Course Syllabus for Math 140, Introductory Statistics
Section 25067, Monday & Wednesday7:35 pm – 10:00 pm, CCC 305
Spring 2017
Student Learning Outcomes for Math 140:
The student will be able to apply basic statistical procedures, including the collection, analysis, and reporting of data designed to test a research hypothesis, as well as to demonstrate the appropriate use of computer-based statistical software (such as StatCrunch).
Instructor:Elizabeth Flynn
Email:
Office Hours & Location:M/W 6:45 pm -7:25 pm, CCC 507
Web Pages:
and
Lecture/Activitynotes, homework, and e-copy of this syllabus can be found under COC Math 140 tab in lower right corner
Prerequisite:
Math 070 or Math 075 or appropriate math placement as determined by the COC assessment process.
Required Materials:
The textbook we will be using this semester is Open Learning Initiative (OLI) through Carnegie Mellon University ( This is an on-line textbook which is provided to students at no charge. I will help you join our OLI class the first night we meet. The softwarewe will useis Stat Crunch, which can be purchased for about $15. Much of your homework, class work, and tests will require Stat Crunch. Be sure you have access to Stat Crunch by the first week of class.
Free Tutoring:
The Learning Center (TLC) has free tutoring throughout the semester on a walk-in basis; no appointment is necessary. Take advantage of this valuable resource. If you find you are struggling with a concept in the course, please seek help immediately.
Academic Honesty & Integrity:
Academic dishonesty is defined as an act of deceit. Any suspicion of cheating will be referred to the College Discipline Officer/Dean of Students. Shoulda suspicion arise, an investigation will be conducted and there may be disciplinary action against the student.
Grading:
Your final course grade will be computed from your final exam, project, exams, & homework/ classwork, and OLI checkpoint quizzes. Any missing work/exam will be scored as a zero. The following grade-calculation grid will be used to determine your final course grade.
Percentage Points / Weight / TotalHomework, Class Work, Checkpoint Quizzes / x / 15% / =
Exams / x / 50% / =
Project / x / 15% / =
Final Exam / x / 20% / =
Overall grade percentage in course
The grading scaled used will be as follows:
A = 90% - 100% B = 80% = 89.9% C = 70% - 79.9% D = 60% = 69.9% F = below 60%
Project
As part of this course, you are required to complete a small group project. Groups for the project will be randomly assigned by me. No late projects will be accepted. Complete project instructions are listed at the end of this syllabus.
Class Work Policy
Class work consists of assignments you will complete in-class. In order to receive credit, you must complete classwork in-class, before you leave. It is your responsibility to get the assignment checked-off/turned in at the end of class. Class workwill not be accepted late, and there will be no make-up opportunities for class work for any reason.
Homework & Check Point Quiz Policy
It is essential that students successfully complete their homeworkcheck point quizzes on a timely basis. Plan on at least 15 hours per week to study, complete homeworkcheck point quizzes. Students are encouraged to collaborate with one another on the homework. Homework and check point quizzes will not be accepted late, and there will be no make-up opportunities for home work and/or check point quizzes for any reason.
Exams & Final Exam:
Students will have up to four exams and a comprehensive final exam. All exams are closed note and students may not access OLI during an exam. For most of the exams, questions will require you to use Stat Crunch. Basic calculators will be permitted on all exams; no other type of calculator will be permitted; and students may not use their calculator on their cell phone.
No make-up exams will beadministered under any circumstances. If a student misses an exam, the student will receive a zero for that test. No exam grade will be dropped.
I strongly recommend that students keep previous exams until the final course grade is finalized in case there are any questions regarding the final course grade.
Attendance Policy
We have a lot of material to discuss and understand, so regular attendance is crucial to a student’s success in the course. I am intolerant of tardiness or early departure unless notified in advance. Our classes begin at 5:00 pm. Roll may be taken at each of our class meetings at 5:00 pm. If students are not present when roll is taken, students are considered tardy. Two tardies are counted as one absence. Upon being absent more than the class meets in a week, astudent may automatically be dropped from this class. If you experience an extended illness, contact me. Note: It is always the student’s responsibility to drop a class.
Email Policy:
Students must email me from their canyons email. I will not respond to emails from a non-canyons email system. Student emails should be properly written and in complete sentences. I will not respond to informal or text-like emails.
Important Dates:
02/19/17Class deadline to drop without a “W”
05/17/17Class deadline to drop with a “W
Classroom Conduct:
Students are responsible for conducting themselves in manner that respects the rights of others seeking to learn. My expectations include:
•Cell phones must be turned off and put away. If your cell phone rings during class, silence it immediately. Thank you.
•Please do not talk when the instructor is talking. Please do not talk when another student(s) is sharing or explaining a concept to the class.
•Please come to class prepared to participate. We will be working in groups and sharing out a lot in this class. Don’t be shy and be prepared.
