Stat 218: Summer 2013 Syllabus

Instructor:

• Aimee Schwab
• Hardin Hall 342E (East Campus)
• Email: schwab.aimee@gmail.com

Class Meeting Times:

• MTWRF, 11:00-12:35 in Avery Hall 117
• I'll have office hours every day after class until 1 pm in Avery Hall 250. I'm happy to stay longer if needed.

Textbook: Statistics: The Art and Science of Learning from Data, 3rd Edtion by Agresti and Franklin.

Purchasing the textbook is not required for this course. I have some older copies that I'm willing to loan to students, and there are lots of used copies floating around out there.

Software: For this class we'll be using the statistical software packages R and RStudio extensively. R is an open-source statistical package that can do very powerful computations very quickly. R itself isn't presented in a very user-friendly way, so we'll access it through RStudio. Check out Blackboard for a download walk-through.

All students should download R and RStudio before class on Tuesday, June 11 – this is your first assignment! Students are not encouraged to use the lab computers, but they're slow and your work won't be saved overnight. Please bring a laptop to class regularly.

This course satisifies ACE Outcome 3: Use mathematical, computational, statistical, or formal reasoning (including reasoning based on principles of logic) to solve problems, draw inferences, and determine reasonableness. The reinforced skills for Stat 218 are Writing and Critical Thinking. Stat 218 will provide the student opportunities to achieve this learning outcome through homework exercises, in-class activities, and short weekly projects. These assignments will be used by the instructor to assess achievement of the outcome.

Course Objectives: The goal of this course is to introduce you to statistics. By the end of this course, you should know…

• Why understanding statistics is important (even if you think you'll never use it in your career)
• The uses of statistics
• How to collect data
• How to recognize bad data
• How to use and interpret basic statistical procedures
• How to read and write a statistical report
• How to distinguish real information from “sort of true” information

Stat 218 is not a spectator sport. The only way to learn statistics is to do statistics! 20 years ago, this class would have been more like a traditional math class, this is no longer the case. We won't focus on memorizing formulas, and R will perform all the complex calculations we need! My goal is for you to be able to apply knowledge of statistical concepts to everyday situations and new data sets.

The answer in this class is almost never just a number!

A note about computers. I realize that the idea of having to learn a new program in five weeks is scary. Please don't hesitate to ask questions or to look back in your notes. At the end of each class I'll save my entire computer program and post it to Blackboard. R code will also be in your notes. Once we learn a few basic commands – that's it!

Attendance Policy: I expect everyone to come to class ready and on time. If you will be absent, please email me and check Blackboard for any announcements, notes, and assignments you may have missed. The notes posted online will be incomplete, so it's your responsibility to catch-up on any notes that you missed.

Course Requirements: Your grade will be based on the following components.

• Homework Exercises: After most classes I'll assign a short practice exercise or writing question to reinforce the day's material. Since this is a summer class, we'll move fairly quickly. Unless otherwise mentioned, homework exercises will be due two days later.

• In-Class Activities: My tentative plan is to lecture for about half the class, then give you the last 30 minutes or so of class to try some analysis on your own. Any in-class activities that are due for a grade must be turned in before the next class period. However class time should be enough to complete them.

• Weekly Projects: Each Friday, I'll give you the entire class period to practice what we learned that week on a new data set. You may work on projects alone or in pairs, groups of 3 or more are not allowed. Groups may not work together. All projects should be completed during class time.

There will be no exams during this course. However I reserve the right to hold pop quizzes as I see necessary.

Grading Scale:

• Homework Exercises - 30%
• In-Class Activities - 30%
• Weekly Projects - 40%

All grades will be posted under the “Gradebook” tab in Blackboard. A final average of 90% will guarantee an A-, 80% a B-, 70% a C-, and 60% a D-. In order to receive a Pass under the Pass/No Pass option, a grade of C or better must be earned. A C- is not a passing grade.

Department Grade Appeals Policy: Students who believe their academic evaluation has been prejudiced or is capricious have recourse for appeals in order, to: their instructor; the Chair of the Statistics Department; the undergraduate academic grading appeals committee; and lastly, the college grading appeals committee.

Academic Dishonesty: You are encouraged to work together on homework exercises and in-class activities, but the work you turn in must be your own. Any act of academic dishonesty will result in a score of zero on the item in question and notification of department and university officials. Further action may be taken as warranted. Subsequent offenses will result in an F in the class.

Disturbances: Classroom disturbances that impede on other students' opportunity to learn will not be tolerated. Disturbers will first be asked to stop. If the disturbance continues, the student will be asked to leave class. Cell phones must be shut off or put on the silent option. We reserve two rights when it comes to classroom disturbances:

1. Should your cell phone ring audibly, I reserve the right to answer it at any time.
2. Should you be caught using Facebook during class time, I reserve the right to change the status.

Disabilities: Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the instructor for a confidential discussion of their individual needs for academic accommodation. It is the policy of UNL to provide flexible and individualized accommodation for students with documented disabilities that may affect their ability to fully participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. To receive accommodation services, students must be registered with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office, 132 Canfield Administration, 472-3783 voice or TTY.

Disclaimer: Information contained in this syllabus was, to the best knowledge of the instructor, considered correct and complete when distributed at the beginning of the semester. However, the instructor reserves the right, acting within the policies and procedures of UNL, to make changes in course content without notice or obligation.

Stat 218: Summer 2013 Schedule

This is an approximate schedule for the course. This schedule wil be updated online as the class progresses.