Mth102 Instructor File
Updated May 2013
Committee members: Dan Kernler, Naima Bahaji, Chalyce Deterding, and Ewa Rudzinski
Contact any of us if you have any questions!
Text
Essential Statistics, by Navidi & Monk, 1st edition (beginning Fall 2013)
Supplements

McGraw-Hill has an online homework system called Connect that will come standard in
the bundle sold through the bookstore.

Also bundled is a conceptual assessment called LearnSmart. This system is more
conceptually based, and provides students a personalized learning plan.
We recommend that you have some training on these systems before requiring them of your
students.

Instructor’s edition of the full textbook are available from Vicki or Jane. Additionally,
you can get copies of the Instructors Solutions Manual.

A copy of a guidebook for the Texas Instruments TI-83/84 calculators which Dan Kernler
created for this course and Mth120 is available on the Mth102 Course page in the Math
Department Handbook.
Technology Guidelines
Graphing Calculator such as TI-84 is required. Instruction should include use of the following
features: creating and editing lists; calculating sample mean, median, and standard deviation;
histograms; modified boxplots; normal probability plots. Instructors may prohibit use of the TI89; Excel is optional.
Technology note: If you prefer to use an alternative technology, you must teach the equivalent
skills within that technology.
Topics
The topics for this course were reviewed in Spring 2013. We came to consensus on a few
general issues:
1. Technology should be utilized liberally. Emphasis in the course should be placed on
interpreting results, not on formulaic calculations.
2. Correlation and regression should be included, but a one or two-day lesson on scatter
plots, calculating r and R2, and finding the least-squares regression line using technology
should suffice. Emphasis should be placed on the general concept.
3. The theory behind hypothesis testing and confidence intervals about the mean when
the population standard deviation is known should be minimized, with emphasis placed
on the more practical case when it is unknown.
4. Instructors are free to address probability a bit lighter, if necessary.
We correlated the topics with the new text and attempted to provide guidelines for the number
of class sessions for each topic. These are, of course, only suggestions. Please provide us with
feedback and critique as the semester progresses.
Note: The hours below are 50 minute class hours. The time for each chapter is inclusive of time
you spend both teaching and assessment (pre-tests, quizzes, chapter tests, etc.)
Chapter 1: Basic Ideas
 Feel free to cover Section 1.3 at less depth than other sections.
4 hours
Chapter 2: Graphical Summaries of Data
 Be sure to emphasize the use of technology.
4 hours
Chapter 3: Numerical Summaries of Data
 Emphasis can be placed on using technology and interpreting results,
rather than deriving calculation formulas, though many faculty do still
require students to make calculations using formulas.
5 hours
Chapter 4: Probability
 Probability is a rich topic, but to allow further investigations later in the
course, try to limit the amount of time spent in this chapter to no more
than 4 or 5 class periods.
5 hours
Chapter 5: Discrete Probability Distributions
 The variance and standard deviation of discrete random variables may
be superficially covered, with greater emphasis placed on the expected
value instead.
5 hours
Chapter 6: The Normal Distribution
 Section 6.5 Normal Approximation to the Binomial may be skipped.
 Section 6.6 Assessing Normality should be addressed emphasizing
technology.
8 hours
Chapter 7: Confidence Intervals
6 hours

Use Section 7.1 (sigma known) to introduce the idea of a confidence
interval, but focus more on the more practical case when sigma is
unknown in Section 7.2.
Chapter 8: Hypothesis Testing
 Similarly here, focus more on when sigma is unknown.
6 hours
Chapter 11: Correlation and Regression
 A heavy focus on calculator use and analysis rather than formulas
3 hours
46 hours**
** We expect everyone to give a cumulative final over the last two hours (possibly over two
days) giving the total of 48 hours for the semester.