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SPPA 6190 Syllabus and Course Outline, J. Hillenbrand, 2017
SPPA 6190
Quantitative Methods
Course Description
This course covers the basic principles of descriptive statistics (methods for summarizing and describing data) and inferential statistics (numerical methods for drawing conclusions about populations on the basis of samples that are drawn from those populations. Topics in descriptive statistics include measurement scales, central tendency, skewness, variability, correlation, relative standing, reliability and validity, the standard normal distribution, and standard scores. Topics in inferential statistics include basic sampling theory and the application of these concepts to the z test, the t test, and analysis of variance.
I. Text
There is no required text for the course.
Recommended: Concepts and Applications of Inferential Statistics, Richard Lowry. This is a free online text. This is not required, and I have not used this text in the past, but take a look at it. It is a very well written book that covers most of what we will be talking about, and a great deal more. A few of the concepts are explained in way that is a little different from how I will cover them, but mostly it is pretty similar. You can find the text here:
http://faculty.vassar.edu/lowry/webtext.html
Note: recommended really does mean just that. It is entirely your choice.
II. Grading
o Exam 1 (Descriptive Statistics): 65%
o Exam 2 (Inferential Statistics): 35%
[final grade = (exam1*0.65) + (exam2*0.35)]
A. Letter grades. Assignment of letter grades to scores will occur using something fairly close to the scheme shown below. Adjustments might be made to this scheme depending on the exact distribution of grades in the class.
94 - 100: A 89 - 93: BA 82 - 88: B
78 - 81: CB 70 - 77: C 66 - 69: D
below 66: E
B. Exams. Exams will be a combination of the usual kinds of test items that you are already quite familiar with: short answer, fill in the blank, short- to medium-length explanations, definitions, statistics problems, drawing and possibly labeling graphs, multiple choice, and maybe some matching.
III. Assignments. There will be at least one required assignment (see “Correlation Assignment,” http://homepages.wmich.edu/~hillenbr/619.html), and there may be others. Due dates will be announced at the time the assignment is given. Assignments will be graded pass/fail, but assignments must be turned in and they must be on time. A half of a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade if an assignment is not turned in, or if it is turned in more than a week late; two points will be deducted from the final grade for assignments that are less than one week late. Assignments that are turned in more than one week past the due date will not be accepted. Assignments are due at class time on the appropriate date. (I am making a big deal about this, but in the past 30 years or so it has only come up once, but it was a big deal.)
IV. Homework exercises. There are quite a few exercises on my web page for this course (see below). Solutions and, in some cases, explanations are attached to each set of exercises. The exercises do not have to be turned in, but if you have problems with them please see me. I will try my best to give you a reminder to do these exercises when the time comes, but it is pretty obvious, and you do not need to wait for me. When we finish covering z scores, do the z score problems; after we cover the standard error of estimate, do the standard error of estimate problems, etc.
V. Office: CHHS 4468
Phone: 387-8066
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday after class
(It is best to email me to set up an appointment, even during my office hours.)
Web page: http://hompages.wmich.edu/~hillenbr
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SPPA 6190 Syllabus and Course Outline, J. Hillenbrand, 2017
Web page for 6190: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~hillenbr/619.html
VI. Keeping up
The kind of material that is covered in this course is very sequential. By that I mean that it is very hard to understand idea 5 if you only half remember idea 4 on which it is based. At the start of each class I will give a brief review of some of the concepts that were covered in the previous lecture, but it is obvious that I cannot repeat the entire lecture. It is essential that you take time to review your notes from the previous lecture on the day of or day before our meeting. This will usually take you no more than 20-30 minutes. The workload for this course is not heavy, so you should have plenty of time to fit that into your schedule. Also, if you are having any trouble following along, I strongly recommend that you take some time to copy over your notes. If you are having trouble with any of the concepts, please stop in and we will try to get you back on track. Sooner is better. I am willing to meet with you in the week preceding an exam, but it is best not to wait until then.
VII. Email
A. From time to time I will communicate with you by email. You will need to get in the habit of checking your email regularly. I expect you already are. The only email address that I have for you is your official WMU account. I do not have a way to substitute a gmail or any other personal email address.
B. I am happy to take questions by email as long as it is something that can be answered in a sentence or two. I just do not have time to write essays, so I may ask you to make an appointment, or maybe contact me by phone.
C. I will not respond to questions on the day or evening or weekend prior to an exam. This is a brand new issue and it is beginning to be a problem.
VIII. Attendance
I do not take attendance, although it is obviously not a good idea to miss class unless it cannot be avoided. However, if you do miss class you do not have to email me, and I would prefer it if you did not. (This is my problem not yours, but I have a compulsion about responding to emails and, since I have quite a few students, I spend more time answering these kinds of emails than I would like.) If you do have to miss class, (1) I am really unlikely to notice who is missing, and (2) if I do notice, I am going to assume that you have a good reason. One last thing: if you have something going on that will require you to miss more than class here and there, please let me know about it.
IX. Academic honesty, diversity, religious observance, and student disabilities
Students are responsible for making themselves aware of and understanding the University policies and procedures that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. The academic policies addressing Student Rights and Responsibilities can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog athttp://catalog.wmich.edu/content.php?catoid=24&navoid=974and the Graduate Catalog athttp://catalog.wmich.edu/content.php?catoid=25&navoid=1030.If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s) and if you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.
Students and instructors are responsible for making themselves aware of and abiding by the “Western Michigan University Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Violence, Intimate Partner Violence, and Stalking Policy and Procedures” related to prohibited sexual misconduct under Title IX, the Clery Act and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Campus Safe. Under this policy, responsible employees (including instructors) are required to report claims of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator or designee (located in the Office of Institutional Equity). Responsible employees are not confidential resources.For a complete list of resources and more information about the policy seewww.wmich.edu/sexualmisconduct.
In addition, students are encouraged to access the Code of Conduct, as well as resources and general academic policies on such issues as diversity, religious observance, and student disabilities:
·Office of Student Conductwww.wmich.edu/conduct
·Division of Student Affairswww.wmich.edu/students/diversity
·University Relations Officehttp://www.wmich.edu/registrar/calendars/interfaith
·Disability Services for Studentswww.wmich.edu/disabilityservices
X. Knowledge and Skills
The standards that are relevant to this course are IV-A: The applicant must have demonstrated knowledge of the biological sciences, physical sciences, statistics, and the social/behavioral sciences; and Std. IV-F: The applicant must have demonstrated knowledge of processes used in research and of the integration of research principles into evidence-based clinical practice. These learning objectives will be covered and assessed through class discussion, assignments, and exams.
NOTE: It is important to recognize that ASHA Academic Accreditation standards are now based upon students demonstrating competencies across a wide range of areas rather than simply completing a course sequence successfully. Therefore, it is conceivable that a student could receive a passing grade in a course, but fail to demonstrate competency across all of the topics covered in that course. If you fail to demonstrate competencies in a particular area through organized class activities (tests & assignments), you may have to complete additional work (i.e. remediation) in that area before a passing grade can be assigned.
SPPA 6190 Course Outline
I. Overview: Course Content and Course Objectives
II. Descriptive Statistics
A. measurement scales
B. descriptive vs. inferential statistics
C. descriptive statistics
1. central tendency
2. variability
3. relative standing
4. the standard normal distribution
5. basic assumptions of parametric statistics
6. correlation and regression
7. explained and unexplained variance
III. Inferential Statistics
A. The logic of inferential statistics: sample means vs. population means
B. The z test: Comparing a sample mean with a population mean
C. The t test: Comparing two sample means
D. The F test (ANOVA): Comparing many sample means
E. Effect size (time permitting)