MA217 – Accelerated Statistics (Fall 2009)
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this page
and all subsequent pages are those of the faculty author and do not necessarily
represent those of Fairfield University or its affiliates. Materials posted on this website and linked
from this website are for use by current MA217 students only and are protected
by copyright laws; thus the materials cannot be copied, replicated or posted
elsewhere without written consent from the author.
General Information:
Instructor: Dr. Laura McSweeney (lmcsweeney [at]fairfield.edu)
Meeting Times: MA 217C [9am class]: MR 9:30 – 10:20a and W 9 – 9:50a in CNS 301 (Room could change)
MA 217D [8am class]: MWR 8 – 8:50a in CNS 301 (Room could change)
Text: Statistics: The Art and Science of Learning
from Data (2nd edition) with
MathXL
access code [Package ISBN
of Text + MathXL: 9780136042877] by Agresti and Franklin
You may also buy the
MathXL Access code
separately and get a used text.
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 11 – 11:50a and by appointment
Bannow 111 (203)254 – 4000 x2194
Course Information:
Course website: http://faculty.fairfield.edu/lmcsweeney/ma217.htm
Course Calendar and Assignments (Link to daily course coverage, assignments and homework)
MathXL website: http://mathxl.com [Register using your MathXL Access code]
Or for more detailed instructions go to the official Math XL site:
http://www.mathxl.com/support/mxl_stu.pdf
Math Center Schedule (times when computers are available for quizzes, tutoring schedule)
Information about the Math minor.
Compute your final grade (Enter in all your grades and this will compute your grade)
Project Part 1 (Project Proposal Topics F09)
Excel Information and Worksheets:
Making Graphs in Excel (for Excel 2003)
Getting Descriptive Statistics in Excel (for Excel 2003)
Making Graphs and Getting Descriptive Stats (for Excel 2007)
Confidence Intervals Worksheet
Exploring Central Tendency and Variability
Exploring Linear Regression
Exploring the Central Limit Theorem
Statistical Tables:
Class Data Files
You should SAVE the data files and then open them up in Excel. Do not just open the files, otherwise the file will open up a as webpage and not an Excel page and you may not have all the statistical tools.
Class Survey and Data (MA217F09survey.xls)
Teendriving (PDF file)
USA Today Example 1 and Example 2
PLEASE NOTE:
MA 217C (9am class): Thursday, Dec. 17 at 1:30p
MA 217D (8am class): Monday, Dec. 14 at 8a [Note: Changed as of 9/29/09]
Please plan accordingly as you are required to take the exam on the date assigned by the registrar.
You might find it
helpful to have a graphing calculator with statistical functions (like the
TI-83/83+/84). Please bring a calculator
to class each day. I also recommend that
you get a binder for the course since you will be getting handouts/worksheets
almost every day. You will also need to staple problem sets, so please purchase
a stapler and staples. You do not need to bring your text to class each day. I
will let you know ahead of time if you need to bring it to class. J
Course Content: This
course is designed to be an introductory statistics course only for students who
have completed MA121/122 or MA171/172 (year-long calculus courses). Students who took MA17 (Introduction to Prob.
and Stats) should enroll in MA27 instead. This course does not count towards a
Math major. This course will use Excel
extensively for data analysis; however, no previous knowledge of Excel is
required. Writing is an essential and
heavily graded component of this course. You will be learning which statistical
procedures are appropriate for different situations, how to interpret the
numerical output from the computer and how to communicate the results using the
correct terminology.
The topics to be
covered this semester include:
Chapter 1.1 –
1.3: Populations, Samples, Parameter,
Statistics and Terminology
Chapter 2.1 – 2.6:
Exploring Data with Graphs and Numerical Summaries
Chapter 3.1 – 3.4:
Association, Correlation, Least-Squares Line and Regression
Chapter 4.1 – 4.4:
Design of Experiments and Sampling Techniques, Observational vs. Experiment
Studies
Chapter 5.1 – 5.4:
Introduction to Probability, Probability Rules and Conditional Probabilities
Chapter 6.1 – 6.3:
Probability Distribution, Random Variables, Expected Value, Variance, Normal
Distribution, Binomial
Distribution
Chapter 7.1 – 7.3:
Sampling Distributions, Central Limit Theorem
Chapter 8.1 –
8.4: Confidence Intervals for
Proportions and Means, Sample Size
Chapter 9.1 –
9.5: Hypothesis Tests for Proportions
and Means, Type I and II Errors
Chapter 10.1, 10.2,
10.4: Hypothesis Tests for Two Proportions or Means, Paired t-test
Chapter 11.1 – 11.3:
Association Between Categorical Variables, Chi-Squared
Tests
Other topics are
possible if time permits.
Student Learning Objectives: The student will be able to
1. Use appropriate and commonly used methods to organize data and
summarize data graphically and numerically.
