STA5176 BIOSTATISTICS Summer 2013
Section 5993: This section is a distance section in which students use Elluminate Live! to
log in during all lectures. I will create an elearning shell which will host it so that all
students can work together in holding discussions on the course material. I always allow
a limited amount of sharing of homework solutions. The general rule of thumb is never to
post more 50% of any solution. Give tips and hints and assistance with SAS, but do not
give out your solutions to other students.
Section 5992: This is a face to face section.
Instructor: Dr. Raid Amin e-mail : ramin@uwf.edu
Phone: 474-3014,
Lecture Times: TR: 2:00-4:40pm
Office Hours: will be announced.
C
Text: Biostatistical Analysis, 5th ed. by Jerrold H. Zar, Publisher : Prentice Hall
My lecture notes are also required. I will post the notes lectures on e-learning
in addition to the lecture recordings for students signing up for the Elluminate
section for this course.
Prerequisite: You should have successfully passed STA2023 or a similar statistics
course. See UWF Catalog for details.
Exams: The exams are proctored in-class, closed book exams. Simple one-page formula
sheets are allowed. No examples or solutions are allowed on the formula sheet. The
final exam is comprehensive and is designed to reflect any improvements in the students'
performances. A proctored exam can cost about $40 for each exam. The assignments will
be done as groups.
Grading:
Group Work
Term Exam 1 7/1
Term Exam 2 7/22
Final Exam
8/5
10%
30 %
30%
30%
e-learning discussions: I encourage each student to use elearning.uwf.edu as frequently
as possible to communicate with me and with the other students in your class. I will
monitor the discussions on a daily basis. Make use of discussion forums to ask questions
and to get answers. Please try not to send me emails to ask questions about the course
material. Reserve personal emails for confidential and personal issues that you do not
want others to know about.
Internet:
I encourage you to make use of the internet to learn more about the topics we
cover in class. Just use www.google.com with the appropriate key words in
each search.
Grading Scale: A (91-100), A- (90-91), B+(88-90), B (81-88), B-(80-81), C+(78-80),
C (71-78), C-(70-71), D+ (68-70), D (61-68), D- (60-61) F (below 60).
Honor Policy : Students are encouraged to discuss the course material with each other,
but no help should be given or received for any graded assignments or
exams.
Attendance: Class attendance is expected and is strongly encouraged. Students are
responsible for all material given in class. Inform me ahead if you absolutely
have to miss a lecture.
Homework:The homework is designed to complement the lectures, and is essential for a
full grasp of the material. You are encouraged to attempt all homework
exercises. I rely on students tutoring each other first, and when all fails, I
will assist you with any problems. Group work is expected in the homework
assignments. While there is no grade for the homework, it will drive all
discussions.
Student Mentoring I expect students to actively mentor each other throughout
the semester on elearning by using the discussion forums.
Discussions: It is very important that each student contributes to the class lectures by
In-class and online discussions and by active participation throughout the
semester.
Expected Student Outcomes:
(1) Students will be able to use statistical methods (Analysis of Variance, Regression Analysis,
Nonparametric Methods).
(2) Students will be ready to assist faculty members in their department on the statistical analysis of their
experiments.
(3) Students will have a basic working knowledge of SAS, enabling them to use SAS manuals to write
programs for Analysis of Variance, Regression Analysis, and other statistical methods.
SAS:
You will be using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) throughout the
course. I will be illustrating in class how to get started with SAS and how
to submit programs. My lecture notes have all necessary SAS programs
for this course. You will be responsible for submitting programs and
understanding the print-outs. This is a major part of this course. SAS can
be accessed via e-desktop. Practicing SAS is very important. Save all
your SAS work so that you will keep a good documentation for future use.
Many SAS assignments will depend on previous SAS programs, so it is
saving you plenty of time if you have access to your older SAS programs.
Material:
This course starts with the comparison of several population means.
This is a direct extension of the material that was covered in STA2023 or
STA3162C , which included a comparison of two population means.
