Institution: University of British Columbia
Start Date: Self-Paced
The University of British Columbia is glad to announce you a free online course name as “Policy Analysis Using Interrupted Time Series”. Interrupted time series analysis and regression discontinuity designs are two of the most rigorous ways to evaluate policies with routinely collected data. In this course, you will introduce analysts to interrupted time series analysis (ITS) and regression discontinuity designs (RD) from start to finish, including selection and setup of data sources, statistical analysis, interpretation and presentation, and identification of potential pitfalls. This course is Self-Paced.
Course Summary
- Duration: 5 weeks
- Commitment:6-10 hours per week
- Subject: Data Analysis & Statistics
- Institution: The University of British Columbia
- Languages: English
- Price: Free
- Session:Self-Paced
- Requirement: Anyone
- Certificate Available: Yes
Who Developed the Course
- About University: The University of British Columbia, commonly referred to as UBC, is a public research university with campuses and facilities in British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1908 as the McGill University College of British Columbia, the University became independent and adopted its current name in 1915. It is British Columbia’s oldest institution of higher learning and has over 60,000 students at its Vancouver and Okanagan Valley Most students are enrolled in five larger faculties: Arts, Science, Applied Science, UBC Faculty of Medicine, and the Sauder School of Business.
- Mission of University: The University of British Columbia Continuing Studies is an academic unit that inspires curiosity, develops ingenuity, stimulates dialogue and facilitates change among lifelong learners locally and internationally. It anticipates and respond to emerging learner needs and broadens access to the University of British Columbia by offering innovative educational programs that advance our students’ careers, enrich their lives and inform their role in a civil and sustainable society.
Target Audience
Participants should have an understanding of linear regression, and familiarity with data handling in a major statistical package (R, SAS, SPSS, STATA, etc.). Course content is taught in the R statistical package, so familiarity with R / RStudio will be an asset.
Where Could This Lead You
- Importance of the Subject in Today’s Scenario: The nature and importance of policy analysis and evaluation in the local sphere of government. Policy analysis is described as the dissection, isolation and systematic examining and explaining of policy phenomena or components to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of each part or action.
- Your Career Option: After successfully completing the course you can build your career in the following:
- Manager, Quality
- Engineer, Process
- Analyst
- Quality Analyst
- Material Planning Analyst
- Associate Analyst, Financial Planning &Analysis
Get Extra Benefits
Pursue a Verified Certificate to highlight the knowledge and skills you gain ($49)
- Official and Verified: Receive an instructor-signed certificate with the institution’s logo to verify your achievement and increase your job prospects
- Easily Shareable: Add the certificate to your CV or resume, or post it directly on LinkedIn
- Proven Motivator: Give yourself an additional incentive to complete the course.
How to Join This Course
You should register yourself through the given link of join this free online course: https://courses.edx.org/register
Course Format
Week 1: Course overview
- Introduction to ITS and RD designs
- Assumptions and potential biases
- Data sources and requirements
- Example studies
- An introduction to R (optional)
Week 2: Single series ITS
- Data setup and adding variables
- Model selection
- Addressing autocorrelation
- Graphical presentation
Week 3: It’s with a control group
- Data setup
- Adding a control to the model
- Graphical presentation
- Predicting policy impacts
Week 4: Extensions
- Advanced modeling issues in ITS and RD
- Nonlinear Trends · Differencing
- “Wild” Points and Transition periods
- Adding a Second Intervention
Week 5: Regression Discontinuities and Wrap-up
- Regression Discontinuities
- Any Remaining Questions
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- The strengths and drawbacks of ITS and RD studies
- Data requirements, setup, and statistical modeling
- Interpretation of results for non-technical audiences
- Production of compelling figures
Who Will You Learn With
- Michael Law: This course will be instructed by Michael Law, an Associate Professor at the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research, School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) at the University of British Columbia. His research on pharmaceutical policy regularly uses both interrupted time series and regression discontinuity designs, and he has taught the topic internationally.
Suggested Reading
You can invoke these books:
- A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis by Eugene Bardach
- Public Policy Analysis by William Dunn
- Narrative policy analysis by Emery Roe
- Public Policy Analysis by Peter Knoepfel
- Cases in public policy analysis by George M. Guess
- Basic methods of policy analysis and planning by Carl V. Patton
Conclusion
- Importance of Course: At the conclusion of the course, students will have all the tools necessary to propose, conduct and correctly interpret an analysis using ITS and RD approaches. This will help them position themselves as a go-to person within their company, government department, or academic department as the technical expert on this topic.
- Importance of Certificate: By the Certificate of Achievement you will be able to prove your success when applying for jobs or courses. You can display it on your LinkedIn or CV.
Detailed Information
For more information about the course, you may visit the given link:
https://www.edx.org/course/policy-analysis-using-interrupted-time-ubcx-itsx-2#!

