Fall
2002, TR 8:00 – 9:15 am, SC 314
Instructor: Dr. Lisa E. Rome
Office: SC 311B
Phone Numbers: Office:
244-4259 (Home phone, before
10 pm: 859-581-1490)
Office Hours: TR 9:15-11:30 am; MWF 10 – 11 am.
E-mail:
lisa_rome@mail.msj.edu
Text: The
Basic Practice of Statistics, 2nd
Edition, by David Moore.
Co-requisite: CIS 106 (SPSS)
Course
Objectives: This course is designed to provide you with an
introduction to the practice of statistics.
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
Course Content: We will
cover chapters 1 – 4 and 6 – 8.
Course
Description: Data collection, graphical displays of data,
descriptive statistics, basic concepts of probability and sampling distributions,
continuous distributions including normal and t-distribution, estimation, and
hypothesis testing. Course will
encourage an awareness of use and interpretation of statistical measures and
procedures in different disciplines.
Students will use SPSS with statistical applications.
Method of
Instruction: My teaching style is one of lecturing with,
hopefully, lots of input from students.
I try to make time in class to discuss homework problems (that is, I may
discuss some problems and sometimes you may be called on to discuss your
solutions). You will also spend some
class time working on problems in groups.
A large percentage of your learning will take place outside of the
classroom as you read the text and work problems. You need to read the book, do lots of problems, review your
notes, anticipate the exam questions, and talk to other students about the
material. Finding a study partner or
group is especially helpful, as you will learn as you explain concepts to your
partner or group AND as they explain them to you. If you would like extra help outside of class, I encourage you to
use my office hours and visit the Academic Performance Center to complement
your study time. I do like to have a
fairly “light” atmosphere in class, but I do take the material very
seriously and expect that you will take your learning seriously too…but also
have fun!
Quizzes: There will be a quiz most every day of class. Quizzes will be given between 8:00 am and about 8:10 am, so plan
to be on time to class! On most
occasions quizzes will be based on material relating to the previous two class
periods; quizzes will be worth 10 points each.
At the end of the semester, your lowest two quiz scores will be dropped
before computing a quiz average out of 100 points. NO MAKE-UP OR LATE QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN.
Homework: One key to doing well in statistics class is to do regular
homework. Much like playing a
musical instrument or playing any sport, doing well in statistics only comes
through consistent practice. For
this reason, you will be expected to do homework daily. When doing statistics homework, you
should be concerned with more than just getting the right answer. You should be sure that you understand
and can correctly interpret what you have done!
You should expect
to spend at least 3 to 4 hours per week, outside of class, doing
statistics homework, as well as studying and reviewing the work you have
done. Plan now to fit this time into
each week of this semester! If you
have questions about anything we do, or just want to check your understanding,
make arrangements to talk with me or to see me in my office! Doing well on quizzes and exams will require
that you understand problems that have been assigned for homework.
Special
Projects/Homework: There will be two or three “special
projects” which will require working with SPSS and doing some statistical
analysis; work which goes beyond the daily homework assignments. These projects will be described later in
the semester.
Exams/Tentative
Exam Dates: There will be two “one-hour” exams during the
semester and a two-hour comprehensive final exam. Unless announced otherwise, exam dates will be as follows:
Exam 2: Thursday, November 7
Comprehensive Final Exam: Monday, December 9, 10:30 am – 12:20 pm.
Mark these dates on your calendar NOW, so that you do not miss an
exam!
Going to miss an exam? (Hint: It’s
best not to!!) If you are going to miss
an exam, you MUST let me know BEFORE the exam is given or else a
zero will be assigned for your grade
on that exam. If I cannot be reached at
the phone number given above, then leave a message with the Department
Secretary at 244-4895. Make-up exams
will only be allowed in cases where an absence can be proven to be legitimate –
NO EXCEPTIONS!
Attendance: Regular class attendance is a requirement for the course. Points will be deducted for excessive
absences. You are responsible for
all material assigned or covered in class.
If you do miss class for
any reason, it is your responsibility to keep up with the class.
Grading: Course grades will be based on total points earned. Tentatively, the
total points will break down as follows:
2 Exams @ 100
points each 200
pts.
Daily Quizzes 100
pts.
Special
Projects/Homework 100
pts.
Comprehensive Final
Exam 200
pts.
TOTAL: 600 pts.
Course grades will
be determined according to the following scale:
Excellent
Achievement A: 93% to
100% (558 to 600 pts.)
High
Achievement B:
82% to 93% (492 to 557 pts.)
Satisfactory
Achievement C: 70% to 82%
(420 to 491 pts.)
Minimal Achievement D: 60% to 70% (360 to 419
pts.)
Failure F: Below 60%
(Less than 360 pts.)
Liberal Arts and
Sciences: This course is designed to be part of the Liberal
Arts and Sciences Curriculum at the College of Mount St. Joseph. As such a course, MTH 175 will provide you
with the opportunity to:
1. Develop the adaptability and flexibility
to cope confidently with complexities of the present and future as citizens,
leaders, and agents of change. The
complexities of the present and the future require analytical skills related to
everyday life. This course will
emphasize the elements of statistical thinking by focusing on the need for
data, the importance of data production, and the presence and modeling of
variability. Statistical inference will
be used as a tool for drawing conclusions about our universe while
understanding that data collected through sampling is subject to variation which
lends an air of uncertainty to all conclusions. The course will stress the idea that in order to describe our
world and evaluate change, we must collect and analyze data appropriate for the
task.
2. Acquire the foundation for life-long
learning for meaningful and satisfying lives, the development of life-enriching
interests, and the maintenance of livelihood. Statistics is a very important course for many reasons
including: (1) Essentially all disciplines use statistics
in some form or another to evaluate and make decisions and will increasingly do
so. (2) In our increasingly quantitative world, much is reported in terms
of statistics in all media. To be
literate and numerate, a person must be able to understand and interpret what
is written in statistical terms.
3. Develop abilities to think critically and
creatively, make decisions, and solve problems – listen, speak, read and write
effectively. In the course, you
will learn to solve a variety of problems using graphical displays of data and
both descriptive and inferential statistics.
You will learn that there is often more than one approach to analyzing a
given set of data. You will learn about
inferential statistics, the use of data for inference and decision making. You will have the opportunity to communicate
statistics using both oral and written techniques.
Academic
Honesty: College regulations regarding honesty will be
honored. These can be found in the
Student Handbook. You are encouraged to
locate and review these policies on a regular basis.
Cell phones and pagers: Please keep all cell phones, pagers, etc. turned
off during class, except with prior permission of the instructor.
Withdrawals: Note that Friday, November 1 is the last day to withdraw from class
with a “W.” No withdrawals will be
allowed after this date.
Accommodations: If you have specific physical, psychological, or learning disabilities
and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that
your learning needs are appropriately met.