Syllabus for Math 123 (Introduction to
Statistics)
Fall 2022 Semester at Lycoming College
Course Content
Topics
include both descriptive and inferential statistics: graphical displays involving
one or more qualitative and/or quantitative variables; numerical summaries to
measure characteristics such as the center of a distribution, variation in a
distribution, and symmetry or skewness in a distribution; random sampling; the
normal distribution; the Central Limit Theorem; one and two sample hypothesis
tests and confidence intervals involving means and proportions; one-way
analysis of variance; the chi-square goodness-of-fit test; the chi-square test
concerning independence in a two-way contingency table; Pearson correlation and
testing for significance with simple linear regression. The major goal of this course is to provide
the student with an understanding how descriptive and inferential statistics
are applied and interpreted in a variety of fields, such as business,
psychology, sociology, science, etc. This course is required by several majors
and counts toward the mathematics distribution requirement. Heavy use is made of the TI-84 calculator and
the SPSS statistical software.
Course Goals
Since
this course counts toward the mathematics distribution requirement, goals for
this course include fostering critical thinking skills and preparation for
further work in the scientific traditions that require the collection and
statistical analysis of data. Since this
course can count for the mathematics major, goals for this course also include
developing the ability to assess the probability of a simple random event, to
interpret the result of a simple statistical study, and to solve quantitative
problems with the use of technology.
Who Should be Taking This Course
This
course is designed for students required to take a statistics course or who
have a specific interest in statistics; students who are only looking for a
course to satisfy the mathematics distribution requirement may also take this
course, but such students should consider the other mathematics courses
available if there is no specific interest in statistics. Math 100 (Basic Algebra) is a prerequisite
for this course; students who do not satisfy this prerequisite will have
their names removed from the roster.
Disability Support Services
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In keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act
(and its amendments) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Lycoming
College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students with
documented disabilities that impact their learning experiences. The Office of
Academic Services Deans coordinates disability support services (DSS), and
students can contact (570) 321-4358 or academicservices@lycoming.edu
to set up a confidential conversation about the disclosure and accommodation
process. The Office of Academic Services Deans is located in the second floor
of the Krapf Gateway Center. Further information
regarding DSS is available at: https://www.lycoming.edu/academic-resource-center/disability-support/. |
Circle your Section: A B C D E
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Find your instructor’s office hours at http://lycofs01.lycoming.edu/~sprgene/OffHrs2.htm
, and write them here for
future reference. |
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Tutoring
Free
Tutoring is available in the Math
Center, on the third floor of the Snowden Library, for students who want to
check homework answers for errors, get help doing homework, and ask questions
about class work. While tutors may need
to give some detailed explanations to help students with questions, it is
not the tutors’ job to teach material from scratch. (Students who miss class should get a copy of
class notes from Moodle. It is then the
student’s responsibility to review the material, update notes, and direct any
questions to a tutor, the instructor, or a classmate.)
Grading
|
Item |
Point
Values and Policies |
|
Homework |
Points
from homework assignments leading up to each exam are added, up to a maximum total
of 50. Credit for a written homework
assignment is given after answering the corresponding questions in Moodle,
and credit for a lab homework assignment is given after uploading the
appropriate file in Moodle; even though no more than 50 points can be earned
leading up to each exam, completing all homework is strongly encouraged for
mastery of the material. No points
are ever given for late homework for any reason, but if no more than 2 or 3
homework assignments are missed, students can still earn the maximum 50
points leading up to the exam. Due
dates are available from the course schedule. Missing more than 15 homework assignments
results in automatically failing the course. |
|
Semester Exams |
Up
to 150 points can be earned on each semester exam given in class. For each missed exam, a grade of zero is
recorded, unless (1) the instructor is presented with documented evidence of
a medical reason for not completing the exam at the scheduled time, and (2)
arrangements to make up the exam are made within 24 hours of the originally
scheduled exam time. Exam dates are
available from the course
schedule. |
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Project |
The
project is worth 200 points and involves the formulation of
a research question and the analysis of relevant data. |
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Final Exam |
The
final exam is worth 400 points, with 50 points coming from the homework
leading up to the final exam and 350 points coming from the final exam
administered during final exam week. |
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Attendance |
The
final course grade percentage is reduced by 4% for each unexcused absence
after the third unexcused absence; an absence is considered to be excused
when the instructor accepts an email from the student explaining the reason
for the absence. It is the student’s
responsibility to find out what was missed in class and keep up with the coursework. Students can get a copy of class notes from
Moodle. A student with more than 10 unexcused absences automatically fails
the course. |
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There
is a total of 1400 points that can be earned.
