Statistics 371: Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life SciencesProfessor: Bret LargetOffice: 1250A MSC (Medical Sciences Center)Contact: Phone: 262-7979; E-Mail: [email protected]: http://www.stat.wisc.edu/∼larget/Office Hours: M 3:00–5:00 P.M.; T 2:30–4:00 P.M.; W 3:00–4:00 P.M.; and by appointmentClass Hours: T R 11:00 – 12:45 P.M.Room: 331 SMI (Service Memorial Institute)Textbook: Statistics for the Life Sciences, Third Edition, by Samuels and WitmerPrerequisites:There is a formal prerequisite of background mathematical knowledge that could be satisfied by a course incollege algebra or calculus. Understanding the c ourse m aterial requires no calculus and minimal algebra.Be aware that credit cannot be given for this course if you have already completed Statistics 201, 224, 301,or 324.Students will need a scientific calculator with statistical functions. Any scientific calculator that cancompute a s tandard deviation will do. Modern statistical practice uses statistical computing. For somehomework assignments, I will ask you to learn to use R, an open-source free software that runs underWindows, Macs, and Linux, R is also available in several public computer labs on campus.Course Objectives:The primary course objec tives are for the s tudents enrolled in the course: (1) to develop mastery of basicstatistical concepts; (2) to develop the ability to apply these concepts correctly, especially in problemsoriginating in the life sciences; and (3) to learn to communicate effectively in writing the results of astatistical analysis to a non-statistical audience; (4) to gain exposure to modern statistical computingsoftware, specifically the statistical package R.Grading:Your grade will be determined by exams (90%) and homework (10%). There will be nine 25-minuteexams throughout the semester, each worth ten points. During the final e xam period time, you may takeadditional exams and possibly improve scores from earlier exams (or replace zeros on exams you mighthave missed).I will not expect you to dem onstrate mastery of R syntax on exams but will expect you to be able tointerpret R output.Your homework for the seme ster will be converted to a score from 0 to 10 with 90% or higher earning 10points, 80% or higher earning 9 points, and so on.Course grades will be assigned according to this scale:Course Points Grade93–100 A86– 92 AB79– 85 B72– 78 BC60– 71 C55– 59 D0– 54 FIt is possible for a student w ho does well on all of the exams and on the homework to earn an A prior tothe final exam period.Exams:Exams will be in three categories — probability (3), statistical inference I (3), and statistical inferenceII (3). Each exam is worth ten points. I will not give make-up exams during the semester — ifyou miss an exam, you will need to take a replacement exam during the final exam time.Specifically, I will not give make-up exams for attending family functions, extending breaks, or illness.There is no penalty for missing an exam other than a need to make it up during the final exam period.At my sole discretion, I may permit alternative exam times for students who give me prior notice of auniversity-related conflict.Homework:There will be weekly homework assignments, consisting of exercises from the textbook, exercises from othersources, and problems to solve by computer. Each homework problem is worth up to five homework points.A ‘5’ indicates that the student made a serious attempt at solving the problem, getting a substantial partof the problem correct.Your homework solutions should be organized and neat with solutions in order. Each problem solutionshould include a brief description of the problem (that may be paraphrased from the actual problem) aswell as the solution. Write in Take care to see that your written homework solutions are clear and easy toread. Put your solutions to problems in the order that they are assigned.Honors:Student taking the course for honors will complete a course projec t. A project will include finding abiological question of interest, designing an experiment, producing data, analyzing the data statistically,and writing a report. Exp e ct that the work involved with a project may be substantial. Projects enrichrather than replace learning in the regular course curriculum. The score out of ten on a project may replacethe two lowest scores from exams or homework.If you are working in a lab on campus, you may be able to design a project appropriate for this coursethat involves your research in that lab. I can also provide additional ideas for projects.Course Web Page:The course Web page will include an anticipated schedule including exam dates, homework assignments,supplementary notes, help for the statistical package, and other information useful for the course. You willbe able to access the course web page from my home page, http://www.stat.wisc.edu/~larget/.Academic Honesty:You are permitted and, in fact, encouraged to talk to other students, your teaching assistant, or me abouthomework. Your TA or I may give you clues or discuss similar problems without doing your homeworkfor you. You may look through books or Web pages for solutions to problems. However, you may notpresent other people’s work as your own. Make sure to include with any submitted solutions to problemsreferences to any sources of direct assistance. If you work with other students solving problems, make surethat you w rite up your own solution independently. It is not acceptable for one student to write a solutionfor another student to copy.You must work independently during exams. You may not share calculators or pass notes during
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