NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	Elementary Statistical Methods
Course Prefix & Number:	MATH 1342	Section Number:	322	Semester/Year:	Summer 2018
Semester Credit Hours:	3	Lecture Hours:	48	Lab Hours:
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): Collection, analysis, presentation and interpretation of data, and probability. Analysis includes descriptive statistics, correlation and regression, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Use of appropriate technology is recommended.
Course Prerequisite(s): Meet TSI college-readiness standard for Elementary Statistics; or equivalent
Required or Recommended Course Materials: Fundamentals of Statistics Informed Decisions using Data 5e Edition Michael Sullivan,             --A Physical copy of the textbook is not required for this course, but it is recommended.             --An electronic copy of the text is available in MyStatLab.             --If an older edition of this text can be found for cheaper, that is what you should buy!   MyStatLab Access (Required) This may be purchased online when signing into MyStatLab (through Canvas) for the first time, or an access code may be purchased at the NCTC bookstore.  If you are unable to pay for the MyStatLab access in the first week you may access the course materials and homework with the “Temporary Access” option. Homework, Quizzes, and Test Reviews will be assigned in MyStatLab.   A calculator with statistical capabilities is required: TI-30XS Multiview or TI-30X IIS or TI 83/84 are all good choices.  See homepage for more information on calculators.  As we learn about various computations you should be sure to figure out how it can be done on your calculator!  YouTube is a great resource for this! NOTE: Phone calculators will not be allowed on exams.   Computer Access with Microsoft Excel If you do not have Microsoft Excel on your personal computer, as a student you can get a version of Excel for FREE!  Follow the link on the course homepage to get your free access to Microsoft office. NCTC computer labs or a public libraries also have Excel.

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Ben Owens
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth Campus 320 ; Gainesville Campus 825
Office Hours:	I will be available at times to meet on campus this summer, or we can meet using an online conference in Canvas.  I can meet at NCTC Corinth or Flower Mound Campus by appointment.  Email me to set up a time to meet.
Telephone Number:	940-668-7731 Ext.4501 (Note:  Although this is technically my phone for on campus calls, I will not be on campus very much this summer.  If you need to speak me on the phone, please email me with a number where I can reach you!  The best way to communicate with me is via email.
E-mail Address:	bowens@nctc.edu

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

 

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
1	Explain the use of data collection and statistics as tools to reach reasonable conclusions.
2	Recognize, examine, and interpret the basic principles of describing and presenting data.
3	Compute and interpret empirical and theoretical probabilities using the rules of probabilities and combinatorics.
4	Explain the role of probability in statistics.
5	Examine, analyze, and compare various sampling distributions for both discrete and continuous random variables.
6	Describe and compute confidence intervals.
7	Solve linear regression and correlation problems.
8	Perform hypothesis testing using statistical methods.

 

TESTING INFORMATION

Tests must be taken at an NCTC campus or an authorized test site.  There will be three regular tests and a final exam that must be proctored.  The first week there will be a “Test 1 Scheduling Quiz” (located in Canvas: Assignments: Discussions) that you must complete in order to determine when and where you will be taking the tests.  There are lots of times/places you can schedule your test.

 

I will be proctoring tests at the following times:

 

Test 1 – Monday, July 16^th 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Corinth Campus Room 214

Test 2 – Monday, July 23^th 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Corinth Campus Room 214

Test 3 – Monday, July 30^th 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Corinth Campus Room 214

Final Exam – Thursday, August 9^th 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.  Corinth Campus Room 254

 

If you can make the tests at these time it would be ideal!  However, if you are not available at these times there are other options for taking the tests.

 

The NCTC Testing Centers will be open according to the following schedule:

 

Campus	Days/Hours available for testing	Contact number
Corinth	Wed. – Thurs. 7:30a.m. – 5:30p.m.	(940) 498-6435
Gainesville	Mon. – Thurs. 7:30a.m. – 5:30p.m.	(940) 668-4216
Flower Mound	Mon. – Thurs. 7:30a.m. – 5:30p.m.	(972) 899-8335
Bowie	Mon. – Thurs. 7:30a.m. – 5:30p.m.	(940) 872-4002 ext. 5212
Graham	Mon. – Thurs. 7:30a.m. – 5:30p.m.	(940) 521-0720 ext. 7102

 

Testing Center Website:  http://www.nctc.edu/counseling-testing/make-up-exam.html

 

You must call the testing center and make an appointment at least 1 day in advance to schedule a test. When scheduling a test at the testing center it is best to schedule the test as early in the week as possible.  If you must schedule a test for later in the week, be sure to keep up with the assignments!

