Research Methods 2

Topic 2: Introduction to Minitab (Week 2)

Aims

To learn the rudiments of using Minitab

Objectives

To be able to open Minitab

To be familiar with the terms 'Data Window', 'Session Window' and 'Worksheet'

To be able to enter data into Minitab from the keyboard

To be able to save a worksheet to disk and subsequently retrieve it.

In order to learn about statistics, it is important that you can perform statistical calculations quickly and without the drudgery of using a hand calculator. This course makes extensive use of the statistical program Minitab, which is made available to you under the terms of the site licence held by the University.

The first thing to do is to gain access to Minitab. To do this you need to install Minitab on your PC from the CD which should have been sent to you already. If you have not received a copy, please get in touch with Lynne Rawles (Lynne.Rawles@newcastle.ac.uk).

Installing on your PC

To install Minitab on your PC you need the CD and some security and serial numbers. These should have been sent to you by ISS, probably by email. You will have needed to complete an application form and you should have been emailed about this. Once you have these you can install the program by placing the CD in the computer and following the instructions on the screen.

Once the program is installed you can learn how to use Minitab by following the Minitab Tutorial that is supplied with the program. How you do this depends a little on your operating system: for Windows XP click on Start on the task bar, then go to All Programs and then on MINITAB 14. This will give you a choice which includes Minitab tutorials. The program itself can be run by selecting MINITAB 14, with the blue icon.

RAS - an alternative to installation on your PC.

You can, in principle, run Minitab using RAS, the University's Remote Application Server. This year there is a snag with this approach, namely that Minitab chose to release Minitab version 15 and it arrived at Newcastle rather late in the summer. Consequently there was little time to revise the notes for the course so that they refer to version 15 rather than version 14. Moreover with any software a new version is: a) often little different from the previous version and b) prone to teething problems. Consequently I have decided to use version 14 for this course in 2007. Unfortunately only version 15 will be available on RAS, so while you can certainly experiment if you wish (and I do not anticipate major differences), support will be focussed on version 14 and it is expected that you will install version 14 on your computer.

Minitab is designed for users to be able to teach themselves how to use the program with the help of the on-line material. There is also material on the manufacturer’s website, www.minitab.com. However, some additional documents have been prepared specially for this course. This allows particular emphasis to be placed on the items that are used in the course, and to pay less attention to those aspects we do not need. It may be best to try these documents to start with, turning to the on-line material if you feel the need to consolidate your knowledge.

When learning Minitab, you should keep two things in mind.

Do not be daunted by the program: Minitab will do many things and for this course you will need only a fraction of its capability.
What you do need to know does not have to be absorbed straight away. As you attempt the tasks in the forthcoming weeks, your knowledge of and confidence in the program will grow. The exercises contain detailed instructions or hints to help you do tasks that are new to you. There are more hints in the earlier weeks.

The additional documents cover the following: