NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	Elementary Statistical Methods
Course Prefix & Number:	MATH 1342	Section Number:	342	Semester/Year:	Fall 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: Text:  Fundamentals of Statistics: Informed Decisions Using Data 5th edition, Michael Sullivan III, 2018, Pearson –MyStatLab   MyStatLab Access Note:  MyStatLab is accessed through Canvas by clicking on the “MyLab and Mastering” tab on the left.  Access to MyStatLab may be purchased online when signing into MyStatLab for the first time, or an access code may be purchased at the NCTC bookstore.  If purchasing a code from the bookstore, be sure that you buy a the code for “MyStatLab”  (not “MyMathLab”). If you are unable to pay for the MyStatLab access in the first week you may access the course materials and homework with “Temporary Access.”   Calculator with statistical capabilities TI-30X IIS or TI-30XS Multiview or TI 83/84 are all good choices.   Computer Access with Microsoft Excel If you do not have Microsoft Excel on your personal computer, you may want to consider coming to an NCTC campus or a public library to complete the Excel assignments. TI-30X IIS or TI 83-84 calculator is required Graphing calculators and phone calculators will not be allowed on exams.

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Benjamin Owens
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth Campus Room 320 Flower Mound Campus Room 107
Office Hours:	Flower Mound: (Rm. 107) MW 8:00-9:30; 1:00-2:00 TR 9:30-11:00; 12:30-2:00 Or by appointment.  Please email if you would like to meet at a different time than those listed here or set up an online conference.
Telephone Number:	940-668-7731 x4501
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.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
34	Homework (MyStatLab)	5%
10	Quizzes (MyStatLab)	5%
15	Discussions (Canvas)	5%
10	Excel Assignments (Canvas)	15%
3	Tests	45%
1	Final Exam	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!

 

See “Assignment Descriptions” document on home page for more information on the different types of assignments. 

 

The Tests and Final Exam must be taken in person on an NCTC campus or approved testing location.

All Saturday tests will be on the Corinth Campus from 10:00 – 12:00, Room TDB.  If you would like to take the test at a different time/place, please refer to the instructions on the homepage.

 

Test 1 – Saturday, September 22^nd  (or the week preceding: 9/18 – 9/21)

Test 2 – Saturday, October 20^th (or the week preceding: 10/16 – 10/19)

Test 3 – Saturday, November 17^th  (or the week preceding: 11/13 – 11/16)

Final Exam – Wednesday, December 12^th 6:00-8:00p.m. (or Finals Week: 12/10-12/12)

 

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 Monday-Thursday during regular business hours and Friday mornings.  Here is the contact information for the Testing Center at each campus.

 

Campus	Contact number
Corinth	(940) 498-6435
Gainesville	(940) 668-4216
Flower Mound	(972) 899-8335
Bowie	(940) 872-4002 ext. 5212
Graham	(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.  My recommendation is to go ahead and plan what you will do with testing now!

 

 

 

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

 

