Statistics 250 Syllabus Winter 2011
Statistics is the grammar of science. --- Karl Pearson
Welcome! Many Course Materials will be available through a common CTOOLS site for all Lectures. You
will also have a separate Lab CTOOLS site set up by your GSI (the first week of classes).
Instructors
Brenda Gunderson
Lecture Section 003: MWF 10 – 11 am, MLB Aud 3
Lecture Section 004: TTH 10 – 11:30 am, MLB Aud 4
Tom Venable
Lecture Section 001: TTH 11:30 – 1 pm, MLB Aud 3
Lecture Section 002: TTH 1 – 2:30 pm, MLB Aud 4
Lecture Section 006: MWF 12 – 1 pm, AH Aud A
Lectures, Labs, Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs), Office Hours
 Students enroll in exactly one of the 5 lecture sections and in exactly one of the 55 lab sections.
 During lectures, the instructors present the main bulk of the material.
 During computer labs, GSIs discuss examples, answer questions, and guide in-lab projects. Students
will work with a computer program to perform statistical data analyses and other online learning
resources.
 The labs meet in computer lab classrooms, many are held in 444-B or 444-D Mason Hall in the
Angell Hall Computer Courtyard; a few are held East Hall.
 The first labs will meet the week of January 10. Attendance to labs is required and you must
attend the lab for which you are enrolled. No labs the week of January 17th with no classes on
January 17th.
 Be respectful: please turn off (mute/vibrate) cell phones and other devices during class, as these
devices ringing during class disrupt the learning process. Additionally, such devices will not be
allowed in exam rooms.
 All Stat 250 Instructors and GSIs will have office hours. A schedule will be posted on CTools after
the beginning of the term. GSI office hours will be in 274 West Hall. All hours are open for any
Stats 250 student to attend.
 Email correspondence: including “Stats 250” in the subject line helps us find your messages readily.
But do check the Ctools site first as you might find your answer there!
Course Material
1.
Online Homework Tool
Option I: HW tool alone ($27.49): through this tool you will receive the required HW, answer required HW
questions, and receive the graded HW with feedback. This option requires you obtain a copy of the 3rd
edition MOS textbook separately (in some way, see material listing 2 on next page).
Option II – Best Deal: HW tool integrated with online version of the 3rd edition Mind On Statistics (MOS)
text ($64.99). HW tool is the same as Option I but now the HW questions are linked to the related section
in the online text.
Purchase either option subscription at http://store.xamprep.com (not at bookstores). Once you subscribe,
the online resources are available at http://www.lecturebook.com.
2.
Mind on Statistics Textbook (MOS) (only needed if don’t have online HW tool Option II above)
Utts/Heckard, 3rd Edition, Duxbury, 2006
Text Only: ISBN 0495667161
Bundled version: ISBN 1111978301; text with extra (optional) items: Student CD (review questions,
outlines, data sets – any data sets needed will also be posted on Ctools), a 1-Pass Card (for access to
various online resources -- not required but provides additional review material), a Stat 250 YELLOW
formula card (all pages can be printed from the CTools site), and the SPSS Student Version Software CD
(available for PC only; but full version of SPSS is available on all campus machines and can be accessed
from own computer through virtualsites).
A used copy of the 3rd edition book works just fine too!
3.
Computer Modules: Required –bring to lab. Statistics 250 Workbook, F10-W11, ISBN
9780738038315. Hayden- McNeil Publishing, Inc., 2010. Available at campus bookstores.
4. Lecture Notes: Highly recommended – used in all lectures. Statistics 250 Lecture Notes: F10-W11, ISBN
9780738038308. Hayden-McNeil Publishing, Inc., 2010. Available at campus bookstores.
5.
i>clicker: The i>clicker Audience Response System (clickers) will be used regularly in all lecture
sections and all lab sections). i>clicker devices will be available for purchase from the Computer Showcase
in the Michigan Union, Pierpont Commons, as well as other locations.
 For this class you may purchase a clicker device or a 24-month web-clicker subscription. The
subscription allows users to participate in i>clicker polling by logging into the internet through a
laptop, smartphone, most wi-fi enabled mobile devices (listing at http://bit.ly/studentclickers).
 Cost for a new i>clicker is $32. Cost for a web-clicker subscription is $25.
 Important Notes about Web-Clicker Subscriptions! While a handheld unit will work in any class
using i>clicker, the web>clicker MUST be approved by the instructor of each course in which
i>clicker will be used. Before purchasing a web clicker access card, be certain all of your classes
that will be using i>clicker will allow the use of personal electronic devices during class. Webclicker subscriptions cannot be shared and are not eligible for the semester-end buyback
program.
Additional information at http://bit.ly/studentclickers
6.
Calculators: A calculator may be used for homework and exams. Any basic scientific (that can raise
to a power, take a square root) is fine (and a TI graphing one is allowed). No cell phone (or other
electronic devices with calculator functions) will be allowed during exams.
Homework
 We will have weekly homework sets using the new online tool that is tied to the textbook (see
Materials item 1). All homework will be available online and submitted for you online
automatically at the set due date and time. The one lowest homework score will be dropped
before computing the HW part of your lab grade.
 You are able to revisit the online homework unlimited times before the submission date/time. You
can continue to edit it up until the due date and time (a countdown timer is even displayed on
the page for you). The homework is set to auto-save your work often, but you are still
encouraged to hit "submit homework" from time to time if you feel you've made significant
progress to save your work up to that point. One important note is that you should not open two
versions of your homework as it will cause one to overwrite the others. ONLY have ONE browser
open to your homework at any time and log out once you are done working on the homework.
 As you begin to work with this system, if you have any technical issues with the homework tool or
e-textbook please do not hesitate to contact the team at support@lecturebook.com. More
details and some how to steps will be provided. The first online homework will be available the
week of January 10.