Your text includes all material necessary from STA2023 in its first nine
chapters.
Chapter 10 : Analysis of Variance.
Chapter 11 : Multiple Comparisons. Sections 11.1-11.4
Chapter 12 : Two-Factor Analysis of Variance. 12.1-12.3,12.5-12.6.
Chapter 13 : Data Transformations.
Chapter 17 : Simple Linear Regression.
Chapter 19 : Simple Linear Correlation. Sections 19.1, 19.9.
Chapter 20 : Multiple Regression.
Chapter 22 : Goodness of Fit. Sections 21.1, 21.2.
Chapter 23 : Contingency Tables. Sections 22.1, 22.2, 2.3, 22.8, 22.9.
Withdrawal:
No automatic late withdrawal from this course with a 'W' is possible
after the deadline. Refer to the UWF Catalog for details.
Make-up Exams: There will be no make-up exams given. Discuss with me any
scheduling problems very early in the semester and definitely before
exam days. If a student has a approval from me to miss an exam, then
the final exam will have more weight for this student.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Must I attend all lectures during the announced lecturing times live? This is an
“online course” after all.  Yes, all students must do their best to attend almost
every lecture live. This is a very important requirement for student learning in the
graduate program at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
What does a “proctored exam” mean?  The exam will be taken at an approved
educational center that you choose, and you will be proctored (overlooked) as you
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take the exam. There may be a fee included, depending on the center doing the
proctoring. You must submit to the appropriate drop box on e-learning the proctor
information. UWF has a special form for proctor information with guidelines.
May I use my relative or spouse as my proctor for exams?  No, this would be
unacceptable. Always start by looking for a junior college close to where you live.
I am an officer in the US military. How would I take proctored exams?  A
higher ranked officer may be used as your proctor. Many military bases have
educational centers that can be used for proctoring.
I am stationed in Japan at a U.S. military base. The time difference is
considerable. How will I be able to attend lecture live and when will I take my
proctored exams?  I am flexible in such situations, and we will work out how
you will go through this online course. Exams can be taken at times that are
manageable for you at your local time.
How will I submit my exams to you?  I will send your proctor the exam in a
timely fashion, and she/he will email me back your completed exam after
scanning it at the educational center where you will be taking the exam.
Do I have multiple options when to take the proctored exam?  All exams will
be taken on specific days that I will announce in class and on e-learning. There is
flexibility at what time on a given day you can take the exam, as long as the
proctor will be able to email me back your scanned completed exam on the same
day.
I travel a lot, and I need to take my exams on weekends. Is this possible?  No,
this is not possible since all students must take the exams on the same day.
How do I send you my assignments when I complete them?  You will be able
tow rite up each assignment with pencil and paper, followed by scanning it to a
single PDF file with maximum file size 2MB. Then you will submit that (single
PDF) file to the appropriate drop box on e-learning.
Can you give me some tips on how to scan the assignments?  There is a file
posted on e-learning on how to scan assignments.
Must I participate in e-learning discussions?  Your active participation on elearning with questions and answers and tips for assignments is extremely
valuable to all students and to your better student learning of the course material.
May I send you emails on the course material throughout the semester?  I have
many students enrolled in my classes each semester, and it is most efficient to
limit emails to personal issues that you do not want to post on e-learning.
Whatever I address on e-learning will stay posted for an entire semester, and all
students will benefit from my input there.
May I drop the course any time during the semester?  Always check with the
announced UWF deadlines for dropping courses without penalties. There is no
“late W” assigned by me. It is your responsibility to keep track of deadlines.
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May I leave the class room when I do not want to complete attending a lecture?
 While it is naturally allowed to leave the class room to go to the restroom or if
you should not feel well, it is disrupting the lecture if a student leaves the class
room for no justifiable reasons. If you know before the lecture starts that you must
leave early, just inform me about it at the start of the lecture. Then it is fine to
leave early.