Instructor: Matt Herbison
Office: 330B Thomas Building
Phone:
(814) 863-0692
Email: herbison@psu.edu
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-12:00 or by appointment
Teaching Asst: None yet
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
TEXT
Statistical Methods in the Biological and Health Sciences (3rd
edition) by J. Susan Milton. You should be able to use the 2nd edition
(very similar), although you will be responsible for figuring out any disparities
between the two editions.
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.
STAT240/250
Stat240 is new this year, so it is a transition year since Stat240
and Stat250.3 are the same course. The first two sections of Stat250 have
a different text, and will teach health science statistics. Because it
is a transition year, 240 and all sections of 250 will be equivalent for
your later prerequisites.
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
Problems will be assigned during class, but assignments will not be
collected. All solutions are posted on the course homepage. Material in
these homework problems is testable. It is strongly encouraged that
you do the homework if you'd like to understand the material and/or do
well in the class.
PARTICIPATION – worth 4% of grade
I expect class participation. While attendance is not mandatory, keep
in mind that 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.
QUIZZES – worth 20% of grade
There will be five quizzes this semester (most are on Fridays):
Tentative Quiz Dates
IN-CLASS EXAMS – worth 40% of grade
There will be three in-class exams during the semester. You will be
allowed to use a calculator and bring in a sheet of notes (both sides of
regular notebook-sized piece of paper). The lowest grade on the exams will
be dropped. Exams will count for 40% of your grade (so, 20% for each of
your two highest). There are no make-up exams, but as with the quizzes,
if you miss an exam for a valid reason, I will set its score equal to the
final exam grade. Dates of the exams will be finalized soon.
Tentative Dates
COMPUTER PROJECT – worth 5% of grade
There will be one computer project designed to illustrate the use of
computers in statistical analysis. The software package used is MINITAB,
and it is available in the computer labs when you use your ACCESS account.
The project will be due near the end of the semester (exact date TBA).
GROUP PROJECT – worth 9% of grade
Try to form groups of size three or four (roughly) as soon as possible.
It would be a good idea to try to find group members with similar majors/fields.
You will maintain these groups throughout the semester. Each group will
be responsible for finding an example of statistics in its members' academic
field. Ideally, we'll be able to incorporate these into the class as examples
while learning new topics. I will randomly assign each group to a different
week in the semester. Prior to 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. Extra credit
may be given for the best example.
The purpose of this project is to hopefully prepare you for future courses you'll be taking in which statistics are used. The situation often arises where students have taken Stat250 (or 240 now) and then take an upper level course in their major, only to be confused by the statistics used there. Unfortunately, there are several ways in which statistics can be discussed and applied, so what we'll try to do is anticipate some of the problems you may have in the future.
This is a course to prepare you for future courses in your majors, so any suggestions you have towards improving the content or style are more than welcome.
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.
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 a couple of points.
GRADE BREAKDOWN
Participation 4%
Group project 9%
Computer project 5%
Quizzes 20% (average of best four)
In-class exams 40% (average of best two)
Final exam 22%
TENTATIVE COURSE CONTENT
Descriptive Methods Chapter 1 except section 1.7
Probability Chapter 2,3
Discrete Random Variables Chapter 4
Continuous Random Variables Chapter 5
Inferences on The Mean Chapter 6
Inferences on Proportions Chapter 8
Comparing Two Means Chapter 9 except section 9.2
k-Sample Procedures Chapter 10 10.1 and some of 10.2
Regression and Correlation Chapter 11
Categorical Data Chapter 12
This outline should roughly break the course into three parts: the first third where we talk about descriptive statistics and probability, the middle third where we introduce some probability distributions and the concepts of confidence intervals and hypothesis tests, and then a final third where we talk about specific applications. Note that this is a non-calculus statistics class, and so your mathematical knowledge doesn't have to go beyond +,-,*,/. What is important though, is to keep up with the material since it tends to build on itself. Please ask questions during or after class if you any concepts are unclear to you, and don't hesitate to visit me or the grader during office hours.
NOTE ON OFFICE HOURS
If you are having trouble with any of the topics, please consider attending
my 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 thirty people, office hours provide a much less threatening
situation in which to ask questions.