DRAFT 4/9/08
MA383 Applied Statistics I Online
Summer 2008
Syllabus
Instructor Information
Dr. David Powers
SC 391
dpowers@clarkson.edu
Phone : (315) 268-2369 Fax : (315)-268 – 2371
On campus office hours: TBA
Course Calendar
Course starts Friday May 30, 2008 and ends Friday July 25, 2008. Each week’s material will be
released on a Friday and will remain available for the duration of the term.
Prerequisites
Academic: MA132 Calculus II or equivalent
Personal: commitment to spend 10 to 15 hours per week on this course for 8 weeks.
Access to Blackboard: this requires Windows Active Directory. If you are using Blackboard on
campus, you should be able to access it off campus as well. Try it out!
Required course materials
Textbook: Applied Statistics for Engineers and Scientists, 2d ed., by Devore & Farnum
(Brooks Cole, 2005) and Student Solutions Manual. You may purchase your book online via
the Clarkson Bookstore. The bookstore sells a bundle of the text and Minitab. The Solutions
Manual is separate. This is the same book being used in the lecture course.
Software: MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint; Adobe Acrobat Reader; and Minitab. Minitab is a
statistics program that is easy to use and does with a couple of clicks what Excel would need
a lot of effort to achieve. It comes bundled with the book if you get it from the bookstore
(maybe also with a used copy?).
Fax or Scanner: Because of the nature of course assignments, you need access to either a
scanner or a fax machine for submitting work. Work, especially projects, may be completed
longhand and either faxed to me or scanned into a jpg or pdf file and submitted via the
Assignment tool or e-mail. Frankly, fax doesn't work well.
Suggested Weekly Schedule
You will need schedule time to work on this class. Below is a suggested way to pace yourself
throughout each week:
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
New unit opens
Read the assigned sections of the text;
Listen to the Powerpoint if available;
Make an outline of the readings;
Do practice problems.
Tuesday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Submit outline
Take quizzes and work on project
Complete quizzes. Submit projects
Student Assessments
1. Weekly Outlines: You make an outline of important points from the readings each week.
You will be given an example of what is to be done. Outlines are due each Wednesday.
2. Weekly Quizzes: These quizzes are multiple-choice/ true-false/ short-answer questions
generated within Blackboard. You may take up to three quizzes each week. The best quiz
grade of the week is the one that counts. Quizzes must be completed each Thursday.
3. Weekly Projects: Each week you will complete one or two projects, which are like
practice problems but more extensive. If you do them by hand (recommended), you may
submit by fax or as a scanned attachment. Projects must be submitted each Thursday.
4. Homework/practice problems: Each week, practice problems will be assigned that are
designed to apply the week’s concepts. Homework is not submitted for grading.
However, you are urged to complete it and contact the instructor or fellow students if you
have any questions.
5. The last week: During the week of July 19-24, there will be no quizzes or outline. All
the credit for that week's work will come from a set of projects that cover material from
the whole course.
6. Proctored Exams: There will be one two-hour midterm Friday, June 27 and a two-hour
final exam on Friday, July 25. You must locate a suitable Proctor or take the exam on
campus. See below for more details regarding your choice of Proctors.
Grading
The course grade will be a weighted average of:
Midterm Test grade (25%)
Final Exam grade (25%)
Weekly quizzes (5%)
Weekly outlines (10%)
Weekly projects (30%)
Final week projects (5%)
No individual changes in these weights will be made. Letter grades are expected to be assigned
without curve (90-100:A, 85-90:B+, 80-85: B,..., 60-65:D, 0-60:F). There will be no grade
exemptions from the final exam.
Late Assignment Submissions
I will not accept work submitted late unless I hear from you before the deadline, and I have
agreed to extend your deadline. It is too easy to get behind during such a short term, so plan on
completing your work on time.
Communication
Communication concerning course work will take place primarily through Discussion forums
and e-mail. Be sure that you check your Clarkson email regularly! During the week, questions
posed to me will be addressed within 24 hrs. Do not expect an immediate response, especially
over the weekend.
A Discussion forum will be available, where you can post questions regarding the week’s
assignments. I may use these forums to clear up any misunderstandings or to post tips regarding
specific assignments. Use these forums as you would use a face-to-face classroom; ask questions
when you need help!
Exam Proctor Requirements
You are required to complete a Midterm Exam and a Final Exam, either on campus or in the
presence of a Proctor. If you chose to use a Proctor, you must make these arrangements by
Friday, June 20 (one week before the test). I have to approve your Proctor; then I will send your
Proctor a copy of the midterm which he/she will administer. Here is the suggested process:
1. Contact your proposed Proctor and ensure that he/she is willing to act as Proctor and can
supervise you for the two hours needed to complete the exam.
2. Ask your Proctor to e-mail me with the following information:
a. Proctor name and title
b. Phone number
c. Email address
3. I will contact you once I have approved the Proctor. At this point, schedule a two-hour
time period with your Proctor on Friday June 27 and Friday July 25.
Here is a list of acceptable Proctors:
 Accredited College or University Faculty/Testing Center Administrators
 K-12 School Teacher, Counselor or Administrator
 Certified Librarian
 Your supervisor if you are in a professional-level job.
If you choose to complete the exams on the Clarkson campus, I will be the proctor. They are
scheduled for Friday June 27 and Friday July 25, time to be arranged. Contact me in advance
for the time.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the foundation of the academic community. Because each student has the
primary responsibility for being academically honest, you are advised to read and understand the
section on Academic Integrity in the Clarkson University Student Regulations 2006-2007. All
forms of academic dishonesty, including cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and aiding and
abetting of a dishonest act will not be tolerated. A violation pertaining to this item will be
handled through the Academic Integrity procedures.
Student Learning Resources:
 BlackBoard at Clarkson: If you are new to Blackboard, here is some additional
information concerning its use.
 HelpDesk: The OIT HelpDesk can be contacted at helpdesk@clarkson.edu or 315-2684357.

Proxy Configuration: You will need to follow this procedure if you wish to access
restricted content from Clarkson’s pages, as well as the online journals which Clarkson
subscribes to. If you have any questions, please contact the OIT HelpDesk (268-HELP).