 

Other professors are offering evening testing throughout the week in Corinth, so if the options above do not work email me for more information!

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage
34	MyStatLab Homework	5%
10	MyStatLab Quizzes	5%
14	Online Discussions	5%
8	Excel Assignments	15%
3	Tests (In Person)	45%
1	Final Exam (In Person)	25%

Grade Scale:   90 – 100% = A;   80 – 89% = B; 70 – 79% = C;  60 – 69% = D;  Below 60% = F

 

Assignment Descriptions

1.  Homework – MyStatLab

There are 34 Homework assignments in MyStatLab throughout the semester.  Each homework assignment covers one section of the text.  Each homework assignment has 10 questions, but some of those questions have multiple parts!  Each question in the homework is graded separately and you can attempt each question as many times as you would like without penalty using the “Similar Exercise” option.  The due dates for homework assignments can be found in MyStatLab.  You may complete homework assignments after the due date for a penalty.  The questions worked after the due date only earn 70% of the possible points for that question.

2.  Quizzes – MyStatLab

There are 10 quizzes in MyStatLab that are due throughout the semester.  The quiz for each chapter is due sometime between when the homework for that chapter is due and the test for the chapter is given.  Quizzes in MyStatLab are structured differently than homework assignments in that you must complete the entire quiz at once and then it is graded as a whole.  You can review your answers any time after completing a quiz.  There are not unlimited chances for each quiz, and the quizzes may be timed (to simulate a testing situation).   Quizzes completed after the due date are subject to a 30% penalty.  The quizzes are meant to serve as a stepping stone to help prepare you for the tests.  Quiz questions are similar to the homework, so they can be used as a good diagnostic test to see which topics you remember and which topics might require a little more work!

3. Discussions – Canvas

The online discussion questions are meant to give students a chance write about and comment on topics that are being covered in the text. Typically a discussion assignment is worth 10 points, where 6 points are given for a student’s original response to the prompt and 4 points are given for the student’s comments on others’ responses.  Discussion assignments work better when everyone participates early in the week – not right before the assignment is due.   The deadlines for discussion assignments are hard deadlines.  If you miss a discussion you will receive no credit for that assignment.

4.  Excel Assignments - Canvas

There are around 10 Excel assignments throughout the semester.  These assignments are designed to be like a “lab” that you would have in a science class.  For example, if you take biology you do a lot of “book learning” in class, but then you get the “hands on experience” through the lab.  This is what the Excel assignments are meant to achieve.  Most of the assignments require that you submit a document that gives the results or a summary of the assignment and complete Quizzes using the excel spreadsheet that you have created.  Excel assignments will be graded soon after they are due and then returned for corrections if needed.  You can correct the Excel assignments for full credit.  So, if you are struggling with one of these assignments, don’t be afraid to turn in what you have so I can see where you are at and give feedback!

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

 