* Students are responsible for being aware of any/all announcements that are made in class, such as changes in exam dates, any/all due dates, etc.
Students are expected to conduct themselves with the highest standards of ethical behavior. Disruptive students will be given a warning upon their first offense; thereafter, the disruptive student will be askedto leave if such behavior continues and the student(s) will be referred to the Dean of Students.
Personal Goals for this Class:
Iwantto do well in this class because ... ______
Helpful Study Hints:
1. Keep an open mind and a positive attitude.
2. Take advantage of opportunities to work in-class with other students.
3. Set goals for yourself; realize why you want to perform well & take responsibility.
4. Complete your homework as soon as possible after each class.
5. Form study groups; get other students’ phone numbers & email addresses.
6. Set aside time daily to study/do homework/review for this class.
7. Take advantage of COC’s TLC services.
8. Be proactive! I want you (and I’m sure you want you) to succeed in this class. Don’t wait to do something about your success until it is too late.
Tips for Studying for Exams:
1. Studying is making questions and answering them.
2. Review lecture notes and past homework problems.
3. Review vocabulary, create flashcards.
4. Create your own practice tests by collecting homework exercises & reworking them.
5. Never turn in an exam without going over your work a second time.
ADA Statement:
Reasonable accommodation will be provided to any student who is registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities and requests needed accommodation.
Critical Thinking, Growth Mindset, & Productive Persistence:
One goal of Math 140 is to develop real-world critical thinking skills. Intelligence, critical thinking, and math proficiency are not fixed quantities. There is no such thing as “not a math person.” Just like our muscles can grow and get stronger if we go to the gym regularly and eat right, our brains can grow and change. Any student can become a critical thinker. It just takes regular, persistent effort and the belief that we can change. As such we will have 4-5 assignments/activities throughout the semester which will help us understand, practice, and master affective domain learning mindset. These activities (counted as homework/classwork) will be part of your final grade in the course.
Studies show that students who are allowed to struggle and workthrough problems
do much “better” (i.e, get better grades, understand concepts more deeply, are critical thinkers) in the long run than those who are given the answers right away. With this in mind, you will be expected to work hard and figure out material andactivities. You will eventually get the answers, butI will not always give you answers to questions right away. I know this is hard on you, but we have seen huge gains in problem solving and critical thinking skills because we allow you to struggle some. Think of it this way. In the workplace, your employer is going to ask you to work through situations and figure things out on your own. In real life, you do not have someone with an answer key standing by to help you. With this in mind, when you are doing your homework, struggle, think, pause, read the problem again, read the example again, look at your class notes. Don’t jump to the answers as your first thought. Persist, struggle; build your critical thinking skills.
Note: Syllabus is subject to change.
Modified 2/03/17
Math 140 Course Outline M/WThis schedule is tentative and subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
2/06, 2/08, 2/13, 2/15, 2/20 (no school; holiday), 2/22 / Syllabus, OLI, Stat Crunch, Canvas, Canyons email;
OLI Modules 1 - 10; various activities;
Review Modules 1 - 10;
Exam #1 (Modules 1 - 10)
2/27, 3/01, 3/06, 3/08, 3/13, 3/15 / Modules 11 – 17 (skip Module 14); various activities
Review Modules 11 – 17 (skip Module 14);
Exam #2 (Modules 11 – 17, no Module 14)
3/20, 3/22, 3/27, 3/29, 4/03 (no school; spring break), 4/05 (no school; spring break), 4/10, 4/12, 4/17 / Modules 18 - 30; various activities
Review Modules 18 - 30;
Exam #3 (Modules 18 -30)
4/19, 4/24, 4/26, 5/01, 5/03, 5/08, 5/10 / Modules 31 – 32; Inference for Regression; ANOVA; various activities
Review Modules 31 – 32, Inference for Regression, ANOVA;
Exam #4 (Modules 31 – 32; Inference for Regression; ANOVA)
5/15, 5/17, 5/22, 5/24, 5/29 no school; holiday), 5/31 / Small group presentation work/planning, followed by
actual presentations;
Final Exam Review;
Final Exam
Small GroupProject Instructions and Grading Guide
Hypothesis Testing and Confidence Intervals
We will randomly determine project groups within the first 8-10 weeks. Once students know their project small group members, remember, students need to find a way to work well together. We all have different schedules and personalities, with different ethnic backgrounds and life experiences. But, partners/groups must find a way to work well together to contribute to the success and learning of thepartnership/group as well as our class. After students graduate from COC (whether transferring to a four-year university or joining the work force), they must have the skills to work with all people. Thus, complaining aboutpartners/group member(s) is not acceptable. Students may speak to me about group members only if an extreme situation.
All group members will evaluate each other at the end of this project (see form below).