2. Calculate and interpret several measures of central tendency and
variability.
3. Find probabilities from frequency tables and for binomial and
normally distributed variables.
4. Understand and apply the Central Limit Theorem.
5. Compute and interpret confidence intervals for both means and
proportions.
6. Analyze data using appropriate hypothesis testing techniques,
interpret and communicate results of the hypothesis test and evaluate the assumptions for the test.
7. Describe and analyze data using correlation and simple linear
regression analysis.
8. Use the computer to assist in performing statistical analyses and to communicate the results of analyses.
Attendance: The student handbook (2008-2009 edition, pg. 35) states that you are required to attend all classes. Attendance to each class is expected since we will be covering new material in each class, usually a section or two from the text each class. Also note that lack of attendance is often an indicator of whether a student succeeds in a course or not. You are responsible for getting notes and assignments for any classes missed. Please note that almost all students who have failed my courses do so because of lack of attendance.
Make-Up Policy: Since I will drop the lowest quiz, there will be no make-ups of missed quizzes. Please note that if you miss an exam, you are not guaranteed or entitled to a make-up exam (Student handbook 2008-2009 edition, pg 35). A missed exam, except for extreme and dire circumstances, will receive a grade of zero. In these rare cases, verification and reason for absence is required (Doctor’s note, note from the Dean’s office, etc.). It is your responsibility to provide documentation and contact me prior to the missed class so I can determine if an exam will be allowed to be made up. Missed exams will usually have to be made up as soon as possible, typically the next day or by the next class. Dates and documentation for sports or other school related absences (ie: field trips) should ideally be given at the beginning of the semester, and no later than one week before the missed class. Please note that excuses like oversleeping, having a cold, starting a weekend early or taking a vacation are not valid reasons for missing an exam or quiz. The dates for the exams are listed below and the quizzes will usually be announced about one week in advance.
Participation: In order to master the concepts and material of this course, you will need to actively participate in class and do LOTS of examples outside of class. In addition, you are expected to attend all classes. Simply showing up to class is not enough, you must commit to doing work consistently outside of class as well participating in class. Obviously, you can not participate in class if you are not there!
Common Courtesy: Students are expected not to text-message, surf the web, visit Twitter or social networking sites, play games, IM or check emails during class. Such behavior is distracting to me and to other students, and is just rude. Students engaging in such behavior may be asked to leave the class. Also, all cell phones should be shut off at the beginning of class, so that they do not go off during class.
Grading:
In-Class Activities:
Mathematics is best learned by doing.
These in-class activities using the TI calculator or Excel are designed
to explore the concepts discussed in class.
Each student or pair of students will work on the activities in
class. The assignment will usually be
collected and corrected (but not graded).
Any “long” term activities may be graded as homework.
Homework: Online homework will be assigned daily from the textbook and will be graded. You may redo the problems as many times as you wish up until the deadline. The lowest homework grade will be dropped. Doing well on the homework assignments is essential for understanding the material of this course and the quizzes will be similar to the homeworks. If you do well on the homework problems, then you should be able to do well on the graded assignments.
Quizzes: There will be 4 quizzes which will be taken online this semester. Each student must have a MathXL Account in order to access and take the quizzes. Each student will get a randomly generated multiple-choice quiz. You may use only your text and notes during the quiz, though you will not be able to use these during the exams. Students will have only one opportunity to take each quiz by the deadline. After the deadline, any incomplete quiz will receive a score of 0. Since the quizzes are online (and you have approximately a week to take the quiz) and the lowest quiz grade will be dropped, no make-ups will be given after the deadline. The 5th quiz will be made of take-home problems given throughout the semester. The 4 highest quizzes will be averaged and will count as an exam grade. These quizzes are typically (but not always) based on the material covered on the online homework and class problems, although, the content might differ slightly. Unannounced in-class quizzes may be given on an as needed basis. Students may review their online quizzes in MathXL after the due date.
Take Home Quiz: As mentioned above, there will be take-home
problems given throughout the semester. The problems are designed
to cover material beyond the textbook homework problems. These problems will comprise the 5th
quiz. Solutions will be collected at the
beginning of the class on the due date and must be submitted on the solution
sheets given in class (or printed off from the website and stapled). You will
usually have a few days between the assignment and the due date. No late solutions will be accepted after the
assignment has been graded and handed back or after
solutions are posted online. These assignments are almost always graded
by the next class. Doing well on the assignments is essential for
understanding the material of this course.
Everyone is required to do the
problem sets individually! [Please
refer to the Academic Honesty section.]
I take this very seriously since I am trying to determine what you have
learned. Sharing computer output on
homework is not allowed and any student work that appears to be copied will
receive a 0. Any students involved will
be reported to the appropriate Dean(s).
