MA480-QL Introduction to Statistics, Fall 2011, V01
Course ID: johnson87078
Section QL First day of class: Tuesday August 16, 2011
Last day of class: Monday December 5, 2011
Note that there are no actual class meetings. The course is entirely on-line with telephone and email assistance from the instructor.
Instructor Walter Johnson wjmath@uab.edu
Introductory Math Curriculum Director
UAB Department of Mathematics
(205) 934-2154
Audience MA480-QL is an on-line course designed to prepare Nursing students who have undergraduate degrees for graduate-level work in Nursing and
Nursing Statistics.
Format The course is taught entirely on-line with email assistance from Walter
Johnson, the principal instructor. It consists of on-line homework exercises, on-line quizzes, on-line tests and an on-line final exam. The quizzes, tests and final exam are time-limited. All course work and testing is open-book.
Textbook Elementary Statistics , by Mario F. Triola, 11 th
edition. Reading the textbook is required. It can be read on-line, if you can deal with that format. The ISBN for the basic book is 0-321-50024-5. Be aware that there are other ISBNs for the book which vary based on the packaging of optional items. Also required is a MyStatLab access code that can be purchased directly from the publisher at www.coursecompass.com
.
If you live in the Birmingham, AL area you can purchase the book shrinkwrapped with an access code in the UAB bookstore or other near-campus textbook outlets. You can find it under “MA180 Elementary Statistics.”
The combination package will usually cost you less.
Tear-out card The text includes a folding tear-out formula card. The card is helpful when doing homework and in taking quizzes, tests and the final exam. If you purchase a used book, be sure you are getting the formula card.
Deadlines There is no make-up for missed homework, quiz, test and final exam dates. This is because the work can be done at any time prior to deadlines, and because the work should be done in advance of the deadlines. Plan your schedule accordingly. (The problem with waiting until the last day is that you may encounter a computer or network failure and it will be too late for me to intervene on your behalf.) You can work through the entire course just as quickly as you wish, and in any order you desire.

UAB email It will be necessary that you establish a BlazerID and a UAB email address. (Separate from any UABMC email address you may have.)
Official course communications will be sent to that address. (They can be forwarded to another email account of your choosing.) Go to www.uab.edu/blazerid for information on establishing your BlazerID. For
UAB email account assistance, send an email to userservices@uab.edu
, or call (205) 934-3540.
Computers The homework exercises, quizzes, tests and the final exam are done using a computer program named MyStatLab. In order to register in the
MyStatLab system you will need the access code that you purchase from the publisher. Be aware that you may have to download one or more plugins. Instructions for downloading the plug-ins will be displayed when you access the MyStatLab site. The site for registering and for completing the coursework is www.coursecompass.com
. IMPORTANT : Use your entire UAB email address as your login name. Example: imastudent@uab.edu
. This is required in order for you to view your course grades as you go along. (Make up your own password.) Do not use a
UABMC email address.
Homework Homework problems can be worked over and over again until they are all correct. If you exhaust all your attempts at a particular homework problem, click on similar exercise at the bottom of the problem to have the problem refreshed. Note that there are learning aids associated with each homework problem such as Help Me Solve This and Show Me An
Example . Results are automatically saved. Homework does not have to be completed in a single session. The problems do not have to be done in a particular order. Click on Ask my Instructor for help with homework.
Quizzes Quizzes have five problems and are 30 minutes in length. Each quiz can be taken two times (the higher grade will count). Do not hit the BACK button on your browser when taking a quiz. This will end your quiz and you will not be able to get back into it. You are given two attempts at each quiz to account for a network outage during a quiz, hitting the BACK button by mistake, your computer going down, making careless errors, etc.
Click submit when you finish a quiz.
Tests Tests and the final exam are taken one time. Again, do not hit the BACK button when taking a test. You can navigate around the test by selecting different problems or by advancing or going to the preceding problem, but not by hitting BACK . Click submit when you are finished with a quiz, test and the final exam. There will be three one-hour tests and a three-hour final exam. The final exam is comprehensive.

Calculator A calculator that can do one-variable and two-variable statistics is required. A possible calculator is the TI-36X Solar, which costs about
$20.00. The calculator will be used for homework, quizzes, tests and the final exam. Generally speaking, the better the calculator, the easier it will be for you to do the required calculations. As an example, the TI-83 does five times as much work but costs five times more. Students must take individual responsibility for knowing how to operate their calculator. The instructor can assist you if you have one of the models above. Also, your textbook contains instructions for the TI-83 at the end of each chapter.
Course Grade based on points earned
Homework (8 assignments @ 25 points each)
Quizzes (8 quizzes @ 25 points each)
200
200
Three tests @ 100 points each
Final exam
Total possible points
Letter Grade based on points earned
880 to 1000 A
750 to 879 B
300
300
1000
Note: 749 points is a C, not a B.
620 to 749
500 to 619
Below 500
C
D
F
Checking Grades
Go to site info.math.uab.edu
to view your official course grades on an ongoing basis. I will let you know when the grade site is up and running.
Deadline Schedule
All homework deadlines are 10:50 PM on the date specified. The Quiz,
Test and Final Exam deadlines are 11:50 PM on the date specified. HW and Quiz due dates are Thursdays. Test due dates are Fridays. The Final
Reading in Text
1.1 – 1.5
Exam due date is Friday December 9, 2011. All coursework can and should be done in advance of these due dates.
HW Due
1 8/25/11
Quiz
1
Due
8/25/11
Test Due
2.1 – 2.5
3.1 – 3.4
4.1 – 4.4 and 5.1 – 5.2
6.1 – 6.3, 6.5
2
3
4
5
9/08/11
9/22/11
10/06/11
10/20/11
2
3
4
5
9/08/11
9/22/11
10/06/11
10/20/11
1
2
9/23/11
10/21/11
7.1 – 7.4 6 11/03/11
8.1 – 8.2 Part I and 8.3 – 8.5 7 11/17/11
10.1 – 10.2 8 12/01/11
6 11/03/11
7 11/17/11 3 11/18/11
8 12/01/11 Final 12/09/11