Miami Dade College
Homestead Campus
Mathematics Department
STA 2023
Instructor: Eric Philias
E-mail:ephilias@mdc.edu
Phone: (305) 237-5071
Room: B123
Faculty page: faculty.mdc.edu/ephilias
Book: Statistics, A First Course 8th Ed, by Freund, Perles
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Class Meeting
times
Office Hours
Course Description:
This course is intended to prepare students to represent sets of data graphically and use those graphs to
draw conclusions underlying the application of statistical procedures such as normal probability plots,
boxplots, stem-and-leaf plots, histograms, scatterplots, and residual plots. Additionally, these plots are
used to find similarities and differences between two or more different sets of data. More importantly,
this course emphasizes more on interpretation than computation. Once the students are familiar with
the statistical procedures, outputs from diverse statistical software packages (SAS, Minitab, JMP, SPSS,
and S-Plus) are provided to students to make inferences and draw conclusions based on the results of
the computations. One of the major problems first-semester statistics students often encounter is to
understand that, unlike other mathematics courses, statistics is not about numbers, but about data
(numbers in context). In the endeavor to overcome this issue, every topic in this course will be taught
via real-life activities and examples. This will allow students to practice communicating methods and
results, and interpreting results in authentic situations using the vocabulary of statistics.
Prerequisite: MAC 1105 or equivalent with a grade of “C” or better.
Course Objectives: This course will cover the basics of Statistics and Probability, Probability
Distributions, the Central limit Theorem, Confidence Intervals, Hypothesis Testing and Regression.
Your attendance in this class implies full understanding of the following requirements and constitutes
full acceptance of the terms of this contract regarding its policies and procedures. If you need
clarification, please see me personally.
Course Requirements

Text: Statistics, A First Course 8th Edition, by Freund, Perles.
Friday
 Graphing calculator:
You are required to have your own graphing calculator; our department generally uses the TI 83
or TI 83 Plus or TI 84.
HOMEWORK:
**Homework will be assigned regularly from the textbook.
**Reading assignments will be given each class that serve as preparation for the next class.
**Students are required to read the section(s) to be covered, work through the
textbook examples PRIOR TO COMING TO CLASS each day.
Doing the homework consistently will do several things for you when it comes to take a test:
 Increase your speed and accuracy.
 Increase your confidence.
 Increase your understanding of the directions on the test.
Grading:
Tests:



4 unit exams
Short quizzes will be given regularly during the first 5 – 10 minutes of class. If you are
late you will receive a zero for that quiz. NO MAKEUP QUIZZES WILL BE GIVEN
4 Assignments
Grading scale: The final grade will be based on the following components:
4 in-class Exams
4 Assignments
Quizzes
Group Project
Attendance
Total
60 %
15 %
10%
10%
5%
100%
In addition, at the discretion of the instructor, students may be assessed through various in-class
activities such as board work and small group presentations.
Average of 90-100%
Average of 80-89%
Average of 70-79%
Average of 60-69%
Average below 60%
A
B
C
D
F
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance is vital to understanding the material and ultimately to your success in this course.
Tardiness and leaving early are unacceptable and will be noted along with absences. You will be marked
absent if you are more than 15 minutes late. Due to the fast-paced nature of this course, any student
who has more than TWO absences will be dropped from the course at my discretion. Keep in mind that
“legitimate” absences are still absences. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to obtain notes and to
catch up on missed material and/or assignments.
You are expected to arrive on time and stay for the entire class. Arriving late or leaving early is
disruptive. If you must come late or leave early for a legitimate reason such as a doctor’s appointment,
please let me know in advance and enter or exit through the rear of the classroom as quietly as possible.
Assistance:
You can obtain assistance for mathematics classes in the Learning Support Lab, D203. There, you will
find course-related videotapes and computer software, and tutors that can help you to successfully
complete this course.
The Learning Support Lab hours are: MTWR 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
S 10:00AM-2:00 P.M.
Office Hours: Your professor urges you to avail yourself of his/hers individual instruction during office
hours. Do not wait until you are in trouble. If you have been absent or late to class, please read the
lesson you missed and come to his/her office prepared with questions.
Classroom and Laboratory Etiquette:
Please refrain from bringing food or drinks into any classroom, lab, or into the courtyard. Please turn off
any cellular phones and set pagers to "vibrate." You are expected to arrive on time to class, depart
when the class has concluded, and treat others respectfully. You are encouraged to ask questions.
