Course Description
This is a noncalculus
exposition of methods and applications of statistical techniques for gathering
and analyzing data.
This is a fully
online course utilizing the WebCT.
To succeed in this course you must be self motivated,
manage your time well and be willing to ask questions. You can get in touch
with me by telephone or through e-mail.
Required Textbook
and Software
| Text |
Introduction
to the Practice of Statistics, Fifth Edition,
David S. Moore
and George P. McCabe. |
| CD-ROM |
ActivStats
for SPSS, Paul Velleman. |
| Statistical
Software |
The
Student Version of SPSS 11.0 for Windows is included
with new copies of Introduction to the Practice of Statistics,
Fifth Edition, purchased from FIU's University Park Bookstore.
See Preparing
Your Computer for information about loading SPSS. |
Contact Information
| E-mail |
stat6166@fiu.edu
(E-mail is
the preferred method of contacting me.) |
| Home
Page |
http://www.fiu.edu/~howellip/ |
| Offices |
Biscayne
Bay Campus: ACI-382
University
Park Campus: in or near DM 404 |
Office
Hours &
Phone Numbers |
BBC:
Monday and Wednesday 10:00 - 10:30am
and 1:30 - 2:00pm
305-919-5838
(
voice mail)
UP:
Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 - 7:30pm
305-348-2745
(on
Tuesday and Thursday DURING THE WORK DAY)
Otherwise
by appointment. |
Communicating with me
If you have questions,
contact me either by phone or via e-mail. You must
use FIU's Webmail when sending e-mail
to me. In the event that FIU's Webmail is down, you may use your personal
e-mail account. However, your full name and the course numbermust
be
in the subject line. I delete all e-mail messages from unrecognizable
sources. I usually respond to e-mail within 48 hours. For help read using
FIU's Webmail.
Course Format
Each weekly module
contains performance objectives, readings, learning activities, and homework.
In addition, there will be 3 proctored exams and a final exam.
| Learning
Activities |
There are many
types of learning activities described in the weekly modules given in WebCT.
Doing
these activities is extremely important. They are designed to help
you master the new concepts presented each week.
Learning activities
include posting responses to the WebCT Bulletin Board, responding to questions
posed in ActivStats activities, doing the WebCT Practice Exercises, using
SPSS to analyze data, etc. Many of these activities will include sending
the results to me via e-mail. These e-mail responses must be sent by midnight
each Sunday night unless the module indicates otherwise. Credit will only
be given for activities that are done during the week for which they are
assigned. The number of responses received will be a part of your participation
score. The percent of the number of activities done on time will be your
participation
grade.
WebCT Practice
Exercises are assigned a numerical grade by WebCT, but I do not use
these grades to determine your participation score. I simply count
the number of Practice Exercises you do. These exercise sets are
designed to give you immediate feedback. WebCT is unforgiving
in grading. If your answer is not exactly as it expects, WebCT marks
it wrong. Do not fret about this. Look at the answer provided
and decide whether your answer would be seen as acceptable by a human grader.
If you have
questions about these activities, please ask them via e-mail, telephone
or in person during my office hours (both online and at FIU).
|
| Homework |
Homework assignments
are given at the end of each weekly module. These are to be submitted to
me via e-mail as WORD documents. Some assignments will require the
use of SPSS. The SPSS output you generate should also be sent to me. THESE
ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED LATE. Each assignment will have a
maximum score. The sum of your scores on these assignments divided by the
sum of the maximum scores converted to a percent will be your homework
grade.
Assignments
will be graded and returned to your via snail mail. f you prefer to
pick up your graded homework during my office hours, please send send me
an e-mail telling me you wish to to pick up your assignments in person.
For snail
mail return send a set of 11 self-addressed stamped legal-sized
envelopes to me no later than the end of the first week of classes.
Ina
Parks S. Howell
Department
of Statistics
Biscayne Bay
Campus
3000 NE 151st
ST
North Miami,
FL 33181-3000
Each homework
assignment must be solely the work of the person who submits it. The
homework answers will often be found in or based upon the output from
an SPSS program you have run. SPSS output can only be read in SPSS.
For
details about preparing homework assignments, read Preparing
Your Homework.
|
| Exams |
Four exams
will be given, 3 regular exams and one final exam. All exams will be
proctored. These exams will be given at FIU's University Park Campus according
to the schedule below. Students who live within 75 miles of Miami (between
West Palm Beach and the Upper Keys) are expected
to take their exams on campus. Students who live further away should
contact me immediately about arranging an off campus proctor. It is your
responsibility to locate a proctor and provide me with the name and contact
information.
Exam Schedule
for Fall, 2004
| Exam |
Date
Given
|
Time
|
Maximum
Score
|
| Exam
1 |
Saturday,
October 1st
|
1000-1115
|
100
|
| Exam
2 |
Saturday,
November 5th
|
1000-1115
|
100
|
| Exam
3 |
Saturday,
December 10th
|
1000-1115
|
100
|
| Final
Exam |
Saturday,
December 17th
|
1000-1230
|
200
|
|
Grading
I do not
grade on a curve. To determine your average for the course, I will
use the following formula.
average
= .18(ex1 + ex2 + ex3 + final) + .04(participation) + .06(homework)
Your letter
grade will be assigned to this average as described below:
|
90 - 100 A
|
85 - 89 A-
|
80 - 84 B+
|
70 - 79 B
|
60 - 69 C
|
0 - 59 F
|
|
Cheating
| Working together
on daily assignments is encouraged, but each homework assignment must
be solely the work of the person who submits it. Cheating on exams or assignments
will not be tolerated and will be reported according to established
university procedures. Each student should read carefully the section of
The
Student Handbook entitled "Academic Misconduct". Each student is
expected to adhere to the principles of academic integrity set forth in
this document. Any academic misconduct will be reported as prescribed in
this handbook. |
Absences
| Any student
who does not take the final exam will receive a letter grade of F for the
course. If you are unable to take an exam at the scheduled time, please
contact me prior to the exam. |
Drop Date - THURSDAY,
November 3, 2005
| Any student
whose name appears on the class list after this date will receive a letter
grade for the course. |
The Fine Print
The instructor retains the
right to modify the course syllabus for any reason throughout the
semester provided that,
a. Fair and adequate notice is given to enrolled students either via e-mail,
in writing,
or through on-line publishing;
b. Modifications to the syllabus are not arbitrary and capricious, and;
c. Students are not unfairly disadvantaged by mid-semester changes to grading
standards,
attendance standards, or performance measures. |
Student Acknowledgement
Read my Code
of Student Conduct form.Sign
the form and return it to me to indicate that you have read and understand
this course outline.
Return this form
via snail mail no later than September 9, 2005 |
|