Groups must choosea question regarding one population proportion, two population proportions, one population mean, two population means, or Chi-Square independence, homogeneity or goodness of fit. The topic should be something that interests the group (see below for sample topics). Collect or find some sample data on this question (see below for data web-sites) for the group’spresentation. Note: There are separate directions/instructions for proportions and means vs. Chi Square (see below). If the group chooses proportions or means, read the “Proportions or Means” directions carefully. If the group chooses Chi-Square, read the “Chi-Square” directions carefully.
Regardless of what question your group chooses, remember, graphical representations help people understand data. The group may want to include some appropriate graphical representation(s) to further the class’ understanding of the group’s findings.
Each group’s presentations must be between 4-1/2 and 5-1/2 minutes. You will be timed. Practice the group’s presentation well and many times before project presentation night (5/22/17 or 5/24/17). Each member of the group must participate in the presentation (approximately) equally.
Directions For One or Two Population Proportions or Means
Slide 1: Introduction slide giving the group’s question and explaining why this topic was
interesting or important to the group. Note: Explanation is important; the topic you choose should be important to you and we should clearly understand why you chose it. Also please include your names on this slide.
Slide 2: Discuss how the data was collected and if the sample data will apply to the population and why. This should include a look at the assumptions necessary (i.e., are the conditions met?) to make an inference about the population. Note: It is OK to proceed to slides 3-7 even if your data does not meet all the assumptions/conditions, but you do need to discuss the ramifications of not meeting the assumptions/conditions (if applicable).
Slide 3: Clearly state the null and alternative hypotheses, appropriately defining the parameter(s). State the appropriate procedure/test you will be running and explain/justify your choice (why must you use that procedure?). State the significance level you will use.
Slide 4: Calculate the appropriate test statistic. Write a sentence explaining the meaning of the test statistic. Calculate the p-value and write a sentence explaining the meaning of the p-value. You might want to include a graphic to help explain the meaning of these statistics (see your text for examples).
Slide 5: Based on the information in Slide 4 above, state whether the group rejected the null hypothesis or failed to reject the null hypothesis in the context of the problem and clearly explain the group’s reasoning. Include a detailed conclusion answering the initial question in Slide 1.
Slide 6: We will never truly know if we committed an error/made the wrong decision. But, based on your decision in Slide 5 above, what type of error could you have made (Type I or Type II)? Interpret, in the context of the situation, what that type of error would mean.
Slide 7: Based on your null and alternative hypotheses, does it make sense to calculate a confidence interval in this situation? Why or why not? If it does make sense, calculate and interpret the appropriate confidence interval and explain how it confirms your findings presented in Slide 5 above.
Grading Guidelines: Presentation should include 7 accurate, well-formatted slides (as outlined above). Each slide will be worth 10% of the group’s project grade. The remaining 30% will be based on the group’s presentation (each member participating, correct timing, eye contact, speaking clearly and loudly, etc.) and the score(s) that your teammate(s) give you on the peer evaluation form. The presentation should be a coordinated effort to describe the important components of the group’s study.
Please be sure to give me your Project Peer Evaluation by the end of class on presentation day (5/22/17 or 5/24/17) as this is part of your project grade.
Directions For Chi-Square Goodness of Fit, Independence, or Homogeneity Tests
Slide 1: Introduction slide giving the group’s question and explaining why this topic was
interesting or important to the group. Note: Explanation is important; the topic you choose should be important to you and we should clearly understand why you chose it. Also please include your names on this slide.
Slide 2: Discuss how the data was collected and if the sample data will apply to the population(s) and why. This should include a look at the assumptions necessary (i.e., are the conditions met?) to make an inference about the population. Note: It is OK to proceed to slides 3-7 even if your data does not meet all the assumptions/conditions, but you do need to discuss the ramifications of not meeting the assumptions/conditions (if applicable).
Slide 3: Clearly state the null and alternative hypotheses, appropriately defining the parameter(s). State the appropriate procedure/test you will be running and explain/justify your choice (why must you use that procedure?). State the significance level you will use.
Slide 4: Calculate the appropriateChi-Square test statistic. Write a sentence explaining the meaning of the test statistic. Which category hadthebiggestdiscrepancy/difference between the observed and expected values? Explain how you determined this and what this means. Which had the smallest discrepancy/difference? Explain how you determined this and what this means.
Slide5: Based onthe Chi-Squaretest statistic you calculated in Slide 4 above, calculate the p-value and write a sentence explaining the meaning of the p-value. You might want to include a graphic to help explain the meaning of these statistics (see your text for examples).
Slide 6: Based on the p-value in Slide 5 above, state whether the group rejected the null hypothesis or failed to reject the null hypothesis in the context of the problem and clearly explain the group’s reasoning. Include a detailed conclusion answering the initial question in Slide 1.