Syllabus for Mathematics 119, Elementary Statistics
Fall, 2007

Instructor:  Sean Raleigh (please call me Sean)

E-mail:  sraleigh@sdccd.edu
    E-mail will be the only way to contact me outside of class. On the other hand, math questions are almost always impossible to answer over e-mail, so please restrict those types of questions to class time. While computers and calculators are an important component of this course, please do not e-mail me with "technical support" questions. Please consult your help files, tutorials, and user manuals. I would also ask that you check this syllabus, the FAQ, and other resources on this web site before e-mailing me since most of the common questions are addressed here.

Office:  I have no office on campus so I won't have office hours. I promise to devote lots of class time to going over homework questions so that you won't need additional hours from me. Also, I encourage you to form study groups to work problems and prepare for tests.

Time:  TTh 9:35 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Location:  F304 T403

Required Text:  Intro Stats, De Veaux, Velleman, and Bock, 2nd Ed. with ActivStats CD-ROM.
    We will be using the CD a lot, so make sure you have it, especially if you are buying the book used.

Optional Text:  Student Solutions Manual accompanying the main text.

Topics Covered:  We will cover the whole book except chapters 10, 16, 17, 26, and 27. (Chapters 28 and 29 are not in the textbook since they appear only on the CD, but we will not cover these either.)

Homework:  Homework assignments are due most Tuesdays. We will plan to spend a significant part of Tuesdays' lectures working homework problems and answering questions from the assignment. The homework for each week is posted here.
    Homework is graded on completion only: points are awarded on an "all or nothing" basis. This means that you must at least attempt nearly all the problems to get credit ("nearly all" being subject to my judgment) and if you haven't met this standard, you will get no credit for the assignment. A check mark on your returned homework means that you received credit for the assignment and a "zero" indicates no credit.
    Since individual problems will not be graded, it is your responsibility to make sure you understand the assignment and ask questions about anything that remains unclear after working the assignment. Most of the assigned problems will be odd-numbered since the answers to these problems appear in the back of the text. This can be a blessing or a curse. The ability to check your work and make sure you are on the right track is invaluable. Nevertheless, the temptation is strong to limit yourself to doing a minimal amount of work and then copying down the answer. Keep in mind that the homework only comprises 10% of the final grade, so its purpose is to help you learn, practice, and reinforce the material you need to perform well on the exams and succeed in your projects.
    Also, you should make every effort to try to work problems before consulting the solutions manual or the back of the book. Imagine what will happen during the tests if you are accustomed to working problems with a solutions manual open in front of you. I reserve the right to award no credit for any assignment that I deem has been "copied" out of the solutions manual or the back of the book.
    You will be able to drop one homework assignment from your final grade. There will be no late homework accepted under any circumstances. If you miss class on a day homework is due, that will be the homework assignment you drop. If you miss class again on a homework day, you will earn a zero for that assignment. No exceptions. You can always turn in a homework assignment early if you know you are going to be gone, but I will not accept homework turned in to my campus mailbox unless you have made arrangements with me in advance to do so.

Tests:  There will be three "midterms". Test performance is a large indicator for your grade in the course. It is therefore crucial that you keep up with the material and study effectively for tests. The midterms will be administered on certain Tuesdays (roughly every five weeks—check the schedule) and will cover all the material in the course up through the chapters assigned in the homework that is due the week before the midterm. In other words, you will never see material on a midterm until we have had a chance in class to go over the homework in which the necessary material appears. The following chart should make this clear:
 

Calculators:  You will need to have a calculator with statistical and graphical capabilities, something like a TI-83 or better. Much of the homework will require either a calculator or a computer to process data sets, but you will need to use your calculator on tests.
     Having said this, all questions will require you to show all your reasoning and not just the result of a calculation. Be very careful about using your calculator. Too often it becomes a crutch and distracts you from the correct conceptual formulation that leads to the correct answer or interpretation. As we proceed through the course, I will try to indicate where calculators can be beneficial and also how they might lead you astray.

Computers:  You will need access to a computer so that you can use the ActivStats CD that accompanies your textbook. The data sets required to complete some of the homework questions are on that CD (although they can be also found at the publisher's web site: http://www.aw-bc.com/dvb). In terms of analyzing those data sets, the ActivStats CD includes a program called SPSS, but you are not forced to use any particular program to analyze your data. In fact, if you did not purchase your textbook through the Miramar College Bookstore, it may come bundled with a program called Data Desk instead. In truth, any software package that includes statistical analysis tools is fine to use and the book gives specific instructions at the end of each chapter for several of the commonly available packages (including Data Desk, Excel, JMP, Minitab, and SPSS). It also provides instructions for the TI-83/84 and the TI-89 calculators, but unless you have a cable that connects your calculator to your computer, you will have to enter the data into your calculator by hand, which can be tedious, time-consuming, and error-prone.
    While computers (and calculators) are a key component of this course, my role is not one of technical support. I will try to give you some familiarity with the tools you need to be able to complete your assignments. Nevertheless, it is primarily your responsibility to work through the tutorials and exercises on the ActivStats CD and read the "on the computer" sections at the end of each chapter to familiarize yourself with the software and your calculator.

Grading:  The grade distribution is as follows:

Your letter grade will initially be based on the following scale:

I say "initially" because I always curve the final grades. However, this won't be a strict bell curve where the majority of the class earns a C with a few A's and a few F's. The ultimate grade distribution will be based on a B-/C+ average with no quotas for any individual letter grade. I reserve the right to shift the curve up or down if I feel that a B-/C+ does not accurately reflect the average performance for the class.  (This holds especially for smaller classes for which the "average" is not as useful a statistic.) Also, you are guaranteed to earn at least the grade indicated on the above scale. So, for example, suppose you get 85% in the class, but the class average is 90%. You will still earn a B in the class and a large percentage of the class will be in the A range.
    At the end of the session, it's natural to be anxious about your final grade, but it is not practical for me to respond to grade requests. Please use the resources provided by the college to obtain your final grade.

Academic Honesty:  Cheating will not be tolerated. This includes—but is not limited to—copying homework from another student's paper, copying homework from the solutions manual, using unauthorized materials in tests, looking at someone else's paper during a test, collaborating with another person during the test, plagiarism, data falsification, and other similar activities. You are all adults and you know what constitutes cheating; therefore, I will never accept an excuse of "I didn't know." If there's any question as to what constitutes cheating, please ask before it becomes a problem. I reserve the right to assess a penalty for cheating as the severity demands. The minimum penalty will be a zero on that particular test or assignment. More likely, though, is that you will receive an F in the class. You will also be reported to the dean for any violation. Having said that, I encourage you to work together on the homework problems (this is not the same thing as copying another's completed homework) and study together for tests.

Attendance:  Attendance is required. I reserve the right to drop anyone from the class for excessive absences. Anyone who does not come at all in the first week of class will be dropped.
    Attendance will not count toward your grade. It is your responsibility to be in class every day and keep up with the material. There will be no makeup exams, so it is also crucial that you check your schedules far in advance and make sure that you're there on test days.

Changes to the syllabus:  I reserve the right to change the syllabus as circumstances necessitate, but no new policy will be enforceable until after you have been notified in class.

Last modified: 10/31/07