The final course grade percentage is the percentage of points earned
out of the total number of points that can be earned. The final course letter grade is determined
from the following: A
= above 93.33% A– =
90% to 93.33% B+
= 86.67% to 90% B =
83.33% to 86.67% B– = 80%
to 83.33% C+
= 76.67% to 80% C =
73.33% to 76.67% C– = 70%
to 73.33% D+
= 66.67% to 70% D =
63.33% to 66.67% D– = 60%
to 63.33% F
= below 60% |
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Required Materials
Each
student must have
·
one or two three-ring binders with a section containing a
copy of this syllabus together with the course schedule and tutor schedule, a
section containing the class exercises, a section containing the textbook
(required) and the appendices (required), a section containing the exercise
sets (required) and answers to odd-numbered exercises (optional), and a section
containing SPSS labs (optional) (Since
students will need to use these binders every day in class and will be allowed
to use these three-ring binders for exams, they should be kept up-to-date and
complete; also, many of the exercises assigned both in and out of class will
refer back to work done in one or more previous exercises.)
·
any TI-84 or
TI-83 calculator (regular, plus, or Silver Edition) – students will need to use
the calculator almost every day in class, for completing many of the required
assignments, and on exams
·
a computer
account on the college network in order to access the SPSS statistical package
Course Links
Exercises
and Answers to Odd Text Numbered Exercises
SPSS Lab
Exercises and Using
SPSS for Windows
Description of Required
Project
Selecting the Proper
Statistical Procedures
Note: In the event that links do not work,
because the server is down, hardcopies of the textbook units and appendices,
the exercises sets, the answers to odd numbered exercises, and the lab
exercises are all on permanent reserve in the college library under “Sprechini
– Math 123”
Tips for Success in This Course
(1)
Keep up with the homework - understanding every homework assignment as
completely as you can is the key to grasping the course material. Even though there will be some homework
assignments that you may not be required to submit, do them anyway, since they
will help you master the material. Check
all your homework answers with a tutor before submitting an assignment.
(2)
In the assigned reading material, you will find self-test problems with answers
provided at the end of the section.
(3)
As part of your preparation for exams, do all suggested odd-numbered exercises
that were not assigned for homework, and start working on these about a week
before the exam date - don't wait for the night before the exam.
(4)
Get your questions answered quickly by a tutor, a course instructor, or a
classmate.
(5)
Keep your binder up-to-date and well-organized, since you are allowed to use
the binder for exams.
General Standards and Policies
All work submitted must be of
professional quality. All paper must be
neat, without ragged edges, rips, tears, smudges, stains, etc. All answers must be clear, complete, and
concise; handwriting must be legible. If
the instructor can't read it, it's wrong.
Assignments may be down-graded if these standards are not met.
It can be very helpful for some
students to work together on daily assignments and to study together; this is
encouraged when it does not result in one student simply copying another's work
with no understanding. Acts of academic
dishonesty will result in a grade of F for the course, and a letter to the Dean
describing the circumstances. If you are
having problems in the course, talk to the instructor; don't involve yourself
in academic dishonesty. With each assignment submitted, students are expected
to write a short note at the end of the assignment indicating from whom help
was received and to whom help was given (but this does not affect the grade for
the assignment). The following is from
the FACULTY HANDBOOK in the section titled Student
Course Load:
"It
is expected that students will spend, in preparation for courses, two hours of
study time outside the classroom for every hour of credit in the
classroom."
This
means that you should be prepared to spend, on average, eight hours per week
outside of class working on a four-credit course; however, this will vary from
student to student and from course to course.
Your time will be spent reading the text, reviewing class notes, and
completing homework exercises.
If you encounter a problem while
working on assignments, do not spend more than 20 or 30 minutes trying to solve
the problem; if you cannot solve a problem in 20 or 30 minutes, even with the
help of a tutor or lab monitor, work on something else and show the problem to
one of the instructors of the course as soon as possible.