STA 200
Statistics: A Force in Human Judgment
Fall 2005
Instructor: Robin Davis
Phone: 257-4872 ext. 4343
Office location: SOCA 111
E-mail: Robin.Davis@kctcs.edu
Office Hours: TR
11:00-12:00 p.m. in SOCA 111
Other office hours online
Department Coordinator: Barbara Elzey-Miller, 257-4872 ext. 4313
Division Chair: Vicki Partin, 257-4872 ext. 4126
Course website: http://www.kyvu.org/home.htm . Login with your username (rdavis1234 – first initial, full last
name, and last 4 SS# digits) and password (last 4 SS# digits).
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is concerned with the interaction of the science and art of statistics with our everyday lives,
emphasizing examples from the social and behavioral sciences. The student will not be required to learn
mathematical formulas. Topics include the nature of statistics, uses and misuses of statistics, the scope and
limitations of statistics, criteria by which published statistics may be judged, interpretation of probability and
the art of decision making. Prerequisite: Completion of the mathematics basic skills requirement.
COURSE OBJECTIVES See the General Education Learning Outcomes on page 3 of this syllabus.
TEXTBOOK
David S. Moore, Statistics: Concepts and Controversies, 5th edition, 2001, Freeman.
CALCULATOR
Calculators may be used in class and during exams, but the instructor reserves the right to clear the memory
of any calculator during an exam.
ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance is necessary for success in any statistics course. To be successful in this class a student
must attend at least 80% of the classes. Attending class means being in class on time and remaining until the
class is dismissed. Students are responsible for lecture material, assignments, and announcements given during
missed classes. Any student who attends less than 80% of the class meetings will be asked to withdraw
from the class. The student will fail the class if there is no withdrawal. Bluegrass Community and
Technical College's absence policy is found on the internet at
http://www.kctcs.net/student/studentcodeofconduct.pdf .
ACCOMODATIONS
Students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or
services) for this course must contact a staff member in BCTC's Disability Support Services (DSS) office, 103
Oswald Building. The DSS telephone number is (859) 257-4872 ext. 4194. Please do not request
accommodations directly from the instructor but do inform them of the situation no later than the end of the
second class meeting.
FINAL EXAM
The final exam schedule is as follows:
STA 200-J151
Thursday, December 15, 2005
STA 200-J152
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
STA 200-J0Z1
TBA – Proctored Final Exam
STA 200-J0Z2
TBA – Proctored Final Exam
STA 291-J0Z1
TBA – Proctored Final Exam
12:30-2:30 p.m.
2:00-4:00 p.m.
GRADING POLICY
EXAMS
There will be three regular exams worth 100 points each. The exams can be taken online and submitted
electronically or taken in the classroom. Because some exams are taken online, the instructor reserves the
right to ask a student to take a proctored exam if cheating is suspected. If the student cannot make a
similar grade on the proctored exam, a grade of zero will be given. If a student misses an exam with an
excused absence, the makeup must be taken before the answers are provided to the class. Make-up exams
not taken before the exam answers are provided will only be given during the last week of class
(December 5-9). If a student misses an exam without a documented excuse as defined by the college, the
percentage of correct answers on the final exam will be used in place of that exam score. Only one of the
three previous exam scores can be replaced using the score on the final exam.
Any other missed exams
without excused absence documentation will be given a grade of zero.
FINAL EXAM
There will be a cumulative final exam at the end of the semester worth 150 points. The final can be taken
online and submitted electronically or taken in the classroom. If a student takes the final exam and scores a
higher percentage of correct answers on the final exam than on a previous exam, the percentage of correct
answers on the final exam will be used in place of the previous score. Only one of the three previous exam
scores can be improved using the score on the final exam. The online final will be a proctored exam and each
student is responsible for locating an approved proctor if unable to take the exam locally with the instructor.
The proctor will need to email the instructor at Robin.Davis@kctcs.edu with proof of identification and
credentials to be approved. The instructor reserves the right to fail any student who does not receive a
passing grade on the final exam, or whose exam scores are not comparable over the course of the semester.