	Topics / Sections from book	MyStatLab Homework	Assignments in Canvas
Week 1 8/27 – 9/2	Course Overview Statistics Basics (1.1) Observational Studies and Designed Experiments (1.2)	H1 – 1.1 H2 – 1.2	Week 1 Discussion Test 1 Scheduling Quiz
Week 2 9/3 – 9/9	Simple Random Sampling (1.3) Sampling Techniques(1.4) Bias in Sampling (1.5)	H3 – 1.3 H4 – 1.4 H5 – 1.5 Ch. 1 Quiz	Ch. 1 Discussion Gathering Information Excel Assignment #1 BLS #1
Week 3 9/10 – 9/16	Organizing Qualitative Data (2.1) Organizing Quantitative Data (2.2) Graphical Misrepresentation of Data (2.3)	H6 – 2.1 H7 – 2.2 H8 – 2.3 Ch. 2 Quiz	Ch. 2 Discussion Misleading Graphs   Excel Assignment #2 Graphs / Histograms
Week 4 9/17 – 9/23   Test 1 is 9/22 Ch. 1,2,3.1,3.2	Measures of Central Tendency (3.1) Measures of Dispersion (3.2) Grouped Data (3.3)   Test 1 – Saturday, September 22nd  Test may also be taken from Sept. 18 – Sept. 21 in Testing Center.	H9 – 3.1 H10 – 3.2 H11 – 3.3   Practice for Test 1 Quiz (bonus)	Test 1 Study Discussion
Week 5 9/24 – 9/30	Measures of Position (3.4) Five Number Summary / Boxplots (3.5)	H12 – 3.4 H13 – 3.5 Ch. 3 Quiz	Ch. 3 Discussion What Type of Measure?   Excel Assignment #3 Using Formulas
Week 6 10/1 – 10/7	Scatter Plots and Correlation (4.1) Least Squares Regression (4.2)	H14 – 4.1 H15 – 4.2 Ch. 4 Quiz	Ch. 4 Discussion What Association?   Excel Assignment #4 Correlation / Regression
Week 7 10/8 – 10/14	Probability Basics (5.1) Addition Rule and Complements (5.2) Multiplication Rule / Independence (5.3)	H16 – 5.1 H17 – 5.2 H18 – 5.3	Ch. 5 Discussion Interesting Probability
Week 8 10/15-10/21       Test 2 is 10/20 Ch. 3,4,5.1-3	Conditional Probability (5.4) Counting Techniques (5.5) Probability Practice (5.6)     Test 2 – Saturday, October 20th Test may also be taken from Oct. 17 – Oct. 19 in Testing Center.	H19 – 5.4 H20 – 5.5 H21 – 5.6 Ch. 5 Quiz   Practice for Test 2 Quiz (bonus)	Test 2 Study Discussion   Excel Assignment #5 Probability of Samples
Week 9 10/22-10/28	Discrete Random Variables (6.1) Binomial Distribution (6.2)	H22 – 6.1 H23 – 6.2 Ch. 6 Quiz	Ch. 6 Discussion   Excel Assignment #6 Binomial Distribution
Week 10 10/29-11/4	Normal Distribution (7.1) Applications of Normal Distribution (7.2) Normal Approximation to the Binomial (7.4)	H24 – 7.1 H25 – 7.2 H26 – 7.4 Ch. 7 Quiz	Ch. 7 Discussion
Week 11 11/5-11/11	Distribution of the Sample Mean (8.1) Distribution of the Sample Proportion (8.2)	H27 – 8.1 H28 – 8.2 Ch. 8 Quiz	Ch. 8 Discussion   Excel Assignment #7 Normal Distribution
Week 12 11/12-11/18     Test 3 is 11/17 Ch. 5.4-6, 6,7,8	Confidence Intervals Estimating Population Proportion (9.1) Estimating Population Mean (9.2)   Test 3 –Saturday, November 17th Test may also be taken from Nov. 13 – Nov. 16 in Testing Center.	H29 – 9.1 H30 – 9.2     Practice for Test 3 Quiz (bonus)	Test 3 Study Discussion
Week 13 11/19-11/25	Confidence Intervals (9.3) Hypothesis Tests Hypothesis Testing (10.1)	H31 – 9.3 H32 – 10.1   Ch. 9 Quiz	Ch. 9 Discussion   Excel Assignment #8 Confidence Intervals
Week 14 11/26-12/2	Hypothesis Test for Pop. Proportion (10.2) Hypothesis Test for Population Mean (10.3)	H33 – 10.2 H34 – 10.3 Ch. 10 Quiz	Ch. 10 Discussion
Week 15 12/3-12/8   Final Exam is 12/12	Review for Final Exam     Final Exam – Wednesday, December 12th Test may also be taken from Dec. 10 – Dec. 12 in Testing Center.	Practice for Final Exam Homework (not graded)	End of Semester Discussion

 

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 16-week course with a “W” is Thursday, November 8, 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   M W 8:00 am – 6:00 pm M W R 9:00 am – 3:00 pm   T R 9:00 am – 7:00 pm T 9:00 am – 4:00 pm   F 9:00 am – 12:00 pm F 9:00 am – 12:00 pm   Sat 10:00 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