“This course will cover statistical analysis and interpretation of data in the biological sciences;
probability; distributions and statistical inference for one- and two-sample problems.” 3 credits
Prerequisite: 3 credits in mathematics
Objectives:
In this course you will gain problem solving skills that will allow you to decide for yourself if
research involving data is trustworthy or not. Mathematical calculations are necessary but more important
is interpreting the values computed. At the end of the semester you will be able to organize data using
numerical and graphical summaries, apply properties to data based on the distribution that it follows,
make calculations that prove or disprove a hypothesis, interpret the trend in new data compared to a
previous standard, diagnose the trustworthiness of inference, collect data without bias and diagnose bias
in collected data.
Faculty Contact:
Jenny Shook
416 Thomas
(814) 865-6164
Office hours: Thursday 10am-12noon
TA information:
Won Chang
wuc130@psu.edu
Office hours: Organized by Stat Dept, see ANGEL
Communication:
Bring any questions or concerns to class or Mrs. Shook’s office hours. Outside of class, call Mrs.
Shook’s office phone for emergencies. Use the Q&A Board in ANGEL for non-emergency questions.
Use “Messages” in ANGEL for non-emergency private questions to Jenny Shook (faculty) or use TA
email as listed above. TA office hours are for subject matter questions and help.
Materials:
Textbook: Pagano and Gauvreau’s Principles of Biostatistics Second Edition, Duxbury.
i<Clicker: Register online at http://www.iclicker.com/support/registeryourclicker/ before class starts.
Calculator: Any kind that can compute a square root (graphing ok) – internet connection prohibited.
Essentials: Notebook or paper to work out problems in class; pen, pencil, eraser, etc.
Computer: One day each week you will have the use of a computer in class (lab). Outside of class, any
ITS maintained PC on campus can provide Minitab as do the ones in class (or go to the Computer Store
for a student license for your own PC). You will need to access ANGEL regularly for all course
information.
Course Policies:
If you cannot complete any assignment by the designated due date for any reason like illness,
extracurricular activities, family emergencies, religious activities, etc. you must contact Mrs. Shook by
phone or in person prior to the due date and discuss alternative arrangements. Work missed and not
discussed prior to the due date cannot be made up. Exact due dates are listed below. Work completed but
not to your satisfaction may not be re-taken. Late work is not accepted even if it is completed. Lecture
class will be held on every scheduled day except for exam days. Lab class is never canceled.
You are expected to complete all your own work in a collaborative setting. Please remember that
copying anyone else’s work or the author’s answers is considered cheating. As a reminder, the University
has a policy on academic honesty. You are expected to abide by the procedures set forth in the
University’s document at http://www.psu.edu/dept/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20 .
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you
have a disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course, contact the Office for
Disability Services (ODS) at 814-863-1807 (V/TTY). For further information regarding ODS, please visit
the Office for Disability Services Web site at http://equity.psu.edu/ods/. In order to receive consideration
for course accommodations, you must contact ODS and provide documentation (see the documentation
guidelines at http://equity.psu.edu/ods/guidelines/documentation-guidelines). If the documentation
supports the need for academic adjustments, ODS will provide a letter identifying appropriate academic
adjustments. Please share this letter and discuss the adjustments with your instructor as early in the course
as possible. You must contact ODS and request academic adjustment letters at the beginning of each
semester.
Your weekly homework will be to read the textbook and view videos on the content material
before such is discussed and practiced in the lecture class using clickers and the lab class in an online
quiz. Video understanding will be assessed by quiz questions on ANGEL during the lecture videos,
totaling 50 points.
i>Clickers will be used in the lecture classes (Monday and Friday) to assess content knowledge.
Points will be earned for correct answers. At the end of the semester, the student with the highest point
total will receive 100% of the 100 available clicker points. All others will receive the percentage of what
they have earned based on the highest total (curve scale).
Wednesday in lab, a 10 question lab quiz (2 chances) is taken on ANGEL based on questions in
the textbook completed using statistical software Minitab. Directions are supplied in written and video
form. It may be in your best interests to view the questions and videos, practicing before coming to lab.
Lab quizzes are open notes, open book, and open for discussion among classmates. The highest of the
two attempts made during class on each lab quiz is worth 10 points, 100 total. Quizzes taken outside of
class will not count for credit.
For each exam unit, a brief project is worked on in and outside of class but is not turned in.
Guidelines for each project are on ANGEL. Online quizzes due at 11:59:59pm on the due date will assess
the completeness and correctness of each project. Projects are worth 50 points each, 250 total.
Exams are to be scheduled by you at the testing center; they will email you a link to use for
scheduling each exam, usually one week before the exam day. Each exam is 25 multiple choice
questions. All needed tables are included in the exam questions. You will be given a bar coded sheet of
scrap paper by the testing center staff. You may bring a pencil or pen, calculator, and a front and back of
one 9”X11” sheet of handwritten notes for each exam. You must turn in your handwritten notes and the
bar coded scrap paper at the testing center desk at the end of each exam and you will not get these back.
