STAT 100 Section 002: Statistical Concepts and Reasoning

STAT 100 Section 002: Statistical Concepts and Reasoning Pennsylvania State University Spring 1998

Instructor: Laura J. Simon, M.A.	Teaching Assistant: Roberto Cruz-Medina
Office: 328 Thomas Building	Office: 316 Thomas Building
Phone: 863-4891	Phone: 863-3238
E-mail: lsimon@stat.psu.edu	E-mail: rcruz@stat.psu.edu
Office Hrs: W 11:00-12:00 noon	Office Hrs: T 9:30 _ 11:00 am F 10:15 _ 11:15 am R 2:30 _ 4:00 pm and by appointment

Class: MWF, 3:35 _ 4:25 pm, 102 Thomas Building

Objectives:
1. To develop an understanding of the reasoning by which findings from sample data can be extended to larger, more general populations.
2. To develop familiarity with some basic statistical methods.
3. To learn how to critically evaluate the results of studies reported in the popular media and scientific press.
4. To review examples and applications from a variety of fields.

Text: Seeing Through Statistics, by Jessica Utts (Duxbury Press, 1996).

Tools. A basic calculator.

Web site. You can access the course web page at www.stat.psu.edu/~lsimon/stat100/sp98.
This course page, which will be updated regularly, will contain important announcements, homework assignments and solutions, and helpful exam information. Some files on the web page (denoted by *.pdf) will require use of Acrobat Reader, which is available at all CAC labs.

Requirements:

Midterm Exams: There will be four (4) in-class, midterm exams scheduled on the following dates:

Wednesday, February 4, 1998 Monday, March 2, 1998 Wednesday, April 1, 1998 Monday, April 27, 1998

All of the exams will be closed-book, multiple-choice, computer-graded exams. You should bring your Penn State picture ID, a No. 2 pencil and a calculator to each exam. You should receive your grade by e-mail within a few days of each exam. Each midterm exam will be worth 100 points. In calculating your final grade, the lowest of your four midterm exam grades will be dropped. Your three highest grades will each be worth 20% of your final grade. Because you are allowed to drop your lowest grade, no make-up exams will be given under any circumstances. If you miss an exam, it is automatically your lowest midterm score, and therefore it will be dropped. No exceptions--do not even bother asking me.

Comprehensive Final Exam: There will be one (1) comprehensive final exam, which will be worth 150 points, or 30%, of your final grade. The final exam is scheduled for 6:50 to 8:40 pm on Monday, May 4, 1998.

In-class Quizzes and/or Activities: There will be roughly between 7 and 10 unannounced in-class quizzes or activities throughout the semester. (The information contained in this syllabus will be viewed as “fair game” on these quizzes.) Each quiz/activity will be worth 5 points. The 5 highest grades you receive from the quizzes/activities will be totaled, and therefore count for 25 points, or 5%, of your final grade. No make-up quizzes or make-up activities will be given under any circumstances.

Homework: Practice homework problems, for which solutions are posted on the web site, will be assigned every lecture. In addition, seven short homework sheets, which will be distributed in class, will be collected in (or before) class on the following Fridays: Jan. 16, Jan. 30, Feb. 13, Feb. 27, Mar. 27, Apr. 10, and Apr. 24. Each of the seven homework sheets will be worth 5 points. The 5 highest grades you receive from the homework sets will be totaled, and therefore count for 25 points, or 5%, of your final grade. No late homework will be accepted.

Tentative Course Content: As time permits, we will cover all of the material in Chapters 1 through 26, in the order presented in the text. Chapter 17, however, will be omitted. Grading. For the determination of final course grades, students will be ranked on the basis of the total score obtained from all of their coursework. Course grades in each of the nine categories (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, F) will be tentatively awarded based on the following lower bounds:

F	D	C	C+	B-	B	B+	A-	A
0	60	70	77	80	83	87	90	93

For a given semester, the lower bounds could be changed slightly if the coursework is judged to be different than previous semesters. This judgment will be made in consultation with the other Stat 100 instructor after all of the coursework is graded.

Course Rules:
1. Students are responsible for all material presented in class lectures, including announcements about any changes to this syllabus.
2. Early exams may be given to students with direct conflicts due to another required University activity, such as athletics, field trips, Blue Band trips. Arrangements must be made in advance of the regularly-scheduled exam.
3. Disruptive in-class behavior, such as talking or reading the newspaper, will not be tolerated.
4. Headwear with visors, such as baseball caps, must be removed during exams.
5. Cheating will be punished in accordance with University policies.

Important Course Administration Dates:
Please note that as a student registered for this course, you are responsible for taking care of certain administrative details before the following university-wide deadlines:
Add/Drop Deadline January 21, 1998
Final Exam Conflict Filing Period March 16-20, 1998
Late Drop Deadline April 10, 1998
You should not expect a sympathetic ear to your last minute pleas for forgiveness for failing to meet these deadlines.

Hints for Successfully Completing this Course:

Do all of the assigned homework promptly. The material on my exams is a fair representation of the assigned homework.
Do not slouch off in the beginning of the semester with the hopes of catching up later in the semester. The material in this course entails developing a cumulative set of knowledge; if you fail to grasp the material in the first half of the semester, you will struggle in grasping the second half of the material.
Do not slack off studying for any exam. If you perform poorly on an exam because you did not study enough and then later have to miss an exam due to illness or family problems, you will not be happy (and I will not make any exceptions).
Attend class regularly. Of course, class attendance is necessary in order to be able to complete the quizzes.
The best way to study for statistics exams is to go back and redo (and I mean redo) all of the assigned homework. If you do not understand a particular topic, seek help before the exam.
Read and follow directions carefully.