	Topics / Sections from book	My Stat Lab Homework	Assignments in Canvas
Week 1 July 9 – July 15	Course Overview Statistics Basics (1.1) Obs. Studies and Designed Exp. (1.2) Simple Random Sampling (1.3)	H1 – 1.1 H2 – 1.2 H3 – 1.3	Excel Assignment #1 BLS #1   Discussion – Beginning of Semester   Discussion – Test 1 Scheduling
	Sampling Techniques (1.4) Bias in Sampling (1.5)   Organizing Qualitative Data (2.1) Organizing Quantitative Data (2.2) Graphical Misrepresentation (2.3)	H4 – 1.4 H5 – 1.5   H6 – 2.1 H7 – 2.2 H8 – 2.3   Ch. 1 Quiz Ch. 2 Quiz	Excel Assignment #2 Graphs / Histograms   Discussion Misleading Graphs   Discussion Test 1 Preparation
July 16th	Test 1 – Ch. 1 and Ch. 2
Week 2 July 16 – July 22	Measures of Central Tendency (3.1) Measures of Dispersion (3.2) Grouped Data (3.3) Measures of Position (3.4) Five Number Summary/Boxplots (3.5)	H9 – 3.1 H10 – 3.2 H11 – 3.3 H12 – 3.4 H13 – 3.5   Ch. 3 Quiz	Excel Assignment #3 Using Formulas   Discussion Central Tendency
	Scatter Plots and Correlation (4.1) Least Squares Regression (4.2)   Probability Basics (5.1) Addition Rule and Complements (5.2)	H14 – 4.1 H15 – 4.2   H16 – 5.1 H17 – 5.2   Ch. 4 Quiz	Excel Assignment #4 Correlation/Regression   Discussion Types of Association   Discussion Test 2 Preparation
July 23rd	Test 2 – Ch. 3, Ch. 4, and Sections 5.1, 5.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 3 July 23 – July 29	Multiplication Rule/Indep. (5.3) Conditional Probability (5.4) Counting Techniques (5.5) Probability Practice (5.6)	H18 – 5.3 H19 – 5.4 H20 – 5.5 H21 – 5.6   Ch. 5 Quiz	Excel Assignment #5 Probability of Samples   Discussion Interesting Probability
	Discrete Random Variables (6.1) Binomial Distribution (6.2)   Normal Distribution (7.1) Applications of Normal Dist. (7.2) Normal Approx. to the Binomial (7.4)	H22 – 6.1 H23 – 6.2   H24 – 7.1 H25 – 7.2 H26 – 7.4   Ch. 6 Quiz Ch. 7 Quiz	Excel Assignment #6 Binomial Distribution   Discussion Common Distributions   Discussion Test 3 Preparation
July 30th	Test 3 – Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7
	Note:  Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is August 2nd, 2018.
Week 4 July 30 – Aug. 5	Distribution of the Sample Mean (8.1) Distribution of the Sample Prop. (8.2)   Estimating Pop. Proportion (9.1) Estimating Mean (9.2) Confidence Intervals (9.3)	H27 – 8.1 H28 – 8.2   H29 – 9.1 H30 – 9.2 H31 – 9.3   Ch. 8 Quiz Ch. 9 Quiz	Excel #7 Normal Distribution   Discussion Central Limit Theorem
	Hypothesis Testing (10.1) Hypothesis Test for Pop. Prop. (10.2) Hypothesis Test for Pop. Mean (10.3)	H32 – 10.1 H33 – 10.2 H34 – 10.3   Ch. 10 Quiz	Excel #8 Confidence Intervals   Discussion Simpson’s Paradox
Week 5 Aug. 5 – Aug. 9	Review for Final Exam		End of Semester Discussion   Discussion Final Exam  Prep.
Aug. 9th	Final Exam – All Chapters

 

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies.  It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval by the faculty member.  Approved college-sponsored activities are also excused absences.  The instructor is responsible for judging the validity of any reason given for an absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless the absence is documented and excused by the instructor.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Last day to withdraw from a Summer II course with a “W” is Thursday, August 2, 2018.

                                                                                                                                                                           

MATH LAB Students who need help with any math class can visit the NCTC Mathematics Lab to receive assistance. No appointments are necessary. See the most current tutoring hours for all five campuses at http://www.nctc.edu/student-services/student-success/tutoring/mathematics-lab.html.    TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON TUTOR AVAILABILITY: GAINESVILLE – 1403 (Library) CORINTH – 182 FLOWER MOUND - 111 TBA M T W R M W 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm   9:00 am – 5:00 pm T R 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209.  Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-498-6207.

North Central Texas College is committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112).   http://www.nctc.edu/catalog/north-central-texas-college-student-handbook/section-i/special-accommodations-office-students-with-disabilities/osd-department-contacts.html  

 

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)________     

o         Communication

x        Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

o         American History

 

o         Government/Political Science

o         Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

 

x          Critical Thinking

x          Communication

x          Empirical and Quantitative

 

o           Teamwork

o           Personal Responsibility

o           Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

 

 

 

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

CAMPUS RESTRICTIONS