 Some homework problems are to be done using SPSS. Be sure you upload only the relevant
output parts (e.g. histogram or test output table) from the SPSS output file with your online
homework set (do not just upload the entire long output file). Any SPSS output should include an
appropriate descriptive title with your name.
 In addition, recommended problems will be made available. These problems are optional but are
highly recommended. Statistics is learned by doing. Solutions to these problems will be available.
Exam Schedule
There are two semester exams and a cumulative final exam.
Exam Policy: All exams are closed book but students are provided with a Stat 250 Yellow formula card
with tables. There will be no make-ups for the exams – so check your calendars now. You must take the
final exam to pass this course. Students with exam conflicts or needing special (documented)
accommodations for testing must email with details and reason by Friday, January 28.
Full Credit Policy: Full credit for problems (on the online homework, labwork, and exams) can only be
earned through showing justification for each problem. Answers that require work but have none will not
receive full credit.
Drop Dates: The last date to drop the course (without a W appearing on your transcript) is Monday,
January 24.
Grading Policy
Performance on exams will account for 80% of your final grade; the remaining 20% will come from lab (inlab group projects, homework, lab attendance, participation, i>clicker participation). There are two
methods for computing your final course grade:
Method 1 (using scores from all exams)
Homework and Lab: 20%
Exam 1: 20%
Exam 2: 20%
Final Exam 40%
Method 2 (using only the final exam score)
Homework and Lab: 20%
Final Exam: 80%
For each student, the method that produces the higher grade will be used. You must take the final to
pass this course. Your final course grade will be assigned by taking your percentage of points received to
the following scale:
96 and up = A+
[92, 96) = A
[88, 92) = A-
84, 88) = B+
[80, 84) = B
[76, 80) = B-
[72, 76) = C+
[68, 72) = C
[63, 68) = C-
[59, 63) = D+
[55, 59) = D
[50, 55) = DBelow 50 = E
Student Responsibilities: It is your responsibility as a student in this course to be aware of
course policies as laid out in this syllabus and presented on the CTools site, to check the
announcements and various resources on the CTools site regularly, and to communicate with
your instructor and GSI in a timely manner regarding any conflicts or issues. You are responsible
for your own learning; this includes:
 attending class and if you should miss a class, getting assignments and notes from others;
 asking questions when you have them;
 doing the assigned homework and labwork on time and participating in the class; and
 contacting your instructor and/or GSI if you have having difficulties.
Academic Integrity: The undergraduate academic community, like all communities, functions
best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust. Your
instructors and GSIs expect students to work and study together to foster learning and
understanding of the material. However, direct copying of homework, cheating on an exam, and
other conduct that violates the academic integrity and ethical standards of the College
community cannot be tolerated and will result in serious consequences and disciplinary action.
For examples of misconduct and actions that can be taken, see
https://www.lsa.umich.edu/academicintegrity/.
Stats 250 Tentative Lecture Outline – Winter 2011
Week
1 (Jan 5-7)
Chpt (Sec)
1 and 2
Topic(s)
Statistical Stories, Turning Data into Information
2 (Jan 10-14)
2,3,4
Turning Data into Information, Sampling and Gathering Useful Data
Mon Jan 17
No Lectures Mon; no Labs Mon through Wed
3 (Jan 18-21)
7,8
Probability, Random Variables
4 (Jan 24-28)
8, 9 (1-4), 10(1-3)
Random Variables, Learning about a Population Proportion (SD)
5 (Jan 31-Feb 4)
10 (1–3); 12 (1-3,5)
Learning about a Population Proportion (CI and HT)
6 (Feb 7-11)
9 (5); 10 (4); 12 (4)
Learning about the Difference in Population Proportions (SD, CI, HT)
Feb 13 or 14 or 15
Tentative review for EXAM 1 (Exact Day/Time/Location to be determined)
7 (Feb 14-18)
9 (6,9,10); 11 (1,2);
Learning about a Population Mean (SD, CI, and HT)
13 (1,2,5)
Thu Feb 17
EXAM 1: 6 – 7:30 pm (locations to be posted on Ctools)
8 (Feb 21-25)
9 (6,9,10); 11 (1,2);
Learning about a Population Mean (SD, CI, and HT)
13 (1,2,5)
Feb28–Mar4
Spring Break
No Lectures/No Labs
9 (Mar 7-11)
9 (7); 11 (3); 13 (3)
Learning about a Population Mean Difference (SD, CI, HT) Learning
9 (8); 11 (4)
about the Difference in Population Means (SD and CI)
10 (Mar 14-18)
11 (4); 13 (4)
Learning about the Difference in Population Means (SD and CI)
11 (Mar 21-25)
16
Analysis of Variance
Mar 27 or 28 or 29
Tentative review for EXAM 2 (Exact Day/Time/Location to be determined)
12 (Mar 28-Apr 1)
14
Relationships between Quantitative Variables (Regression)
Thu Mar 31
EXAM 2: 6 – 7:30 pm (locations to be posted on Ctools)
13 (Apr 4-8)
14
Relationships between Quantitative Variables (Regression)
14 (Apr 11-14)
15
Relationships between Categorical Variables (Chi-Square Tests) Turning
17
Data into Wisdom and Wrap Up
15 (Apr 18-19)
Thu April 21
Final Exam Review in Last Lecture
FINAL EXAM* 7:30 – 9:30 pm (locations to be posted on Ctools)
* All students are expected to take the Thursday, April 21, 7:30 pm final exam. As there are a few other
classes with a final exam also on this Thursday evening that conflicts directly with our exam time; the
alternate exam (Friday, April 22, 8 am) is set up for such students and only available by prior permission.
Statistics is the science that turns data into information and information
into knowledge.