STAT 1772 01 8:00 a.m. MWF WRT 010 Fall Semester 2017
Introduction to Statistical Methods
********Reasonable accommodations will be made for all students with a qualified
disability. All requests for accommodations from students claiming disabilities
must be processed through the Office of Disability Services, 103 SHC (Student
Health Center) (273-2676). **************************************************
**********The University of Northern Iowa is committed to providing a positive
educational environment free of discrimination and harassment. If the actions
of others cause an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment, students
should contact the Head of the Department where such actions occurred, or the
Office of Compliance and Equity Management. ********************************
Text: Introductory Statistics(http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Introductory%20Statistics.pdf).
This is a free online textbook. If you want hard copy, Copyworks (corner of College and 23rd) will
print it for less than $40 [you should verify that the price has not gone up] (the text is 641 pages) (they may need 24 hours to print it).
Instructor: Campbell, R. B. Wright 328. x-32447 e-mail: campbell@math.uni.edu
Office hours: Unless there is excessive demand, office hours will not be
restricted to specified times. You may either catch me after class, call me on
the phone, or leave an e-mail message to find a time that is mutually
convenient. (I shall generally be in my office MWF 9:00 a.m.).
N.B.: Help will also be available from the Mathematics and Science Services (Academic Learning
Center -- ITT (East Gym) 008). The hours for the Mathematics and Science Services are at
http://www.uni.edu/unialc/math-science-services/tutoring-calendar
[The Acaedemic Learning Center also provides support for writing and
other academic needs including Praxis Core preparation at no cost to enrolled students.
Further information is available at http://www.uni.edu/unialc/ .]
THERE IS ALSO SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT FOR THIS COURSE IN MY WEBSPACE
(http://www.math.uni.edu/~campbell/stat/), but I shall not cover all the
material in that web space. You can get to my webspace from
UNI's home page by going to the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences home page, the
Mathematics Department home page, the faculty home page (About Us - People), and my home page,
but the links may be hard to find. The
material I put on the web is designed to be useful from a text browser (e.g.,
lynx), but there are some graphical enhancements. Although copies of exams I
gave a previous semester are available in my webspace, my coverage this semester
will be different, hence they have limited utility as a study guide. I shall
advise you of the extent to which they reflect my present coverage prior to
tests. I will also advise you if I change the format of my tests.
There will be three tests worth 100 points each and a final worth 125 points.
Tentative test dates are:
chapters 1, 2 15 September 100
chapters 3, 4, 5, 6 13 October 100
chapters 6, 7, 8, 11 17 November 100
chapter 10, comprehensive 11 December 125
(The coverage and dates are tentative. I reserve the right to omit sections
of the text and/or provide supplementary material, including material from
chapters/sections not listed.)
There will also be about 10 quizzes worth 7 points each; the best seven will be
added to your point total: 49
THE FIRST QUIZ WILL BE ON Friday, August 25. There will be no make-up quizzes.
**If you miss more than two quizzes for good cause (and e-mail me at the end of the
semester), I shall pro-rate your quiz scores.**
**If you miss a test, you will make it up at your earliest convenience.**
Cheating of any kind on examinations or quizzes is a serious matter as
discussed in Policies and Procedures 3.01 Academic Ethics/Discipline
(http://www.uni.edu/pres/policies/301.shtml). Sanctions may range from
no credit for the test or quiz to suspension from the University.
Attendance is not a component of your point total, but it is a courtesy to me
to send me an e-mail (campbell@math.uni.edu) when you cannot attend class.
A dearth of quizzes will negatively impact your grade.
No homework will be collected. However, I shall indicate problems in the
text that you should look at (these are listed in my webspace). Answers to
the odd numbered problems are in the text. Answers to even numbered
problems I have listed are in my web-space.
On Friday, August 25, I shall pass around a seating plan where you will
indicate where you will sit for the remainder of the semester. I hope that
this will facilitate my learning of your names and your learning of each
other. Although I (as a representative of the faculty) and the library are
two important reasons for coming to UNI to learn instead of reading books at
home, your peers are also a valuable resource.
I shall try to draw to your attention any inaccuracies in the text of which I am aware.
You are invited to draw errata or unclear material to my attention. You are also
invited to correct any mistakes I make in lecture, and mistakes in my web space.
This handout has been prepared using PC-Write. You should learn to
use a word processor before you graduate. (It has been revised using the TPU
texteditor on ICEMAN/COBRA/VIPER, textedit on a Sun, Kedit under debian
Linux, and gedit under ubuntu linux.)
Introduction to Statistical Methods (STAT 1772) is a Liberal Arts Core
course. It is neither a first course in mathematical statistics nor a
first course in applied statistics. Its purpose is neither to prepare
you to prove statistical formulae nor to perform tests of significance
on data. You will be expected to understand some basic mathematics
and probability upon which statistics relies; this is not an end in
itself, but should help you appreciate what statistics can do. You
will be expected to perform some tests of significance; this is not an
end in itself, but should help you appreciate what significance means.
This course will not make you a statistician, but should diminish the
extent to which you are intimidated when confronted with statistical
data and statistical analyses.
This course will follow the standard trinity of introductory statistics:
descriptive statistics, elementary probability (which is necessary for
understanding inferential statistics), and inferential statistics.
Correlation and regression will be presented as descriptive statistics at the
end of the course.
Some of you will take subsequent courses in statistics. Such courses
will probably be of a more applied character, although a few of you may take
courses which are more mathematical (theoretical). This course will serve
as a foundation for either type of course. You will be expected to know the
mathematics, probability, statistical measures, and statistical tests you have
used in this course (they will probably be retaught more quickly). Less time
will be devoted to asking you what statistics really tells you (does).
In the event of a fire [alarm], Wright Hall may be exited by the stairwells
which are located at each end (north and south) of the building. Fire
extinguishers are located near each stairwell on each floor. In the event of a
tornado, go to the corridor on the floor where your class is meeting, there is
not room for everybody to gather on the ground floor if classes are in session;
DO NOT remain on the third (top) floor in the event of a tornado.
The University of Northern Iowa does not discriminate in employment or education.
Visit uni.edu/policies/1303 for additional information.