Course Syllabus
General description of the course: Statistics is the art and science of extracting information from data concerning a question or hypothesis of interest. The objective of this course is to introduce the student to statistical reasoning and interpretation of data analysis.
Textbook: Seeing Through Statistics, Second Edition, by Jessica Utts, published by Duxbury Press
Website: www.stat.psu.edu/~dhunter/100
Instructor:
David Hunter <dhunter@stat.psu.edu>,
310 Thomas Building, 863-0979
Office hours:
Wed 12:30-1:30, Thurs 1:30-2:30
Teaching Assistant: Hannah Suh <hls186@psu.edu>, 316 Thomas Building, 863-3238
Required Work: There will be a total of 500 points awarded
in the course, consisting of:
1. Three in-class mid-semester examinations, each worth 100 points.
2. Ten randomly timed, in-class quizzes, each worth 5 points.
3. A comprehensive final exam, worth 150 points.
Homework: Homework will be assigned but not collected. Answers to some homework assignments are posted on the course web page. The exams and quizzes will reflect the homework assignments closely, so it is advantageous to do your homework diligently.
Exams: Exams will be held according to the
course schedule. All exams will be in multiple-choice format and
will use computer scan-tron (bubble) sheets. To each exam, you should
bring:
1. A single 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of formulas or notes, written on one side only,
2. No. 2 pencils to complete your scan-tron sheet, and
3. Your Penn State University student ID card.
Quizzes: At least ten randomly timed, in-class quizzes will be given, and your best ten quiz scores will count toward the final score. Each quiz is worth 5 points. It is to your advantage to attend class regularly throughout the semester.
Final Grades: Final grades will be determined as follows:
A : 94-100%, A-: 90-93%
B+ : 88-89%, B : 84-87%, B- : 80-83%,
C+ : 78-79%, C : 70-77%
D : 60-69%
Course Rules:
1. No late or make-up exams will be given for ANY reason. If you miss
any exam, you should provide a valid reason IN WRITING to the course TA;
once the TA and the instructor have approved your written excuse, your
missed exam score will be replaced automatically by your score on the
next mid-term exam.
2. No late or make-up quizzes will be given for ANY reason.
3. Early exams might be allowed, with advanced arrangement,
to students with direct conflicts due to another required university
activity (chess team, athletics, field trip, Blue Band trip, etc.).
Obviously, the director of that program must provide a valid letter
requesting that the student be excused from the exam.
4. Students are responsible for all announcements and supplements given within any lecture.
5. Integrity Statement:
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.
6. If you need to leave class early, please sit in the rear and leave
as quietly as possible.
7. Please turn off all cell phones and pagers during class.