DAILY ASSIGNMENTS
Daily assignments will consist of activities, Jeopardy, and/or extra assignments. The daily assignments will be
completed and submitted electronically. Homework from the textbook will be assigned according to the
attached homework schedule, but is for your learning and will not be collected. Seven group activities, each
worth 25 points, will occur as listed on the daily schedule. The lowest activity grade will be dropped when
grades are computed, resulting in 150 points of the daily grade. Jeopardy will be used for review and students
will receive 10 points for completing and submitting the correct answers. There are four Jeopardy assignments
which results in 40 points of the daily grade. You could also have 10 additional points added to your daily grade
based on class participation. This makes the daily assignment grade worth 200 total points. The instructor
reserves the right to refuse any late work based on lack of documentation. Any permitted late or make-up
work must be completed and submitted before the next scheduled class.
Possible Points
Exams
300 points
Daily Grade 200 points
Final Exam
150 points
Total
650 points
Course Grade
A 585-650 points
B 520-584 points
C 455-519 points
D 390-454 points
E 0-389 points
An "I" grade will be given only when a student is unable to complete the course for some reason that is
satisfactory to the instructor. It shall be given only when there is a reasonable possibility that a passing grade
will result from the completion of the work.
A "W" grade will be given to any student who officially withdraws from the course by 2:00 p.m. on Friday,
December 9, 2005. If you wish to withdraw, you MUST follow the withdrawal procedures outlined by the
Records office in OB 203.
GENERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OUTCOMES
COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
 Learning outcome: Students should be able to write clearly.
 Course objective: Express verbal and quantitative information accurately and coherently.
* Instructional Objective: In response to insights gained in class discussions, students will use
their composition skills to write coherent essay responses to statistical situations on
assignments, activities and exams.
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Learning outcome: Students should be able to read with comprehension.
Course objective: Evaluate statistical information in written material for appropriate use of sampling
procedures, definitions, and deceptive or erroneous reasoning.
* Instructional Objective: In response to insights gained in class discussions and from reading
the text, students will critically analyze, summarize, and interpret statistical information in a
variety of reading materials on assignments, activities and exams.
Learning outcome: Students should be able to use symbolic language.
Course objective: Differentiate between numerical measures of samples and populations by using
appropriate notation.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of class demonstration, students will learn and use
appropriate statistical notation on assignments, activities and exams.
THINK CRITICALLY
 Learning outcome: Students should be able to demonstrate problem-solving skills.
 Course objective: Use the normal distribution and two-way tables to find probabilities of specific outcomes
in a variety of everyday settings.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn and demonstrate when and how to find probabilities in real life situations on
assignments, activities and exams.
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Learning outcome: Students should be able to analyze/interpret creative expressions, resources, and/or
data.
Course objective: Produce and/or interpret graphical representations and numerical measures of average
and variability in real world data.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn and demonstrate how to produce and interpret graphical and numerical
summaries of data on assignments, activities and exams.
Learning outcome: Students should be able to integrate knowledge.
Course objective: Explain the importance of random assignment/sampling in experimental design and
inference as it applies to specific real world problems.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn when and how statistical results can be used and will demonstrate this
knowledge on assignments, activities and exams.
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Learning outcome: Students should be able to use logical thinking to draw conclusions.
Course objective: Use the results of appropriately gathered data to draw conclusions about population
parameters.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn how to make inferences about population parameters and will demonstrate on
assignments, activities and exams.
LEARN INDEPENDENTLY
 Learning outcome: Students should be able to apply learning.
 Course objective: Apply statistical principles to problems in politics, medicine, ethics, public policy and
advertising.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn and apply statistical techniques and concepts to a variety of real life
situations on assignments, activities and exams.
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Learning outcome: Students should be able to think creatively.
Course objective: Differentiate between statistical concepts of causation vs. correlation, correlation vs.
association, experimental vs. observational studies, and synthesize these concepts into the decision
process.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn and accurately communicate statistical ideas in a variety on contexts on
assignments, activities and exams.
Learning outcome: Students should be able to value new ideas and differing perspectives.
Course objective: Use various statistical techniques to understand real world situations and make decisions,
recognizing that data collected through sampling is subject to variation which results in inherent
uncertainty in all decisions.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn how statistical techniques and concepts can be used to gain insight into
differing ideas and perspectives and will demonstrate on assignments, activities and exams.
EXAMINE RELATIONSHIPS IN DIVERSE AND COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS
 Learning outcome: Students should be able to use mathematics to analyze physical relationships.
 Course objective: Use appropriate statistical tools to describe real phenomenon.
* Instructional Objective: As a result of classroom interactions and from reading the text,
students will learn and correctly apply statistical techniques to describe real data on
assignments, activities and exams.
BCTC IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY INSTITUTION