Exams: There will be 2 in-class exams worth 100 points each and one cumulative final exam worth 150 points. Questions asked on the exams will NOT always be “just like” homework and/or quiz questions. The exams will not be multiple choice! I will be testing your understanding of the concepts learned in class and some questions will see if you can apply the skills learned to new situations and whether you can interpret the solutions using correct terminology. The exams are tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15th and Monday, November 23rd (note that this is the Monday before Thanksgiving!!). If needed, any changes in the exam dates will be announced in class about a week in advance of the exam. The final exam will be a 2 – 3 hour written cumulative exam during the time set by the registrar’s office: MA 217C (9am class): Thursday, Dec. 17 at 1:30p and MA 217D (8am class): Monday, Dec. 14 at 8a. Please make note of the dates of all the exams and plan accordingly. Students are required to take the final exams during the time assigned by the registrar.
The grading scheme for graded work usually follows this rubric:
full credit: Perfect and complete solution with explanations and/or justifications, no mistakes
partial credit: Almost perfect except for minor “oops” mistakes or minor, non-conceptual mistakes
minimal credit: Some correct work, but solution incorrect because of substantive, conceptual mistakes
no credit: For solutions that are incomplete or missing parts or that are way off base
Semester Project: This
group project (student groups of 1– 4) is designed to tie together the concepts
learned in class over the semester using data that you collect. You will also get to practice and develop
skills that are needed in jobs nowadays, like working in a team, dealing with
conflicts that may come up (schedule, interpersonal, etc.), and writing a
technical paper. The semester project
will be broken up into 2 components. Part 1 is due by noon on Friday, October
23rd and the second component is due by noon on Friday, December 11th. More details will be given out later.
Final Grade Calculation: Your grade = Total Points Earned/550 *100%.
|
Assignment |
Total Points Possible |
Percent of Final Grade |
|
Quizzes [Average of quizzes with lowest 1 dropped] |
100 |
18.2% |
|
Exams [100 pts. Each] |
200 |
36.4% |
|
Homework Problems [5 pts each with lowest 1 dropped] |
50 |
9.1% |
|
Project [Your points/total possible pts * 50] |
50 |
9.1% |
|
Final Exam |
150 |
27.2% |
|
Total Points
Possible |
550 |
|
The usual grade
ranges apply. For example:
80 £ x < 83 is a B-, 83 £ x < 87 is a B, 87£ x < 90 is a B+, etc.
Withdrawing from the Course:
The last day to drop
the course is Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. If you decide to withdraw, you will need
to see the Dean of your school to fill out the appropriate forms.
Incompletes:
The policy for receiving an incomplete is outlined in the undergraduate catalog. An incomplete is issued when, due to an emergency situation, a student prearranges to complete some of the course requirement.
Academic Honesty:
All students are expected to follow the guidelines for academic honesty. (See pledge taken from the 2008-2009 Fairfield University Student Handbook, pg. 33-34). The undergraduate catalog outlines what constitutes academic dishonesty. In this course, acts of academic dishonesty may include using unauthorized “cheat sheets” on quizzes or exams; copying or obtaining questions and solutions from other students; sharing computer output or solutions, passing off someone else’s work as your own; programming inappropriate formulas/programs into calculators/PDA/cell phones (you can always check with me if you are unsure if a program you have is inappropriate); plagiarizing (copying or cut and pasting) other student’s or previously published work without proper citations; sharing computer output; etc. If you have questions about whether a particular situation is “dishonest” please ask!!!
Students caught breaking the academic honesty policy of this class will receive a grade of 0 on the assignment and/or an F in the course. The student will be reported to his/her Dean and the violation will be included in the student’s academic record.
Students with Disabilities:
Accommodations for students with documented disabilities will be made according to suggestions from the Office of Academic and Disability Support Services in the Kelley Center. Please contact Aimee Tiu-Wu, 203-254-4000 x2615, atiu-wu@mail.fairfield.edu. Please inform me of these arrangements at the beginning of the semester.
General Words of Advice:
Feel free to consult with other students on homework problems or come to office hours if you get stuck. If you find yourself falling behind see me as soon as possible. Please do not wait until right before exam time.
Free tutoring is provided through the Office of Academic and
Disability Support Services (x2615). Students are encouraged to utilize my
office hours and to meet with me prior to arranging outside tutoring. The
For tips on how to
have "Success in Math" (as well as your
other classes) check out the website:
http://mathcs.slu.edu/undergrad-math/success-in-mathematics
I hope you have a good semester! J
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this page
and all subsequent pages are those of the faculty author and do not necessarily
represent those of Fairfield University or its
affiliates. Materials posted on this
website are protected by copyright laws and cannot be copied or replicated without
written consent from the author (Laura McSweeney).
