Syllabus STAT 200 Elementary Statistics Summer 2009 Section 105 CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor Jianping Sun E mail jxs1021 psu edu Office 423 422C Thomas Bldg Office Hours W F 01 15P 02 15P or by appointment Teaching Assistant Mengtao Dai E mail mxd393 psu edu Office 321 Thomas Office Hours Th 01 00P 02 00P Meeting Time M W F 02 20P 03 35P Thomas 217 T R 02 20P 03 35P Forest Recourses 001 COURSE DESCRIPTION COURSE 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 You will have a great deal of practice in analyzing data from a variety of areas and 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 COURSE WEBSITE https cms psu edu We will use ANGEL in this course Important course materials will be posted so you should plan to access the site regularly REQUIRED RESOURCES 1 A textbook Mind on Statistics 3rd Edition by Utts and Heckard It can be purchased at the usual bookstores 2 A scientific calculator 1 COURSE FORMAT 1 There are five class meetings per week three large group meetings LGM and two computer lab meetings Lectures will be given in the LGM These are located in 217 Thomas on M W F 02 20P 03 35P The lab meetings are located in 001 Forest Recourse on T R 02 20P 03 35P 2 In the LGMs I will cover the reading material outlined on the respective dates I strongly encourage you to read the material before class and then the lecture material should make more sense Quizzes and exams will also be administered during the LGMs 3 In the computer labs you will work through an activity that supplements the lecture reading from that week You are encouraged to work with group members Time in labs can be used on the project though additional time outside the lab may be required SUMMARY OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS Item Homework RAQs Project Midterm Exam Final Exam Description Best 5 of 6 Best 3 of 4 Due June 25 2009 June 5 2009 in LGM June 29 2009 in LGM BONUS questions TBA in class Total Points 300 150 150 150 250 Percentage 30 00 15 00 15 00 15 00 25 00 1000 100 00 SOME DETAILS ABOUT COURSE REQUIREMENTS Homework Homework will consist of lab activities and exercises from the text The due dates for the homework are noted on the calendar There will be a total of six homework assignments due with the lowest score being dropped Each assignment is worth 60 points Readiness Assessment Quizzes RAQs There will be four Readiness Assessment Quizzes RAQs throughout the semester The dates of the RAQs are noted on the course calendar Each RAQ will be worth 50 points The RAQs will be closed book and contain only multiple choice and true false questions The questions will be on material that you have been asked to read previously and on material discussed in LGMs and labs You are expected to read and review topics before each quiz so that you will understand the basic concepts and the RAQs will determine how well you understand those concepts REMEMBER TO BRING A PENCIL AND A CALCULATOR FOR ALL RAQs 2 Group Project Near the end of the summer session the last two lab meetings in the course will also be used for group project work involving the integration of course content such as evaluating scientific articles analyzing experimental data and discussing case studies You should expect to commit some time outside of the lab meetings to completing the project For the project each group will submit one written report and all group members will receive the same grade The project will be worth 150 points Exams One midterm and one final exam will be administered The midterm exam will have both written and multiple choice sections and will be worth 150 points The final exam comprehensive will be strictly multiple choice questions and will be worth 250 points The dates for both of these exams are noted on the course calendar For midterm you can bring one page two sided fact sheet no larger than 8 5x11 inches for final two pages two sided fact sheet no larger than 8 5x11 inches is allowed REMEMBER TO BRING A PENCIL AND A CALCULATOR FOR BOTH EXAMS COURSE GOALS At the end of this course you should be able to 1 Understand the reasoning by which findings from sample data can be extended to larger more general populations 2 Critically evaluate the results of scientific studies 3 Design conduct and analyze a scientific research study 4 Read statistical summaries 5 Analyze data using statistical software MINITAB 6 Study and understand examples and applications from a variety of fields 7 Learn independently and work cooperatively You will be graded based on the total score obtained from all of your course work Course grades in each of the nine categories will be tentatively awarded based on the following bounds Final Grade Points Percent A 930 1000 93 0 100 0 A900 929 90 0 92 9 B 870 899 87 0 89 9 B 830 869 83 0 86 9 B800 829 80 0 82 9 C 770 799 77 0 79 9 C 700 769 70 0 76 9 D 600 699 60 0 69 9 3 F 0 599 0 0 59 9 PLEASE NOTE The instructor reserves the right to adjust the final grade of any student based on student s class performance and attitude besides the grading items above COURSE RULES We will adhere to the following 1 Make up policy You must supply documentation of reasons for missing an exam NO make up RAQs are allowed under any circumstances Unless the situation is a rare last minute emergency you must contact me BEFORE the date of the exam to set up a conflict exam time Otherwise you will receive a zero for the missed exam 2 Homework will be collected at the beginning of class period on the assigned due date Project will be collect at the end of the last lab class June 25th Discussion on homework is encouraged However each student must turn in his her own written work that reflects his her own understanding of the material It is a violation of course policy to copy solutions from others textbooks Websites or previous instances of this course 3 Assignments will not be accepted past the time they are due