Syllabus
COURSE AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Course: Statistics 1051
Semester: Fall 2012
Time: Monday and Wednesday 6:10-8:00 PM
Locations: Phillips Hall, B-152
INSTRUCTOR
Name: Darius Singpurwalla
Campus Address: None
Phone:
E-mail: dsingpur@gwu.edu
Office hours: Mondays after class or by appointment
TA
Name: Joshua Sparks
Dept. of Statistics
2140 Pennsylvania Avenue NW,
Washington, D.C. 20052
Phone :
Fax :
Email : josparks@gwmail.gwu.edu
Office hours: TBD
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This is an introductory class in the statistical sciences. Below is the summary of topics.
Numerical measures of central tendency and variability, frequency distributions &
graphical presentations, probability, random variables, sampling distributions, estimation,
confidence intervals, testing of hypotheses, linear regression and correlation.
COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)
None
TEXTS
Author : Moore
Title: The Practice of Statistics for Business and Economics
Edition: Third Edition
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
As a result of completing this course, students will be able to:
--apply laws of probability
--construct and interpret large-sample and small-sample confidence intervals
--evaluate evidence for and against hypotheses using statistical tests
--find the least-squares equation for simple linear regression and assess the utility of the model
GRADING
 Homework 20%
o Homework problems generally will be a selected set of problems from the
textbook. They will be selected to test your understanding of the
mechanics and underlying principles. Late HW’s will be accepted with a
5% deduction of points for each day it is late. Late HW’s will be accepted
up to one week late. If you do not hand in the HW within one week after
it’s due date, you cannot receive any credit for completing the assignment.
o Selected course readings (from a journal article or newspaper) that
illustrate the days lesson, will be selected by the professor and uploaded
for reading by at the latest, the night before class. Please read them before
class and be prepared to discuss.
 Team Projects 20%
1. Indicators Case Study. The case study will focus on descriptive
statistics and graphing by developing a set of statistical indicators
to assess a particular topic. All case studies are to be typed. In
general, they should be 5 pages, including graphs. All graphs are
to be done in Excel. The specific details will be given after we
cover chapters one and two of the text.
2. Group Project. The group project will be a sophisticated analysis
project which you will work on together as a team. The details of
the project will be revealed in the second half of the semester. At
the end of the course, your team will present your findings to the
class during a poster presentation.
 First Exam (Online): 20% The first exam will be after we cover probability
distributions.
 Second Exam (Online): 20% The second exam will cover the remaining sections
in class.
 Participation and In Class Activities (ICA) and Quizzes: 20%.
o There will be a brief in-class quiz, every few weeks at the beginning of
class, on Wednesdays (specific dates will are included in the syllabus).
The quiz will cover material from only class periods since the quiz and
should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. You can use 1 page (front
and back of an 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper) of notes for the quiz but
experience has shown me that students who rely too heavily on their notes
do not do as well as those who are prepared.
o ICA’s are activities that we will do during class time on Mondays to
reinforce material.
o There are no make-up on ICA's and quizzes.
o Participation Requirement 1: Each student will be responsible for
contributing to the day's lecture one time during the semester. This will be
done in your selected student groups, most likely starting in the third week
of the semester. Contributions consist of two items:
1. Each student must solve ~five (depending on the size of your
group) problems from the chapter we are covering in the days
lecture and present the solutions on the board.
2. Present to the class from a newspaper article or academic journal a
real life example of the statistical technique covered in class.
o Participation requirement 2: Students are expected to contribute to the
class discussions as well. Each student will be required to contribute at
least five thoughtful comments throughout the semester.
NOTE: IN ACCORD WITH UNIVERSITY POLICY, THE FINAL EXAM WILL BE
GIVEN DURING THE FINAL EXAM PERIOD AND NOT THE LAST WEEK OF
THE SEMESTER
CLASS POLICIES
 Attendance Policy: I don’t take attendance. However, when you are in class,
there will be no talking, no text messaging, IM’ing, browsing the internet. This is
distracting to me and to fellow students.
 The general format of the class will be as follows: Monday's we cover conceptual
material for the course; Wednesday's will focus on going over practice problems.
 Two examinations will be given throughout the semester. The exams will be
given online and you will have 2 hours (the time you would have in class, to
complete it). The first exam will cover material through probability distributions.
The second exam, with the exception of two questions, will cover the remaining
course material and will be given during the scheduled final exam period. To
prepare you for taking the online exam, I will give a pre-test before the first exam.
The pre-test will not count toward your grade. If students are uncomfortable with
the format of the online exam based upon the pre-test, then we can switch to a
traditional setting. There will be no difference between the questions on the
online exam vs. the paper pencil exam. Since the exam is given online, you can
use your books and notes during the exam. Since you have access to all your
materials, partial credit will not be given on any problems.
 Homework is due to the TA during the recitation period. The TA will handle all
HW grading, solution sheets, and maintaining the grade on Blackboard. Please do
not give me HW to give to the TA, or put HW in my box at the statistics
department. Since I am an adjunct instructor, I do not check my mailbox very
often at the statistics department. Hand in assignments to myself of the T.A. If
an assignment is due on a day you have to miss class, please give it to a fellow
student to hand in.
