Syllabus for Math 214 (Multivariable
Statistics)
Spring 2009 Semester at
Course Content
Topics
begin with a summary of introductory statistics (descriptive statistics,
applications of the normal distribution, confidence intervals and hypothesis
tests about means, and simple linear regression), after which topics covered
will include confidence intervals and hypothesis tests about variances,
multiple regression and regression diagnostics, one-way and two-way analysis of
variance, multiple comparison methods, analysis of covariance, stepwise
regression, chi-square tests, logistic regression, and various sampling
methods. Heavy use is made of
statistical software, currently SPSS.
The major goal of this course is to provide the student with an overview
of some advanced statistical techniques and some applications in a variety of
fields, such as business, psychology, sociology, science, etc. This course can
count as an elective choice toward several majors and/or toward the mathematics
distribution requirement.
Who Should be Taking This Course
This
course is designed for students (1) who have taken Math 123 (Introduction to
Statistics) and desire to study more sophisticated statistical techniques, or
(2) who have taken Math 128-129 (Calculus I and II) and/or Math 130 (Matrix
Algebra) and desire to study some sophisticated statistical techniques without
having to start with Math 123 (Introduction to Statistics). Students who do not satisfy one of these
course prerequisites will have their names removed from the roster.
|
|
Instructor(s)
|
Name |
Office Location |
Office Hours |
Office
Phone |
|
Dr. Gene Sprechini |
Academic
Center D311 |
Mon 8:30am to
9:30am Wed 8:30am to
9:30am Fri 8:30am
to 9:30am |
(570)
321-4288 |
General
Tutoring is available for
students who want to check homework answers for errors, get help doing
homework, and ask questions about class work.
While tutors may need to give some detailed explanations to help
students with questions, it is not the tutors’ job to teach material from
scratch. (Students who miss class
should get a copy of class notes from the instructor, from a tutor, or from a
classmate. It is then the student’s
responsibility to review the material, update notes, and direct any questions
to a tutor, the instructor, or a classmate.)
Individualized
Tutoring is available for any
student who needs more help than an instructor or tutor can provide. Students desiring individualized tutoring can
visit the
Grading
|
Item |
Point
Values and Policies |
|
Homework |
Points
from homework assignments leading up to each exam are added, up to a maximum
total of 50. Completing all homework
is strongly encouraged, even though no more than 50 points can be earned
leading up to each exam. No points are ever given for late homework for any reason. Students who miss submitting an assignment
on time can still earn the maximum 50 points leading up to the exam, if no
more than 2 or 3 other homework assignments are missed. Due dates
are available from the course
schedule. A
student who misses submitting more than 10 homework assignments automatically
fails the course. |
|
Semester Exams |
Up
to 150 points can be earned on each semester exam given in class. For each missed exam, a grade of zero is
recorded, unless (1) the instructor is presented with documented evidence of
a medical reason for not completing the exam at the scheduled time, and (2)
arrangements to make up the exam are made within 24 hours of the originally
scheduled exam time. Exam dates are
available from the course
schedule. |
|
Project |
The
project is worth 200 points and involves the formulation of
a research question and the analysis of relevant data. |
|
Final Exam |
The
final exam is worth 400 points, with 50 points coming from the homework leading
up to the final exam and 350 points coming from the final exam administered
during final exam week. |
|
Attendance |
The
final course grade percentage is reduced by 5% for each unexcused absence
after the third unexcused absence; an absence is considered to be excused
when the instructor accepts an email from the student explaining the reason
for the absence. It is the student’s
responsibility to find out what was missed in class and keep up with the
coursework. Students can get a copy of
class notes from the PowerPoint files posted in the course schedule, the instructor, a tutor, or a classmate. A
student with more than 8 unexcused absences automatically fails the course. |
|
There
is a total of 1200 points that can be earned.
The final course grade percentage is the percentage of points earned
out of the total number of points that can be earned. The final course letter grade is determined
from the following: A
= above 93.33% A– =
90% to 93.33% B+
= 86.67% to 90% B =
83.33% to 86.67% B– = 80%
to 83.33% C+
= 76.67% to 80% C =
73.33% to 76.67% C– = 70% to
73.33% D+
= 66.67% to 70% D =
63.33% to 66.67% D– = 60% to
63.33% F
= below 60% |
|
Required Materials
Each
student must have
·
a copy of A Second Course in Statistics: Regression
Analysis by William Mendenhall and Terry Sincich,
6th edition, ISBN = 0‑13‑022323‑9
·
a three-ring binder with a section containing a copy of
this syllabus together with the course schedule and tutor schedule, a section
containing the class handouts, and a section containing homework assignments (Since
students will need to use this binder every day in class and will be allowed to
use this binder for exams, it should be kept up-to-date and complete; also,
many of the exercises assigned both in and out of class will refer back to work
done in one or more previous exercises.)
·
a calculator (any
TI-84 or TI-83 calculator is recommended but not required) – students will need
to use the calculator almost every day in class, for completing many of the
required assignments, and on exams
·
a computer
account on the college network in order to access the SPSS statistical package
At
various times throughout this course, you will need to access certain SPSS
files and Excel files. These files can
be accessed by
going to the I: drive on the college network,
going to the APPS folder,
going to the FAC_PRGS folder,
going to the Sprechini
folder,
going to the Math_214 folder.
Course Links
Description of Required
Project
Selecting the Proper
Statistical Procedures
General Standards and Policies
All work submitted must be of
professional quality. All paper must be
neat, without ragged edges, rips, tears, smudges, stains, etc. All answers must be clear, complete, and concise;
handwriting must be legible. If the
instructor can't read it, it's wrong.
Assignments may be down-graded if these standards are not met.
It can be very helpful for some
students to work together on daily assignments and to study together; this is
encouraged when it does not result in one student simply copying another's work
with no understanding. Acts of academic
dishonesty will result in a grade of F for the course, and a letter to the Dean
describing the circumstances. If you are
having problems in the course, talk to the instructor; don't involve yourself
in academic dishonesty. With each assignment submitted, students are expected
to write a short note at the end of the assignment indicating from whom help
was received and to whom help was given (but this does not affect the grade for
the assignment). The following is from
the FACULTY HANDBOOK in the section titled Student
Course Load:
"It
is expected that students will spend, in preparation for courses, two hours of
study time outside the classroom for every hour of credit in the
classroom."
This
means that you should be prepared to spend, on average, eight hours per week
outside of class working on a four-credit course; however, this will vary from
student to student and from course to course.
Your time will be spent reading the text, reviewing class notes, and
completing homework exercises.