursday 26th November, 2009; 9.45am to 5.15pm, at IWP, University of 
Sheffield -|-

-|- Who is the course aimed at?
This course is aimed at two distinct groups. It is primarily designed as 
a beginners' course in multi-level modelling (AKA Hierarchical Linear 
Modelling), for those who face the challenge of working with multi-level 
data sets and want to be able to analyse them in the most powerful and 
accurate way.

However it should also appeal to those with a little experience of 
multi-level modelling using other specialist packages who now want to 
learn how to run such models in SPSS using the MIXED MODELS menu and 
commands.

-|- Course level:
A reasonable working knowledge of multiple regression and some previous 
experience of using SPSS to perform statistical analysis is expected. No 
previous experience of multi-level modelling will be assumed.

-|- Course content and aims:
The course will cover the following topics:
- Introduction to multi-level data - what it is and why it requires 
special treatment
- Restructuring Data in preparation for multi-level modelling
- What is a multi-level model?
- Building and fitting a multi-level model in SPSS
- Further issues in multi-level modelling: centering, sample size and 
scaling
- Advanced multi-level models: analysing longitudinal data and 
cross-sectional data using multi-level modelling in SPSS

-|- Course Format:
The course comprises of a mixture of short lectures on the basic theory 
behind multi-level models, teaching via examples worked through by the 
trainer on real data sets which participants can follow, and exercises 
to practice the skills just learned. You will also receive a 60-page 
coursebook containing all the notes and worked examples, providing an 
easy reference and reminder for the techniques you have learned.

-|- Course schedule:
The course will start at 9.45am, with a lunch break from 1pm-2pm, and 
short coffee breaks at 11.30am and 3.30pm. It will finish at around 5pm, 
though I will be willing to stay on for a while after this and to answer 
questions pertinent to participants' own data sets or any other 
multi-level modelling queries you may have.

For further information and to book a place, go to 
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/trainingcourses.htm


***********


-|- Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus -|-

Friday 13th November and repeated on
Friday 27th November, 2009;
both dates: 9.45am to 5.15pm, at IWP, University of Sheffield -|-

-|- Who is the course aimed at?
This course is aimed at two distinct groups; those seeking a beginners' 
course in Path Analysis techniques such as Structural Equation Modelling 
(SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA); and those with some 
previous experience of Structural Equation Modelling who wish to learn 
to use the powerful and elegant MPlus software, which can be employed in 
an incredibly wide range of model fitting scenarios.

-|- Course level:
A basic knowledge of Exploratory Factor Analysis and the ideas behind 
multiple regression analysis will be advantageous to participants. No 
previous knowledge or experience with SEM or Mplus is assumed

-|- Course content and aims:
The course will cover the following topics:
- Introduction to Path Analysis - what is it and why do we need it?
- Assessing the fit of a Structural Equation Model
- Comparing competing Structural Equation Models
- Preparing and importing data into Mplus from SPSS
- Getting started with analysis in MPlus - the basics of the language
- Fitting a simple Confirmatory Factor Analysis in Mplus
- Fitting a simple Structural Equation Model in Mplus
- Testing for indirect effects in Structural Equation Models
- Fitting Structural Equation Models with missing data
- Including Categorical variables in Structural Equation Models
- Multiple group analysis

-|- Course Format:
The course comprises of a mixture of short lectures on the basic theory 
behind Structural Equation Models, teaching via examples worked through 
by the trainer on real data sets which participants can follow, and 
exercises to practice the skills just learned. You will also receive a 
50-page coursebook containing all the notes and worked examples, 
providing an easy reference for the basics of performing SEM in MPLus, 
and as a reminder for the techniques you have learned.

-|- Course schedule:
The course will start at 9.45am, with a lunch break from 1pm-2pm, and 
short coffee breaks at 11.30am and 3.30pm. It will finish at around 5pm, 
though I will be willing to stay on for a while after this to answer 
questions pertinent to participants' own data sets or any other 
Structural Equation Modelling queries you may have.

For further information and to book a place, go to 
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/trainingcourses.htm



*** for all courses above ***

The trainer:
Dr Chris Stride has been using SPSS in his work as a statistician and 
data manager for the last 12 years. He has particular experience and 
expertise in teaching non-statisticians from the fields of psychology, 
HR, management and the social sciences. He is a Chartered Statistician 
and a member of the ASSESS (UK SPSS Users Group) Committee; and has been 
running statistical training courses at the University of Sheffield and 
on an inhouse basis to Universities and Public Sector organisations over 
the past few years.

-- 
Dr Chris Stride, C. Stat, 
Statistician, Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield
Telephone: 0114 2223262
Fax: 0114 2727206
 
“Figure It Out”
Statistical Consultancy and Training Service for Social Scientists

Visit www.figureitout.org.uk for details of my consultancy services
and forthcoming training courses in November 2009:
 - Data Management using SPSS Syntax
 - Multilevel Modelling using SPSS
 - Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus