Welcome to MATH 1342 – Elementary Statistics

Spring 2024 Syllabus

the Basics

About Your Instructor           

Name: David Fonken     

The best way to reach me is:  Email fonken@austincc.edu

Phone number: 512-223-7346  (Also send email, if you leave a message.)   
 

Email: fonken@austincc.edu     

Office location (and/or link if appropriate):  Online in Zoom.   See link in Blackboard menu    

About Your Course

Instructional Methodology: Online: Instruction and testing are fully online without required class times.

Synonym: 76704                Section: MATH 1342.021  (Feb.12, 2024 – May 12, 2024) 

Prerequisites: NCBM 0142, MATD 0342 or MATD 0485; with a grade of C or higher. Or a satisfactory score on the TSI Mathematics Assessment or completion of TSI requirements in mathematics.

Required Materials 

This is a First Day™ class. The cost of required course materials, including an online version of the textbook and software access, has been added to your tuition and fees bill.    

1. Textbook: Statistics: Unlocking the Power of Data, 3rd Edition by Lock, Lock, Lock Morgan, Lock, Lock. Wiley (WileyPlus software) ISBN: 9781119682288
2. Access to videos: of examples and explanations
3. Access to Statistical Applets: for students to explore the concepts
4. Required Technology:

• Scientific calculator
• Internet access to use the statistical software StatKey, the Visualize applets, and the material in WileyPlus.
• Access to a webcam and microphone are required for this course. Eligible students can check out required technology at https://www.austincc.edu/students/student-technology-services

Course Calendar

Note: Schedule changes may occur during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and posted as a Blackboard Announcement. 

Important Dates

Last day for 25% refund: Tuesday  Feb. 27, 2024. || Last day for 70% refund: Friday. Mar. 1, 2024.    
Last day to withdraw: Mon. April 22, 2024.

Holidays:  March 11 – March 17, 2024  (Please note these are the ONLY holidays during this session.)

Making Time to Learn

We learn math by thinking about and working on mathematical problems, which takes time. Practice is crucial in a math course. To ensure that you have adequate time, set aside 12-16 hours per week outside of class time to practice and study for this course.  Ask for help immediately when something isn’t clear. 

Getting Help

ACC provides several free resources for students who need help; descriptions and links are below: 

Office hours: Another name for office hours is “student hours.” This is the time your instructor has set aside to answer student questions, so feel free to drop by if you have questions. Office hours may be virtual or on campus; see information above.

Instructional Associates: Instructional Associates specific to the course you are taking are available for tutoring. To make an appointment, go to https://sites.google.com/a/austincc.edu/math-students/meet/list and then click on your course.

Learning Labs: The ACC Learning Labs provide tutoring in math and other subjects. To schedule an appointment, go to https://www.austincc.edu/students/learning-lab. This site includes information about in person and virtual tutoring options.

Academic Coaching: Academic coaches offer extra support to students with study strategies; they want to help you learn to be an active participant in your own learning process. For more information or to make an appointment with an academic coach, go to https://www.austincc.edu/students/academic-coaching.

ACC Student Services: Services are offered in many areas, including Academic, Financial, Personal, and Technology Support.  For more information, go to https://www.austincc.edu/student-support.

Grades

Grade Components

Tests:  70%  (The 5 tests are counted equally)

Homework:  9%

Quizzes:  12%

Discussion Board: 9%

Grading Scale

A: 90 - 100

B: 80 – 89

C: 70 – 79

D: 60 – 69   (Note:  Grades of D in ACC courses are considered “minimal passing” but do not count for graduation.)

F: < 60

What will we do in this class?

Tests:  

• Test 1: Secs. 1.1 – 2.4
• Test 2: New material is from Secs. 2.5-2.6. Topic P,  and Secs. 3.1 – 3.4  and textbook Unit A Review
• Test 3: New material is from Secs. 4.1-4.3, 4.4a, 4.5, and textbook Unit B Review,    
• Test 4: New material is from all of  Chs. 5 and 6 and textbook Unit C material. This material depends heavily on the previous material thus most of the previous material is still relevant.
• Test 5:  New material is Secs. 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, Review of 2.6, 9.3, 10.1.  This material depends heavily on the previous material thus most of the previous material is still relevant.

Tests are available for you to take online during the times indicated on the Course Calendar.  

You will have at least 4 days available in which to take each test, but you are expected to go on to learn new material during that time.    Be prepared to show your ACC photo ID or a Driver’s License or other government-approved photo ID when you take a test.    Do not have your cellphone in the room with you during a test.  More details about how we handle online testing will be provided at least a week before a test is available.

No make-up tests or retesting. By the time the test is available, you should be ready to take it right away.  Plan to do that.  Avoid planning to take the test on the deadline date in order to give yourself some flexibility in case some emergency arises.  If, despite your careful planning, you miss a test, email the instructor just as soon as you can to explain the situation. If you don’t receive a reply within 24 hours, email again.   This is very important!  