More information is available at www.testing.psu.edu/students.html. Failure to schedule a time slot in a
timely manner or failure to follow directions may result in a 0 for your exam score. Some exams will
have time slots on Monday, others on Monday and Tuesday. Each exam is worth 100 points, 500 total.
The cumulative, 50 multiple-choice question final exam is scheduled by the University. Details
are the same as exams above except that two 9”X11” sheets of handwritten notes are allowed (two front /
back or only four fronts). The final exam is worth 100 points and will be used in the place of any
technology error on other online assignments if the need arises. Otherwise, the final exam will be
considered extra credit.
Grading:
What?
Points
i>Clickers
100
Lab Quizzes
100
Exams
500
Projects
250
Lecture Quizzes
50
Final Exam
100
Total
1100
Total Points
930 and above
900-929
870-899
830-869
800-829
770-799
700-769
600-699
Below 600
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
D
F
Reading Assignments (due before the day of the lecture on the chapter):
Ch 1-2, Syllabus
Ch 11
Ch 3, skip 3.3
Ch 13, skip 13.1
Ch 6
Ch 14
Ch 7
Ch 15-16.1, skip 15.3-15.4
Ch 8
Ch 17, skip 17.3
Ch 9, skip 9.2
Ch 18, skip 18.2.4 and 18.3.3
Ch 10
Ch 22 and Ch 4 page 71 only
Lab Quiz Assignments / Textbook Questions completed using Minitab:
Chapter 2 / 8, 10, 16, 18-20
Chapter 11 / 8-10, 13-15
Chapter 3 / 7, 13, 15
Chapter 13 / 6, 8-13, 15, 16
Chapter 6 / 16
Chapter 14 / 8-10, 12, 13
Chapter 7 / 14, 17, 18
Chapter 15 / 9, 10, 14, 15
Chapter 8 / 11, 13, 15
Chapter 17 / 5 a-d, 8
Chapter 9 / 10, 12, 13
Chapter 18 / 8, 10, 13
Chapter 10 / 11, 15, 16
Chapter 22 / 7
Exam Practice (try the lab questions and these by hand):
Chapter 1 / 1-3
Chapter 2 / 1-7, 9, 15, 17
Chapter 3 / 1-6, 8, 9
Chapter 6 / 1-8, 10, 13, 15
Chapter 7 / 1-9, 12
Chapter 8 / 1-10, 12, 14
Chapter 9 / 1-9
Chapter 10 / 1-10, 12, 13
Chapter 11 / 1-6, 11, 12
Chapter 13 / 1, 3-5, 9, 12
Chapter 14 / 1-7, 11
Chapter 15 / 1-3, 6-8, 12
Chapter 16 / 1
Chapter 17 / 1, 2, 4
Chapter 18 / 1-4, 7
Chapter 4 / 3; Chapter 22 / 1, 3-6, 8, 9
Semester Schedule:
Week:
Monday
Wednesday
Friday
1: Aug 27 – 31
Syllabus
Lecture Ch 1
ANGEL / lab introduction
Data collection
Lecture Ch 2
2: Sept 3 – 7
No classes
Lab Quiz Ch 2
Project 1
Lecture Ch 3
3: Sept 10 – 14
Lecture Ch 6
Lab Quiz Ch 3, 6
Project 1
Lecture Ch 7
4: Sept 17 – 21
Exam 1 Ch 1-3, 6
Project 1
Lecture Ch 8a
Project 1 due
5: Sept 24 – 28
Lecture Ch 8b
Lab Quiz Ch 7-8
Lecture Ch 9
6: Oct 1 – 5
Project 2 Introduction
Lab Quiz Ch 9
Project 2
Lecture Ch 10
7: Oct 8 – 12
Exam 2 Ch 7-9
Project 2
Lecture Ch 11a
Project 2 due
8: Oct 15 – 19
Lecture Ch 11b
Lab Quiz Ch 10-11
Lecture Ch 13
9: Oct 22 – 26
Lecture Ch 14a
Lab Quiz Ch 13
Project 3
Lecture Ch 14b
10: Oct 29 – Nov 2
Exam 3 Ch 10, 11, 13
Project 3
Lecture Ch 15-16.1
Project 3 due
11: Nov 5 – 9
Project 4 Introduction
Lab Quiz Ch 14-16.1
Project 4
Lecture Ch 17
12: Nov 12 – 16
Exam 4 Ch 14-16
Lab Quiz Ch 17
Project 4
Lecture Ch 18a
13: Nov 26 – 30
Lecture Ch 18b
Lab Quiz Ch 18
Project 4
Lecture Ch 22
14: Dec 3 – 7
Project 4 Questions
Lab Quiz Ch 22
Project 4, 5
Review Exams 1-3
Project 4 due
15: Dec 10 – 14
Exam 5 Ch 17, 18, 22
Project 5
Review Exams 3-5
Project 5 due
Final exam: as scheduled by the University