TITLE: Honors Introductory Statistics CREDIT HOURS: 3
CLASS TIME and ROOM: MW 9:30am-12:40pm, Room SR 209
TEXT: OpenStax Stats Openstax
PROFESSOR: Dr. Warren Wm. McGovern
OFFICE & PHONE: HC 101 & 6-8028
E-mail: warren.mcgovern@fau.edu ; http://home.fau.edu/wmcgove1/web/
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment Mondays and Wednesdays 12:40-1:30pm
STATISTICS SOFTWARE: You need to have a statistical calculator. I recommend the TI-83 or TI-84.
PREREQUISITES: MAC 1105, MGF 1106, or MAC 2233 or ALEKS- Total Score 30.
SATISFIES: Gordon Rule-mathematics, computational.
CONTENT: An introductory course covering descriptive statistics, probability,
binomial and normal distributions, sampling distributions and hypothesis tests, and
sampling procedures. Laboratory required. This is a General Education course.
GOALS: By the end of this course, you are expected to:
• think critically about data;
• explore, organize, and describe data using graphs and numerical summaries;
• produce data that answer reasonable questions;
• understand the importance and significance of randomization and variability;
• select and apply standard statistical inference procedures;
• draw conclusions from statistical analyses;
• make informed decisions about the validity and accuracy of statistical statements encountered in newspapers, magazines and on television;
• improve your logical thinking and problem-solving skills;
• work effectively in heterogeneous teams;
• communicate effectively and precisely about complex ideas (especially, in writing);
• use technological tools such as graphing calculators and specialized computer software;
• engage in life-long learning.
CLASS STRUCTURE: The class will be mostly run in a lecture style format though the instructor encourages discussions and
questions concerning the material. Some days will be used for collaborative efforts. A detailed list of homework problems and assignments will be kept on canvas or my webpage. The student is expected to do all
the problems as this will aid in the student's understanding of the material. The student is encouraged to ask questions during class. Please come to office hours if you have additional questions about the homework.
HW will be collected in a random fashion. The expectation is that the student will prepare the HW to be turned in and if called upon is ready to submit. The HW will be graded and returned with feedback.
TEXTBOOK: We will be using the open source book found at Openstax.org. The main reason I have chosen this book is that it is free for the students. The plan is to go through most of the book (Chapters 1-13). If, due to a lack of time, I will keep the students notified if I have to cut out some topics. At the end of each chapter there is a list of problems as well as answers to the odd numbered questions.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Regular attendance is expected. If a student misses a class meeting it is his/her responsibility to obtain the class notes either from another student or from the instructor during regularly scheduled office hours. All tests will be taken as scheduled, unless prior arrangements are made, with at least 48 hours of advance notice. I, and only I, have the right to agree to giving a makeup test. For each class period missed due to an unexcused absence or non-made up absence, I will remove 10% from the total of a student's attendance and participation grade. Being late to class will also result in having points removed; this will depend on how often this occurs and how late the student is.
HOMWORK: There is a link on the webpage for the list of HW problems. At the beginning of the semester each student will be assigned a card (e.g. King of hearts). At the beginning of each class I will be randomly selecting 5-7 cards and will collect HW from those 5-7 students. The HW will be collected, graded, and returned.
EVALUATION: Throughout the course the student will have opportunities to gain and lose points.
The most common examples of gaining points (but not limited to) are through the homeworks, daily/weekly quizzes, projects, presentations, three tests, extra-credit problems, class participation, and a final exam. The most common examples of losing points (but not limited to) are not taking a quiz or test, not turning in a project, not presenting, poor class participation, or an unsatisfactory attendance record.
At the end of the semester if the student's (net) point total is greater than or equal to 90% of the total possible number
of points, then the student will have earned an A. The rest of the grades are as follows 80%-90% B, 70%-80% C, 60%-70%
D, below 60% F.
For a general sense of the course (this is an approximation): each test will be worth 25%, attendance and participation 20%, quizzes 20%, HW 10%.
The official gradebook will be kept by the instructor. Canvas will not be used for offical grade-keeping.
EXAM SCHEDULE: Here is the schedule for the two tests. These will be held in class.
| Date | Event | Day |
|---|---|---|
| May 29th | Test #1 | Wednesday 10:40am-12:40pm |
| June 19th | Test #2 | Wednesday 10:40am-12:40pm |
POLICY ON ACCOMMODATIONS: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), students who require reasonable accommodations due to a disability to properly execute coursework must register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and follow all SAS procedures. SAS has offices across three of FAU’s campuses -- Boca Raton, SU 131 (561-297-3880); in Davie, LA 131 (954-236-1222); in Jupiter and all Northern Campuses, SR 111F (561-799-8585). Disability services are available for students on all campuses. For more information, please visit SAS website at http://www.fau.edu/sas/.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Center: Life as a university student can be challenging physically, mentally and emotionally. Students who find stress negatively affecting their ability to achieve academic or personal goals may wish to consider utilizing FAU’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Center. CAPS provides FAU students a range of services – individual counseling, support meetings, and psychiatric services, to name a few – offered to help improve and maintain emotional well-being. For more information, go to http://www.fau.edu/counseling/
CODE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY STATEMENT: Students at Florida Atlantic University are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Academic dishonesty is considered a serious breach of these ethical standards, because it interferes with the university mission to provide a high quality education in which no student enjoys an unfair advantage over any other. Academic dishonesty is also destructive of the university community, which is grounded in a system of mutual trust and places high value on personal integrity and individual responsibility. Harsh penalties are associated with academic dishonesty. For more information, see University Regulation 4.001 and the WHC Academic Honor Code at http://www.fau.edu/honors/academics/honor-code.php.
Collaboration and the Honor Code: You are expected to adhere to the Honor Code (see HC Honor Code and FAU Honor Code).
DISCLAIMER: The instructor reserves the right to change/alter/add/delete any statement from this syllabus in hopes of creating a more enjoyable/equitable course.