Introduction to Probability Management

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Free Online Course: Introduction to Probability Management provided by edX is a comprehensive online course, which lasts for 10 weeks long, 1-5 hours a week. The course is taught in English and is free of charge. Upon completion of the course, you can receive an e-certificate from edX. Introduction to Probability Management is taught by Sam Savage.

Overview
  • This course assumes that you are comfortable with Microsoft Excel, but you do not need training in statistics. If you wish to receive a verified certificate, you must download the free SIPmath™ Modeler Tools for Excel from nonprofit ProbabilityManagement.org, and it is recommended that you procure The Flaw of Averages: Why we Underestimate Risk in the Face of Uncertainty, John Wiley & Sons, either the 1st or 2nd Edition.

Syllabus
  • Section 1: Probability Management Basics

    • Post Traumatic Statistics Disorder (PTSD)
    • The Flaw of Averages
    • The Arithmetic of Uncertainty
    • Limbic Analytics: Connecting the Seat of the Intellect to the Seat of the Pants
    • The Hindu/Arabic Numerals of Uncertainty
    • The Probability Power Grid
    • Data Table Simulation in Excel

    Section 2: The Five Mindles of Uncertainty

    A MINDle lets you grasp something with your mind as a HANDle lets you grasp something with your hand. Understanding the arithmetic of uncertainty requires grasping five concepts beyond the operations of standard arithmetic. They are:

    • Risk vs. Uncertainty
    • Uncertain Numbers
    • Combinations of Uncertainties
    • Plans Based on Uncertainties
    • Interrelated Uncertainties

    Section 3: Introduction to Applications

    • Nonlinear cost functions
    • Building a Risk Model
    • Estimating distributions from forecasts

    Section 4: The Human Element

    The PTSD picked up in a statistics class may be addressed through the following concepts:

    • The permission to be uncertain
    • Unambiguous Uncertainty
    • Limbic Analytics