 University Policy on Religious Holidays:
o Students should notify faculty during the first week of the semester of
their intention to be absent from class on their day(s) of religious
observance;
o Faculty should extend to these students the courtesy of absence without
penalty on such occasions, including permission to make up examinations;
o Faculty who intend to observe a religious holiday should arrange at the
beginning of the semester to reschedule missed classes or to make other
provisions for their course-related activities


Email Communication: Logistical questions about the class will not be answered
over email. Please ask these questions during class for the benefit of everyone. I
will answer content questions over email.
Stat 1051, 1053, 6104, and 1111 are all related in subject matter and credit for
only one of them may be applied toward a degree.
COURSE GRADING
The course is not graded on a curve. Your homework and exams will be combined
according to the percentages shown in the syllabus. Final grades will be assigned based
on the scale below:
93% - 100%
90% - 92.9999%
88% - 89.9999%
82% - 87.9999%
80% - 81.9999%
78% - 79.9999%
72% - 77.9999%
70% - 71.9999%
65% - 69.9999%
60% - 64.9999%
<=59.99999%
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Unless a computational error has been made, grades will not be changed after the end of
the semester. Keep up with your scores in Blackboard. I will not make adjustments for
missing work after two weeks from when the assignment was returned to you. Also,
please do not come seeing extra-credit opportunities; course grades are based on the
above calculations.
CLASS SCHEDULE (this is approximate)
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Material
Introduction and Statistical
Thinking
Labor Day
Descriptive Statistics &
Graphing
Collecting Data
Introduction to Probability
Probability Continued
Discrete Random Variables
Lab
Other
Excel & Meet the
TA
Excel
(continued)
Excel
Smithsonian project
(Continued)
due.
Quiz #1
Indicator Case Study
Due
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Continuous Random
Variables
Exam #1
Introduction to Statistical
Inference and Sampling
Distributions & Review
Confidence Intervals
Hypothesis Testing
Two Sample Tests
Regression and Correlation
Regression and Correlation
(cont.)
Group Project Presentations
No Lab
Quiz #3
Quiz #4
Group Project Due
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
I personally support the GW Code of Academic Integrity. It states: “Academic dishonesty
is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work, taking
credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization,
and the fabrication of information.” For the remainder of the code, see:
http://www.gwu.edu/~integrity/code.html
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS)
Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of a
disability should contact the Disability Support Services office at 202-994-8250 in the
Marvin Center, Suite 242, to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable
accommodations. For additional information please refer to: http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/
UNIVERSITY COUNSELING CENTER (UCC) 202-994-5300
The University Counseling Center (UCC) offers 24/7 assistance and referral to
address students' personal, social, career, and study skills problems. Services for students
include:
- crisis and emergency mental health consultations
- confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and
referrals
http://gwired.gwu.edu/counsel/CounselingServices/AcademicSupportServices
SECURITY
In the case of an emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If the
building that the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for the building.
After evacuation, seek shelter at a predetermined rendezvous location.
Emergency Preparedness and Response at GWU
To Report an Emergency or Suspicious Activity
Call the University Police Department at 202-994-6111 (Foggy Bottom) or 202-242-6111
(Mount Vernon).
Shelter in Place
Although it is unlikely that we will ever need to shelter in place, it is helpful to know
what to do just in case. No matter where you are, the basic steps of shelter in place will
generally remain the same.
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If you are inside, stay where you are unless the building you are in is affected. If
it is affected, you should evacuate. If you are outdoors, proceed into the closest
building or follow instructions from emergency personnel on the scene.
Locate an interior room to shelter inside. If possible, it should be above ground
level and have the fewest number of windows. If sheltering in a room with
windows, move away from the windows. If there is a large group of people
inside a particular building, several rooms maybe necessary.
Shut and lock all windows (tighter seal) and close exterior doors.
Turn off air conditioners, heaters, and fans. Close vents to ventilation systems as
you are able. (University staff will turn off ventilation as quickly as possible).
Make a list of the people with you and ask someone to call the list in to UPD so
they know where you are sheltering. If only students are present, one of the
students should call in the list.
Await further instructions. If possible, visit Campus Advisories for incident
updates (http://CampusAdvisories.gwu.edu) or call the GW Information Line
202-994-5050.
Make yourself comfortable and look after one other. You will get word as soon
as it is safe to come out.
Evacuation
An evacuation will be considered if the building we are in is affected or we must move to
a location of greater safety. We will always evacuate if the fire alarm sounds. In the
event of an evacuation, please gather your personal belongings quickly (purse, keys,
GWorld card, etc.) and proceed to the nearest exit. Do not use the elevator. Once you
have evacuated the building, proceed to our primary rendezvous location (INSERT
PRIMARY INDOOR RENDEZVOUS LOCATION HERE). In the event that this
location is unavailable, we will meet at (INSERT SECONDARY INDOOR
RENDEZVOUS LOCATION HERE).
Alert DC
Alert DC provides free notification by e-mail or text message during an emergency. Visit
Campus Advisories for a link and instructions on how to sign up for alerts pertaining to
GW.
Emergency Information
Additional emergency information may be obtained by visiting the Campus Advisories
webpage (http://CampusAdvisories.gwu.edu) or calling the GW Information Line at 202994-5050.