Dr. Therese Shelton
Dept Math and Computer Science,
Southwestern University.
Office hours are usually
Mon, Wed 2pm
for all of my classes. These may be re-scheduled occasionally.
Outside of these times, appointments are welcome and encouraged,
and drop-ins will be accommodated as soon as possible or with an appointment.
shelton@southwestern.edu
Email is my preferred method of contact, if not in person.
I may email students at any time.
office MBH 143; X1489 (512-863-1489).
Course Description
Catalog:
INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS.
This course provides students in the social and biological sciences with the skills necessary to perform elementary statistical analysis. Topics include descriptive measures, probability, sampling theory, random variables, binomial and normal distributions, estimation and hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, regression and correlation. This course may not be used for the Mathematics major or minor. (Each semester) (NS)
(See more below.)
Assessment
| 3 Exams | 3@17% = 51% | Individual; weeks 5, 9, 13: Mon 2/11, Mon 3/11, Mon 4/15 |
| MyStatLab Work | 14% | Individual |
| Assignments | 15% | Guided, inquiry-based, collaborative learning will be particularly practiced. Some work will be individual. |
| Final | 20% | Individual; comprehensive,
Thurs May 9 1:30pm-4:30pm for students who are not candidates for graduation. Students who are candidates for May-August graduation will arrange their final exam schedule with me no later than April 19; we will select a time for the final examination between Tuesday, April 30, and Thursday May 2. |
Materials
Further Course Description This course...
Student Learning Outcomes
The following is a partial list. These will be assessed at least on the final exam.
Upon successful completion of Introductory Statistics the student will be able to:
General Comments
Be an active learner.
Take responsibility for your learning. Take notes! Ask questions! I will use supplemental materials.
Verbal instructions and schedule changes will be given in class and in email. Students are responsible
for this content, regardless of attendance issues. Make good use of class time and office hours to
keep pace. All of the work we do in class and that you do outside of class should prepare you for the exams
and the final. Make it easier on yourself and study/work methodically, actively, and persistently.
It is certainly stating the obvious that you need to come on time and stay the entire time, alert and awake, fully engaged in classroom activities. In this spirit, any electronic devices (cell phones, tablets, etc) for personal use should be off in general; on some rare occasions it may be appropriate to have one on but in a silent mode. In all endeavors, students shall focus on the task at hand.
Students who access course materials on their devices may double-check with me, especially for assignments or exams.
Time will be needed periodically in the campus computer labs outside of class. It is the responsibility of the student to save frequently and often and to have back-up copies of all files on independent media. Assessment will be made of each student's skills with and without technological aids to make sure you have both conceptual understanding and practical abilities, both of which are needed in real-world statistics.
I expect you to take advantage of the Center for Academic Success if needed, and I will notify that office if I believe someone may benefit from the opportunities that office affords. I make use of the Academic Warning System. There are many places to turn to for support at Southwestern, including the Writing Center, the Office of Counseling Services, and the Health Center. We all want you to succeed in your time here at SU -- and beyond.
Southwestern University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should contact the Center for Academic Success and Records (CASAR) to determine their eligibility to receive accommodations.
It is the student's responsibility to discuss any necessary
accommodations with the appropriate faculty member in a timely manner.
There will be a mix of individual and collaborative
work as well as a variety of teaching and learning styles. Collaborative work
will often require meeting with peers outside of class time.
Collaboration, when allowed, means working fully with someone in your section.
There can be no collaboration on individual work although you may seek help on Assignments from me. See more on the Honor System.
Description of the Grading Components
Pearson "MyLab Statistics" online work
The online materials provide basic practice and skill-building for each student individually. Some topics may only be covered in this online format.
Students have told us how helpful the online homework is in helping them learn the material.
They love the immediate feedback, the available hints, and the ability to work similar problems.
Any student who wishes to access this on her/his own computer must determine compatibility; some students may need to use the campus computers. MyLab work will be assigned throughout the semester.
Assignments
The purpose of assignments is to build skills, provide periodic opportunities
for assessment, and to allow for feedback to the student prior to an exam.
Assignments may be weighted differently; some will count more than others.
There will be a mix of individual and collaborative work.
Collaborative work may require meeting with peers outside of class time.
Collaboration, when allowed, means working fully with someone in your section.
There can be no collaboration on individual work although you may seek help on Assignments
from me. See the section below regarding the Honor System.
Books, calculators, materials at the online access from the publisher,
and class notes may be used on all assignments unless otherwise specified.
However, limit your access to solutions until after you have tried the problem yourself.
You may indicate corrections. If the assignment is allowed to be collaborative, a single
copy may be turned in for the group, but all participants must sign the pledge.
Exams
The purpose of an exam is almost entirely assessment. Synthesis
of material is expected on an exam rather than a mere reproduction of items
as covered. Additionally, an exam is designed to provide further
feedback to the student. When an answer key is posted outside my office,
I expect each student to examine the key prior to asking for additional
feedback. Exams are significantly more difficult than Assignments or homework for several reasons:
the number of problems and timed situation, the expectation of mastery,
and the fact that problems from multiple sections are included (you must know which technique
to use rather than it being a chapter title). In addition, the exams increase in difficulty
throughout the semester because
of the cumulative nature of the material. Students who make a B or better on the first exam have the
best chance of succeeding in the course.
