Course
Description:
Statistical Decision Making
is an elementary statistics course designed to show the student how
statistics is used in problem solving and decision making. Topics may
include graphical representations of data; measures of central tendency
and variability; elementary concepts in data collection and design of
experiments; elementary probability concepts; distributions including
the binomial and normal distributions; correlation and regression; and
confidence intervals and hypothesis testing for means, proportions and
differences of means and proportions. Special emphasis is placed upon
the understanding of concepts and the proper use of statistics in real
life situations. This course is a
Longwood University General
Education course and counts as 3 semester credits. Learning Objectives: This course will give students a working knowledge of the ideas and tools of basic statistics. Students will learn to:
Prerequisites: Since this is a general education course, there are no prerequisites for the course. Professor: Dr. M. Leigh Lunsford. For Dr. Lunsford's office location, phone number, email address, schedule (including office hours), and other general information, go to her homepage: http://www.mathspace.com/Lunsford/ Meeting Times and Locations: MWF 8:00-9:50 am, Ruffner 354 Required Stats Portal: Stats Portal is a web site containing a complete eBook that supports highlighting and note taking, study resources, and your assignments. We will be using the Portal for assigned coursework, so you are required to purchase access to it. You may do this by purchasing a package containing the print text and access code from the bookstore, or you can purchase access to the Portal directly from the publisher at www.portals.bfwpub.com (a preview is available at this site as well). Please be sure to see the Stats Portal Activation Directions before trying to access the Stats Portal. Optional Course Textbook: The Basic Practice of Statistics, Fifth Edition, by David S. Moore. Your book for this class should have come bundled with an Activation Code for the Stats Portal. Note that Stats Portal includes the complete eBook so it is not required that you purchase a print textbook as well. Stats Portal alone sells for approximately half the price of the print text. The bookstore is, I believe, also selling packages of the print book and Portal access at a significant discount, so make sure you check all of your options before deciding what to purchase. Required Technology/Computer Configurations:
Determination of Course Grade:
Grades will be assigned on a ten point scale (90's A; 80's B; 70's C; 60's D; 50's and below F). Honor Code: I expect you to conform to the Longwood University Honor Code as contained in the Student Handbook. All material handed in to me, including on-line work, falls under the honor code. On-Line Homework: On-line homework work will be completed via the Stats Portal. This work may consist of homework problems from your textbook, chapter pre-tests, chapter post-tests, and chapter self-quizzes. After each class period I will assign problems to work via the Stats Portal. These will be due before the next class period (typically by 8:00 a.m. the day of the next class period). The on-line work will not be available to take after the due date. Please check the Stats Portal everyday for your on-line assignments. A Note About the On-Line Homework: The on-line homework is meant to be a check that you understand fundamental concepts. The problems are very similar to the problems in your textbook and in some cases are problems from the textbook. It is highly recommended that you work the Apply Your Knowledge and Check Your Skills problems in the textbook as well as the Chapter Quiz before you attempt the on-line homework to make sure you understand the concepts. In-Class Quizzes: Approximately every two weeks a short (15 to 20 minute) quiz will be given in class. Occasionally an assignment to be completed outside of class will count as a quiz (such as the Easy Quiz and an occasional hand in assignment). These quizzes will be based on your homework assignments and our class discussions but will typically be somewhat harder than your on-line homework because you will be required to show all of your work. I will try to give at least one class period notice for an in-class quiz (please see the Stats Portal page for the latest information on quiz dates). Once an in-class quiz has been graded and returned to the students, there will be no make-ups for that quiz, period. All quizzes must be pledged. I will drop your lowest quiz grade when computing your final homework grade. Please see the Sample Quizzes and Tests page for examples of in-class quizzes (some with solutions). Make-up On-Line Work and In-Class Quizzes: Because I will be dropping your lowest grade for computation of your In-Class Quiz average and you have plenty of time to complete your On-Line Work, there will not be any make-up in-class quizzes or make-up on-line work. If you have a legitimate University sponsored event in which you must participate (such as a sporting event) scheduled on the same day as an In-Class quiz, then please see me about taking the quiz early. Once a quiz has been given in class, you cannot take it. Also, if a hand-in assignment is due on a day when you will not be able to come to class, then please make sure you hand in your assignment to me before the class meeting. In-Class Exams: A minimum of a one week notice will be given for exam dates. Please see the class schedule below for the tentative exam dates (for more detailed information about test dates see the Calendar in Stats Portal). Except in the case of an emergency, a make-up exam must be scheduled before the scheduled exam date. If the exam has already been given and you have not previously scheduled a make-up, then you will receive a zero on that exam. Final Project: You will have a hand-in final project that you will be working on during the course of the semester. I will give more information about the final project after the drop/add day. Final Exam: The final exam for this course will be comprehensive. You cannot miss the final. Failure to take the final exam will automatically result in an F grade for the course. Please see me as soon as possible if you have a conflict with the final exam date. Final Exam Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010 from 8:00-10:30 a.m. If you have a conflict with the final exam date and need to reschedule, please see me as soon as possible. Extra Credit: Extra Credit will NOT be given - period. Attendance & Excused Absences: You are expected to attend every class. If you miss classes it will most likely be reflected in your grades (i.e. you will perform poorly). The following college attendance policy will be followed per the Class Attendance section of the Academic Regulations chapter of the Longwood University Undergraduate Catalog: Missing 10% of class meetings may result in a lowering of one letter grade. Missing 25% of class meetings for any reason will result in an automatic “F” for the course. Absences are excused only for illness, college sponsored activities, and recognizable emergencies. You must have the proper documentation for an excused absence. Student Health Services can provide documentation only for students hospitalized locally or absent at the direction of Student Health Services personnel. You must also assume full responsibility for all material covered during your absence, including scheduling any early in-class quizzes or make-up exams. A grade of "0" will be assigned for all work missed due to unexcused absences. Resources for Students Learning Statistics:
Office of Disability Services:
Any student who
feels s/he may need
an accommodation based on the impact of a
physical, psychological, medical, or learning
disability should contact me privately.
If you have not already done so, please contact
Longwood's Office of
Disability Support Services
to register for
services.
Class Schedule: Below is a very tentative class schedule. This schedule may change due to class pace, etc. However, it is provided here for your information. For a more detailed schedule depending on our actual classroom interaction please see the Calendar page of the Stats Portal.
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