Syllabus for Stat 460:  Intermediate Applied Statistics

Pennsylvania State University, Spring 2005

Instructor:  John Dziak
Office: 333 Thomas
Office hours: Monday and Wednesday, 2:20 - 3:20 PM and Friday 2-3 PM, or by appointment
Email: jjd264@psu.edu

Assistant:  Ashley Perreta

Content and Objectives:

This course is intended as a second course in applied statistics emphasizing ANOVA and the analysis of different experimental designs.  We will cover at least the following topics:

1. Design and Analysis of Experiments (including t-tests, ANOVA, factorial experiments, blocking, repeated measures)
2. Overview/Review of Multiple Linear Regression.
3. Analysis of Discrete (Count) Data (binary and categorical data, including chi-square test and logistic regression)

Of these, the first will receive the most emphasis in this course. Students interested in learning more about regression are encouraged to take STAT 462, Applied Regression Analysis.

Computation:
In the practice of modern statistics, calculations are almost always done using specialized computer software rather than by hand or by handheld calculators. Formulas are important more as a means of expressing ideas rather than as a means of hand computation. Therefore, in this course we will usually emphasize interpretation and computer use more than hand calculation. However, some hand computation will be required also. A calculator is required for this course.  However, it does not need to be a graphing calculator; it only needs to be able to take square roots, logarithms, etc. (think around the $15 range).

Prerequisite:
Successful completion of one of the following: STAT 200, STAT 240, STAT 250, STAT 301, STAT 401, or equivalent.

Class Schedule:
We will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays for class sessions and Fridays for computer lab sessions.
The sessions on Monday and Wednesday will be 3:35 PM - 4:25 PM in 117 Thomas.
The lab sessions on Friday will be 3:35 PM - 4:25 PM and are tentatively planned to be held in 69 Willard Building although I am hoping to secure a larger room.

Tentative Schedule:

Grades and exams:

Grades will be assigned on the following bases.

• Labs (10%). Most Fridays we will have a computer lab session and you will have to turn in answers to questions on a worksheet.
• Homework (20%). There will be 6-10 homework assignments. You will get to drop your grades from the lowest two. Late homework will not be accepted.
• Quizzes (35%). There will be four quizzes. Your quiz grade will be based on your top three quizzes. There will ordinarily be no make-up quizzes; if you miss a quiz then your grade is based on the other three quizzes. However, if you know in advance that you can't be present for a particular quiz, let me know and we may be able to reschedule it.
• Project (15%). There will be a mid-semester project which you can do alone or in a group of 2-3 people. It will involve doing a thorough analysis of a real dataset. (I will give you some guidance in finding an appropriate dataset).
• Final (20%). There will be a comprehensive final exam.
• Extra (+4%). There will be three extra credit assignments which may add up to four percent to your final grade if you complete them.

The following lower bounds for letter grades may be decreased if necessary (this is unlikely) but won't be increased:

Textbook: The following textbook will be used:
Ramsey, F. L., and Schafer, D. W. (2002) The Statistical Sleuth:  A Course in Methods of Data Analysis (2nd ed., Duxbury Press, Albany, NY).
It will also be supplemented with some additional notes I have written up.
I also strongly encourage you to download and print a very nice pamphlet on experimental design and analysis produced by the Ministry of Forests of British Columbia.

Software resources: We will be using two software packages in our lab exercises this semester:  SAS and Minitab.  You do not have to have your own copy of either package, but you may still want to.  SAS used to be available free from computing services at Penn State, but I do not know whether this is still the case.  Minitab can be rented inexpensively from www.e-academy.com/minitab/ .
Both software packages are available at many public computer labs on campus. To access Minitab from a Penn State ITS computer in Windows, go to the Start menu button and click on Start > All Programs > Spreadsheets and Statistics > Minitab 14 > Minitab 14. To access SAS  from a Penn State ITS computer in Windows, go to the Start menu button and click on Start > All Programs > Spreadsheets and Statistics > SAS > SAS 9.1.
In the homework assignments you are welcome to use Minitab, SAS, or any other statistical package. My personal favorite is the freeware R package, but it is harder to use until you get used to it. Social-science researchers frequently use the SPSS package, which is like Minitab but with many additional procedures and features. But please don't try to do statistics using Microsoft Excel! Excel was not made for this purpose and is not good at it. Excel can be very handy in constructing tables, etc., but for performing tests and estimation procedures you should use a real statistics package.

Academic Integrity: It is very good to discuss the homework assignments with others. If necessary, I encourage you to form study groups, and I will help you organize those groups (e.g. set up times and places) if you think that would be helpful.
However, what you turn in must be your own work and reflect your own understanding. Plagiarism (which includes copying) is very harmful to the learning process. If anyone turns in an assignment that appears to have been copied from someone else's, both students will receive a grade of zero for that assignment. Plagiarism on an exam may require further disciplinary action according to the standards of the Eberly College of Science Academic Integrity Committee. All Penn State and Eberly College of Science policies regarding academic integrity apply to this course. See http://www.science.psu.edu/academic/Integrity/index.html for details.

Special Concerns
Please let me know by e-mail as soon as possible in advance to discuss any special needs or concerns such as learning disabilities; medical problems; religious observances on certain days; family emergencies, etc. Depending on the situation it may also be helpful to work with the Office for Disability Services (located in 116 Boucke Building).