Incomplete: The grade of I (Incomplete) is given in the rare case that a student is PASSING a class but for
some extenuating circumstance is unable to complete the last part (usually the final exam) of the class.
If you are not passing your class, it is not possible for your instructor to give you an I. Note that you will
have one full term (Fall or Winter) to complete the requirements of your Incomplete contract. If you do
not complete your requirements in that time, the I generally will automatically change to an F on your
records. The instructor makes the determination as to whether you are eligible for an Incomplete.
Withdrawal:
If you feel that you will be unable to complete the requirements for passing a class, it is important that
you drop the class by the college's "drop date" as established by the registrar's office. You should speak
to your instructor prior to making the decision to drop. Remember that it is your responsibility to drop a
class, not the instructor's. If circumstances such as illness, accident, change in employment situation,
etc., prevent you from continuing to attend your class BEFORE the drop date, speak to your instructor
and see the Dean of Students (room B215) for your options regarding an appeal. If such a situation
occurs AFTER the drop date, you should contact the instructor for information as to how you can
complete the requirements for passing the course.
Registration:
It is your responsibility to make sure that you are registered for this course. Be sure to obtain a copy of
your schedule to verify the reference number and that you do not have any outstanding fees. If your
name does not appear on your instructor’s class roll by the mini-term as being registered and having
paid for the class, you will not receive a grade for this course, and you will have to retake it next term,
regardless of whether you continue to sit in on the class.
MDC Email Account:
Students are required to activate and use their MDC email account. The MDC account allows students
to receive email from their instructors and get notification/announcements of other pertinent
information from the College.
Day
Section
Introduction
2.1 : Dots Diagrams
2.2 : Stem-and-Leaf Display
2.3: Frequency Distribution
2.4 : Graphical Presentation
3.1: Measures of Location: the Mean and Other Fractiles
3.3 : Measure of Location : The Median
3.4 : Measure Of Location : The Mode
3.5: Measure of Variation :The range
3.7 : Some Applications of the Standard deviation
Review for Test #1
Test #1
4.1 : Counting
4.2: Permutations
4.3: Combinations
4.4: Probability
4.5: Mathematical Expectation
5.1: The Sample Space
5.2: Events
5.3: Some basic Rules of Probability
5.4: Probability and Odds
5.5: Addition Rules
5.6: Conditional Probability
5.7: Independent Events
5.8: Multiplication Rules
6.1: Probability Distribution
6.2: The Binomial Distribution
6.6: The mean of a Binomial Distribution
6.7: The standard deviation of a Binomial Distribution
Review for Test #2
Test #2
7.1: Continuous Distribution
7.2: The Normal Distribution
7.3: Applications of Normal Distribution
8.1: Random Sampling
8.2: Sampling Distributions
8.3: The Standard Error of the mean
8.4: The Central Limit Theorem
9.1: The Estimation of Means
9.2: Confidence Intervals for Mean (Large Samples)
9.3: Confidence Intervals for Mean (Small Samples)
9.5: The Estimation of Proportions
Review for test #3
Test #3
10.1: Test Of Hypotheses
10.2: Significance Tests
10.3 Tests Concerning Means (large Samples)
10.4: Tests Concerning Means (Small samples)
11.2 Testing a Claim about a Proportion
10.5: Differences Between Means (Large Samples)
Homework
10.6: Differences Between Means (Small Samples)
10.7 Differences Between Means(Paired Data)
11.3: Differences Between Proportions
Review #4
Test #4
NOTE: I reserve the right to amend this syllabus if necessary.
As graduates of Miami Dade College, students will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Communicate effectively using listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
Use quantitative analytical skills to evaluate and process numerical data.
Solve problems using critical and creative thinking and scientific reasoning.
Formulate strategies to locate, evaluate, and apply information.
Demonstrate knowledge of diverse cultures, including global and historical perspectives.
Create strategies that can be used to fulfill personal, civic, and social responsibilities.
Demonstrate knowledge of ethical thinking and its application to issues in society.
Use computer and emerging technologies effectively.
Demonstrate an appreciation for aesthetics and creative activities.
Describe how natural systems function and recognize the impact of humans on the environment.
The learning activities designed in this course will address outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8.
NOTE: I reserve the right to amend this syllabus if necessary.