Instructor: Matt Herbison

Office: 301 Thomas Building

Phone: (814) 863-2314

Email: herbison@psu.edu

Office Hours: MTWR 12:30-1:30 or by appointment

Teaching Asst: Danila Filipponi

Office: ____________________

Phone: ____________________

Email: danila@stat.psu.edu

Office Hours: MW 10:00-11:00

TEXT

Statistics Principles and Methods by Richard Johnson & Gouri Bhattacharyya, John Wiley & Sons, 3rd Edition.

REFERENCES

On reserve in the Math Library (109 McAllister Building next to the HUB)

Johnson R. A. & Bhattacharyya G. K. G. INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL to accompany STATISTICS--Principles and Methods, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Third Edition, (Solutions Manual)

WEB SITE

The Web Site for this course can be accessed by going to the Statistics Department Web Page (http://www.stat.psu.edu) and clicking on the COURSES link. Look there for announcements and other useful information.

EXTRA HANDOUTS

All handouts will be brought to class only once. Remaining handouts will be placed in 332 Thomas on a shelf behind the door. This room is always kept open for your convenience.

CLASS MEETINGS

Our classes will be a combination of lecture, group and individual work, and group "presentations." Each week, I will distribute a handout outlining the topics, readings, and assignments that we will be covering. Many people find this course easier in the beginning while the difficulty significantly increases about half-way through. While I do not take attendance, I strongly encourage you to attend on a regular basis.

HOMEWORK

100 points will be allotted for homework assignments. There will be 10 homework assignments that are to be turned in and graded, for 12 points each. The two lowest NON-ZERO scores will be discarded and everyone will receive 4 'gift' points, for the 100-point total. The "non-zero" part above basically means you have to turn in all of the assignments – any you miss will count against you.

PARTICIPATION

While attendance is not mandatory, keep in mind that 30 points (4% of your grade) is based on participation. This includes class participation and general "participation in learning." If you are having difficulty with the material, you can participate by coming to office hours. If you are a genius and don’t feel the need to come to class, you’d better show up once a week to wow me with an intuitive question or clever example.

IN-CLASS EXAMS

Three in-class exams will be given, each graded on a 120-point basis, so that exams will count 360 points towards your grade. See exam dates at end of syllabus. You will be allowed to use a calculator and bring in a sheet of notes (both sides of regular notebook-sized piece of paper).

FINAL EXAM

The final exam will count for 150 points and is required. The preliminary exam schedule says that our final should be on Thursday, August 6, from 8:00-9:50 AM. Go to http://www.psu.edu/registrar/finex/summer/up/index.html on July 6 to find the real time and place for the final. If this is not your only summer course, don’t miss your opportunity to schedule for conflicts (do it by Friday, July 10) -- the registrar will charge you a $10 fee beginning Monday, July 13.

GROUP PROJECT – worth 20 points

Click here to see the due dates

Try to form groups of size four (roughly) as soon as possible. You will maintain these groups throughout the semester. Each group will be responsible for coming up with an example that we will use in class while learning new topics. I will randomly assign each group to a different week in the semester. Prior to or early in that week, the group (or a couple representatives) must make arrangements to meet with me, ideally during office hours. You will present your idea to me and we will work it into the lecture material for that week. Later in the week I will present your example to the class. At the end of the semester, we will vote for the best example – so remember to come up with something that will really stick in peoples’ minds. Extra credit will be given for the best example.

GENERAL GROUP WORK

You are strongly encouraged to work in your groups on many aspects of this course. Many students find it beneficial to collaborate on homework and study for exams together. During class, groups will be asked to write their answers to particular problems on the board and explain them, as well as participate in other group activities.

At the semester’s end, group members will evaluate each other to find out who has been slacking. These evaluations are worth 10 points.

Be aware, however, that any work that is turned in individually should reflect individual effort. Any suspected copying/cheating will result in loss of points for all parties involved.

EXTRA CREDIT

Opportunities for extra credit may arise. This will be determined as the course progresses. Don’t rely on this – if we do have extra credit, it won’t be more than 20 points.

POINT BREAKDOWN
 

Source	Points	Date
Homework	100
Exam 1	120	Fri, Jun 26
Exam 2	120	Fri, Jul 9
Exam 3	120	Fri, Jul 24
Final Exam	150	Thu, Aug 6*
Participation	30
Group Project	20
Group Evaluation	10
TOTAL	670

*probable date

NOTE ON OFFICE HOURS

If you are having trouble with any of the topics, please consider attending either my or Danila’s office hours. Often the one-on-one environment makes it considerably easier to learn the material. Also, since it is often difficult to speak up in a class of forty people, office hours provide a much less threatening situation in which to ask questions.