Syllabus: STAT 200 Elementary Statistics (Summer 2009) Section 105 • CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Jianping Sun, E-mail: [email protected] Office: 423/422C Thomas Bldg. Office Hours: W F 01:15P – 02:15P or by appointment Teaching Assistant: Mengtao Dai, E-mail: [email protected] 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, 3rdEdition, 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 Description Points Percentage Homework Best 5 of 6 300 30.00% RAQs Best 3 of 4 150 15.00% Project Due June 25, 2009 150 15.00% Midterm Exam June 5, 2009 in LGM 150 15.00% Final Exam June 29, 2009 in LGM 250 25.00% Total 1000 100.00% BONUS questions TBA in class • 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!!! 2Group 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% A- 900-929 90.0-92.9% B+ 870-899 87.0-89.9% B 830-869 83.0-86.9% B- 800-829 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% 3F