STAT 200 Elementary Statistics Blended Learning Section Instructor Information Andrew Andy Wiesner PhD Department of Statistics 416 Thomas Building 863 5653 ajw13 psu edu What is meant by Blended Learning The idea behind blended learning is to provide students with an enhanced and flexible learning environment by combining online materials with face to face classroom sessions Although the format will vary among courses the educational goals of a blended learning course format will be identical to those for the traditional resident i e face to face class For STAT200 this format is quite simple we will only meet one day a week as a group in a computer lab This meeting will involve completing the lab activities for the class These lab activities will provide you with an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the Minitab statistical software while simultaneously engaging you in the rudiments of statistics During these meetings you will also be presented with a chance to interact with the faculty member thus receiving hands on instruction when needed However this lab is not to be misconstrued as office hours Each lab you will be given a graded activity to be completed and submitted during the scheduled time Students are expected to come prepared for these labs What are students supposed to do during the days they don t have class When not in class students enrolled in a Blended Learning section of STAT200 will be required each week to 1 Read and review class notes and interaction tools 2 Complete an online quiz on that weeks material 3 Complete a homework assignment and submit this online 4 Read assigned sections of text book either hard copy or digital student s choice All necessary course materials will be made available online All class notes will be posted in the ANGEL course directory and all quizzes will be delivered via the web The homework assignments will be part of the Thomson NOW package that will come with your text book regardless if you purchase the hard or digital copy Deadlines for each homework and quiz will be given and access to completing the quizzes and homework will not be granted once the due date has passed How do I know if this blended format is right for me Success depends on selfdiscipline and time management skills If you have participated in an online course then you will find this format quite similar Otherwise as with most new ideas you cannot know for sure until you have tried If you are self disciplined enough to work on your own without the motivating factor of scheduled classes then you may find this format a welcome and exciting change Description Statistics is the art and science of using sample data to make generalizations about populations The topics covered in this course include methods for collecting and summarizing data methods for evaluating the accuracy of sample estimates techniques for making statistical inferences Users of statistics researchers government agencies like the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics companies like the automakers and drug industry etc make extensive use of the computer in applying statistical methods to their problems So will you This course will offer you plenty of practice in analyzing data from a variety of areas As a result you should be well prepared for problem solving involving statistics in the rest of your college courses as well as gaining an understanding of the role of statistics in your daily life Text Note you may purchase either the digital copy less expensive and works as if you were renting the book for a semester or the hard back copy Mind on Statistics 3nd Ed by Utts and Heckard This will also include access to Thomson NOW Grading Weekly Homework 10 approx 12 Weekly Quizzes 10 approx 12 Weekly Lab Activities 10 approx 12 Midterms 15 each Three 3 midterms No make up exams Final 25 Cumulative F D C C B B B A A 0 60 70 77 80 83 87 90 93 Correspondence All email correspondence to me MUST be done using the ANGEL email under In Touch tab in ANGEL All other email risks going unanswered You are responsible for all email from me that is sent through ANGEL Lecture Notes Posted on the ANGEL website Policies For the homework activities and quizzes your best 10 scores in each category will count toward your final grade That is your two lowest quiz scores two lowest activity scores and two lowest homework scores will be dropped Because of this policy please read the following carefully Homework Include your name and section number Handing in the wrong homework is analogous to not doing the homework The grading of homework is simple either you get a 0 or 100 If you attempt to answer each question honestly then you will receive a 100 otherwise a 0 Weekly Quizzes Quizzes cannot be made up and must be completed by the deadline Can be submitted from any computer with an internet connection Some quizzes will require Minitab so be sure the computer you use has this software Quizzes will be timed ranging from 15 to 45 minutes Lab Activities Must be submitted from the lab computers during the scheduled class time If the activity is not submitted then the activity will be graded as a zero Exams The midterms will be held during lab Exams midterms and final are open notes from this semester only No notes old exams etc from previous semesters are permitted If found using such materials you will receive a zero for that exam No midterm or final make ups are available If you miss a midterm or the final your score will be recorded as a zero Some Suggestions Be careful to complete the correct homework assignment In the past some students have come to me saying that for example they did homework 3 instead of homework 2 If this happens the homework will not be accepted As explained in the first paragraph above under Policies you have 2 extra assignments in both the quizzes activities and homework portions Do not mistakenly miss an assignment assuming that you can afford to miss two Often during a semester personal issues arise sickness family emergencies etc which may require you to miss an assignment resulting in a 0 for that particular task Academic Integrity Please visit http www science psu edu academic Integrity index html for details concerning academic integrity guidelines that are adhered to by this course