Missing a test and not contacting the instructor within 3 calendar days may result in your being withdrawn from the course.  All of us here at ACC want to support you in succeeding in the course, but we can’t do this in a “short session” class unless you are staying caught up and communicating.  The communication is especially important if you are behind in any way!

For security reasons, test solutions will not be posted. You are welcome to discuss your tests with me after the grades are posted.   I will talk with you about the things you missed.

Homework:   (Notebook and online submission of assignments):

            There is a HW assignment from each section of the text that we cover. To learn the most (and make the highest score) you are advised to do (optional) handwritten work on these problems from the textbook part of the course (where you can see complete solutions to the odd-numbered problems.)  If you keep your handwritten work on these in a notebook, with notes on how you resolved any difficulties with these, this should be very helpful in studying for the test.   You won’t turn in the notebook pages – instead you will answer the questions online to show that you are doing the work on time.  It is true that the problems which require numerical computations may have somewhat different numbers (and thus different numerical answers) than each other and the textbook homework.   That is to provide you with additional practice.  

We cover three or four sections each week, and, to stay caught up, you start your handwritten homework on the first section of the week on Monday and continue to do about one each day, so that you can complete everything for the week, including the weekly Quiz, by Saturday.  

            In these HW assignments, you’ll have five attempts to do each problem.   After the third attempt, you will have the choice to look at the complete solution.  After you choose to look at the complete solution there, you can still answer the question for 80% of the credit you would have earned if you had answered it correctly without looking at the solution.   

The due dates of the WileyPlus submissions are toward the end of the week (usually Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat)  to give you some flexibility in your work  during each week.  (Fewer sections are covered in Weeks 10 and 11. In those weeks, the due dates begin on Tue.) Each problem assigned is worth 1 point.   At the end of the semester, the percentage of the total number of possible points you earned will be computed.   

            It is MOST important that you stay caught up with the homework within each week as well as from week to week.  Don’t get stuck!  In order to make you more comfortable with that, at the end of the semester, when I compute your overall percentage on homework, if that is 85% or higher, I’ll enter that as a homework grade of 100%, with an appropriate sliding scale down from that.   So, keep forging ahead and, as long as you’re getting more than 85% credit on most homework assignments, you’ll earn a quite good grade at the end of the semester.

Your homework notebook will be VERY important if you need to discuss your work on a test with me.   I’ll expect you to bring your notebook so that we can refer to specific problems that you did and whether you have questions on them at that time.  

Quizzes:  

Each weekly quiz has 3 parts:

Part 1.  (20 points)  Reflection on comparing your work on the previous week’s quiz problems to the Solution Key.  (You are also encouraged to ask questions and discuss this on the current week’s Discussion Board and you can include what you learn there as well.)  

Part 2.  (20 points)  Highlights from your summary of your study notes for the current week.  This can be brief – see more instructions for this with the Week 1 Quiz.  

Part 3.  (60 points) Quiz problems from the current material

When you submit a weekly quiz, as one submission, you can include multiple documents.  You are expected to give three handwritten documents – one for each of the above, scanned to pdf, and an appropriate title for each document (such as Q1, part1, Q1 part2, Q1 Part 3.)   More details about preparing these are in the Week 1 Quiz folder.    

HW assignments:

In each lesson in Blackboard, there will be a document giving the quiz assignment.  Write out your solutions to it by hand and then scan that to turn it in.  It is due on Saturday at the end of the week at 11 pm.  Late quizzes are accepted as much as 24 hours late for 80% of the credit you would have earned if you had submitted it on time.   On Monday evening after that deadline for late submission, a solution key to the quiz will be available just after where the original quiz assignment was posted.  DO NOT WAIT for your grade to be posted for your quiz to find out whether you worked the problems correctly.  The solution key IS your main feedback!   Compare your work to the solution key, write questions and comments on it, and ask questions on the Discussion Board  as needed.  (The Discussion Board Forum in the week AFTER the quiz was submitted.

To assist with studying for tests, put your handwritten quiz paper (with notes and comments) in your notebook along with your written homework (with notes and comments) on those sections.

Discussion Board:  

People learn math (and other subjects) by working on problems, identifying mistakes, thinking of what they need to understand somewhat differently, and practicing with their newer understanding.   Discussion with others is one of the most efficient ways to engage with the material.  We will have a whole-class Discussion Board Forum each week (Weeks 1-11)   to discuss homework and various questions. 

Discussion Board Forums will generally be open on Wednesday before the week begins.    Questions you want answered must be in by Friday at 11:00 p.m. and then everything you want to submit “for credit” must be in by Saturday at 11:00 p.m.  

*You are not allowed to post anything about quiz problems (until the solutions are posted) or tests (at any time) on the Discussion Board. 