An exam will be individual effort and closed book.
It is possible that you will be assessed with and without technology on various portions of the exam.
Final Exam
The purpose of the final is assessment. The problems will be
designed to combine ideas presented throughout the course. The final
is comprehensive and cumulative. There are no exemptions.
Grading Policy, Attendance, and Past-Due Assignments
Each student earns a grade based on meeting standard objective criteria;
I do not "give" grades; rather, I assign grades based on student performance.
The best work provides clear communication of statistics, both in words, tables, graphs, and with the proper use of symbols and notation.
If all work is completed, and absences are not excessive,
the following grading scale will be used:
98.00-100 = A+; 92.00-97.99 = A; 90.00-91.99=A-. The pattern continues through D-.
A grade of F is awarded for 0.00-59.99.
According to the Catalog,
"all required work is expected to be completed for [a grade of C]".
In other words, even if your grade is 99, if you miss a single assignment, such as a minor assignment
in this class, it is possible that your grade could be anything less than a C.
Completion of all work is just one of the requirements for a grade of C or better.
As explained in the Student Handbook, your attendance at each class is required.
This class will be taught in an active style, and student participation is essential.
A student who accumulates absences amounting to a total of two semester-weeks of class days or three consecutive class days (excused or unexcused) will automatically fail the course.
A student may drop a course without
record by the Monday of the sixth week or with record by the Monday in the eleventh week.
I may invoke the involuntary withdrawal procedures for
students who are not progressing in the course, either as evidenced by poor attendance or
lack of work.
A university approved excuse is generally required to make up any
missed exam or in-class assignment.
Contact me as soon as possible about an absence.
It is always the student's responsibility to make up missed work in a timely fashion.
SU recognizes that it has students from a
variety of religious and cultural traditions that have special days of observance or celebration that may take students out of their regular activities
on certain days during the school year. Since the academic calendar does
not always coincide with these days, the following policy is to be followed
in order to facilitate student absences due to cultural and religious observances: As far in advance as possible, the student is expected to notify
me of the class(es) to be missed. The student is expected to learn what
assignments or exams are due or will be assigned on those dates and negotiate with me on alternate times for filling those requirements. Students
should be prepared to fulfill the requirements prior to the class(es) to be
missed.
Assignments must be turned in at the beginning of class on the due date unless
otherwise specified. Any assignment not turned in at that time will be penalized one full letter
grade for each 24 hour period that it is overdue. In general, an assignment that
is more than 72 hours overdue will not be accepted.
You may be required to attend talks outside of class time as part of the Assignment grade.
Items within an assignment or exam will be weighted based on a combination of the level of difficulty, importance, and time involved. Assignments will also carry different weights within the "Assignment" category of our grading.
Honor System, Some Expectations for Individual and Collaborative Work
We are all very fortunate to have the Honor System here at Southwestern.
In general, professors establish ground rules for acceptable collaboration
or rules for exams, and students follow those rules. You must write out
and sign the honor pledge on all work to be graded. The approved
wording is as follows:
"I have acted with honesty and integrity in producing
this work and am unaware of anyone who has not."
Your signature is also required.
By matriculating at this university, each of you has agreed to uphold this wonderful tradition.
In some cases, resources may be allowed, such as technology, notes,
other material, or collaboration. These must be acknowledged above the pledge.
Each graded item will have rules on what is allowed; a student may always ask for clarification.
These rules will be discussed in class.
Unless otherwise specified, work is to be done individually.
When group work is allowed, full collaboration is essential. This does not necessarily mean
that everyone has all of the answers. In some cases, one student may appropriately be at the forefront of
collaborative work while others are in more of a following mode. If, however, someone is
contributing very little or not at all, then obviously that person would need to be excluded
from the pledge. It is possible for people to begin work together but end separately, though that
is unusual; this would be indicated in the Acknowledgement.
When collaboration is allowed, that means with another student from your section in the current semester.
One rule for our class on any exam: a computer algebra system (CAS)
such as found on the TI-89 will not be allowed on the exam. Students with these calculators
will be allowed to use them without the CAS features. Anyone who is unsure of what to use may
ask for a loaner calculator well in advance of the exam.
Most of us need continued education about academic integrity, and sometimes that is accomplished by a list of negatives. In addition to the more obvious violations of our Honor System,
such as collaborating on individual work or plagiarism, some examples include, but are not
limited to:
falsifying data,
marking someone as present on the roll sheet who is absent,
including someone in a group pledge who did not collaborate,
discussing "pop" quizzes or exams with someone from another section of the same class,
submitting work done in a previous semester,
unauthorized use of resources (human or inanimate, printed or electronic),
texting or web searching for answers,
having a book or solution manual open during an exam,
listening to or viewing unauthorized pre-recorded notes,
using unauthorized programs on your calculator or electronic device.
It will be a violation of the Honor Code to discuss a pop quiz, an exam, or a final with anyone prior to his or her taking it. Don't say anything about the exam, even whether you thought it hard or easy, to someone taking it later! Unauthorized use of technology or resources will also be a violation of the Honor Code; this includes, but is not limited to, texting or web searching for answers.
Signing the pledge indicates compliance with all rules.
(Note: This syllabus may be amended.)