STAT 897: Introduction to Applied Statistics

(SAMPLE) Course Description and Syllabus - DRAFT

Please note: The syllabus that you receive upon enrollment in STAT 897 is your official syllabus for the course. The sample information here is intended to give you an idea of what to expect.

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. So will you! You will have plenty 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.

Text

Statistics: The Art and Science of Learning From Data , (2^nd Ed), by Agresti and Franklin.

Grading

Weekly Homework (5%) - approx. 14 (Keep best 10)
Weekly Unit Quizzes (8%) - approx. 13 (Keep best 10)
Weekly Mastery Quizzes (12%) - approx 13 (Keep best 10)
Weekly Lab Activities (10%) - approx. 15 (Keep best 12)
Midterms (15% each) - Three (3) midterms No make up exams!
Final: 20% - Cumulative! (Given during finals week.)

Policies

For both the homework and the quizzes, your best 10 scores in each category will count toward your final grade. That is, your two lowest quiz scores and two lowest homework scores will be dropped. Because of this, the following will be:

Homework

Include your name and section number
The grading of homework is simple - either you get a 0 or 10. If you attempt to answer each question honestly, then you will receive a 10/10; otherwise a 0.

Quizzes

There are 12 online quizzes.

Academic Integrity Policy

All Penn State policies regarding ethics and honorable behavior apply to this course. Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception and is an educational objective of this institution. All University policies regarding academic integrity apply to this course. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.

For any material or ideas obtained from other sources, such as the text or things you see on the web, in the library, etc., a source reference must be given. Direct quotes from any source must be identified as such.

All exam answers must be your own, and you must not provide any assistance to other students during exams. Any instances of academic dishonesty WILL be pursued under the University and Eberly College of Science regulations concerning academic integrity. For more information on academic integrity, see Penn State's statement on plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

Disabilities

It is Penn State's policy not to discriminate against qualified students with documented disabilities in its educational programs. If you have a disability-related need for modifications in this course, contact your instructor and the Office for Disability Services (located in 116 Boucke Building). Instructors should be notified as early in the semester as possible. You may refer to the Nondiscrimination Policy in the Student Guide to University Policies and Rules 1997. See the website http://www.equity.psu.edu/ods/ for details.