If you have questions about tests, please email the instructor directly.  

You are allowed/encouraged to discuss “How to review and remember …….” 

You are allowed/encouraged to discuss “What do you think is important to put in the notes that we can use?” 

Just don’t refer to a test.  

            To earn full credit for the week, post at least four times by Saturday at the end of the week at 11:00 p.m.   Each should be about the statistical content of the course:  a question, an answer to another's question, or a comment clarifying something in an explanation or answer.  

            To be counted for credit, a question (or answer) about the material must be substantive - meaning that you clearly state what YOU are thinking about a problem, example, or concept, how that differs from something you have seen in the explanation, and why those seem to be in conflict.      

These types of comments and questions don’t count:  “I agree with your answer”  or “I don’t understand this concept.”  This also doesn’t count for credit: a question like “How do you work exercise __?” without any description of how you tried to work it and what you found confusing when you compared your work with the solution.

Other comments and questions that don’t count for credit are questions about the organization of the course or where to find things.   It’s OK for you to post comments like these – just don’t expect them to earn credit.     

I will read the Discussion Board Forum at least twice a week, but will not necessarily make comments. (When I make comments, it cuts off opportunities for other students to answer, so I try to do that sparingly.   On the other hand, I will intervene if I see that a large percentage of the class is confused.)    If there is anything that you specifically want me to comment on, please email me and describe specifically where to find it. I will read it and reply – either on the Discussion Board or to you privately.

When you start a thread, make the subject line clear about which exercise or example it is about.   If it is about a concept instead of an exercise or example, make the subject line clear about which concept.   If someone has already posted about that exercise, example, or concept, please reply in that thread, so that the discussion board is well-organized for everyone.

Grading on the Discussion Board each week will be 100 (for at least 4 postings appropriate to earn credit), or 75 or 50 or 25 or 0 (for 3, 2, 1, or 0 appropriate postings.)

What happens if I miss something?

Late Work Policy:

Homework:  Work may be submitted any time after the due date for 80% of the credit it would have earned if it was submitted by the due date and time.

Quizzes:  A quiz submitted within 24 hours of the due date and time will earn 80% of the credit it would have received if it had been submitted on time.   Any later than that will earn no credit. 
Caution:  Only the last quiz document submitted will be graded and, if that is after the due date and time, it will earn only 80% of the credit. 

Discussion Board: Credit for a week is awarded only for submissions by the deadline for that week.

Tests:  You must complete tests by their deadlines in order to earn credit for your work.  

Missed work and dropping grades:

The most crucial indicator of success in a Distance Learning course is keeping up with the material.   The main danger in this Distance Learning course is to stay "stuck" on any one thing too long.  The grading on the non-test items is designed to enable you to make a grade of above 80 largely on effort - effort every week spread out among all the things you need to be doing in order to learn the material and do well on tests.    Be sure to do something each week on all three of  HW, Quiz, Discussion Board so that you will earn at least some credit, even if you don’t have time to earn full credit.   

Dropped:   None of the grades in the course will be dropped.

Missed Quizzes: If you miss submitting two of the weekly Quiz assignments (submission by the late deadline is OK) you may be withdrawn from the class. 

Missed Discussion Board assignments: If you miss submitting anything on the Discussion Board in two of the weeks you may be withdrawn from the class. 

 Missed Homework assignments: If you are a week behind on submitting online homework assignments, you may be withdrawn.   To meet these requirements for staying in the class, the assignments don’t have to have good grades – they just must show that you are continuing to learn some reasonable amount of the material on time.

Missed Test Policy: Your lowest test grade on Tests 1 – 4 will be replaced by your Test 5 grade, if that Test 5 grade is higher.  (In this case, the Test 5 grade will count twice in the average.)  If you miss a test, then that, of course, is your lowest grade of Tests 1 – 4.  

Attendance/Class Participation Policy: Regular and punctual class attendance is expected of all students.  In this online class, attendance is measured by submission of all required assignments.   If attendance or compliance with other course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw students from the class.

Course Content

Course Description

Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

MATH 1342 – Elementary Statistics (3-3-0). A first course in statistics for students in business; nursing; allied health; or the social, physical, or behavioral sciences; or for any student requiring knowledge of the fundamental procedures for data organization and analysis. Topics include frequency distributions, graphing, measures of location and variation, the binomial and normal distributions, z-scores, t-test, chi-square test, F-test, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, regression, and correlation.

Course Rationale

Students will learn to

1. Determine the aspects of a question, if any, for which statistics can provide relevant information.
2. Analyze statistical studies, particularly regarding appropriate sampling and experimental design.
3. Select and use appropriate statistical analyses to get useful information from data.
4. Communicate knowledge using standard statistical language and also interpret it in non-technical language.

This course meets the Core Curriculum requirement in mathematics.  It meets the requirement for an introductory statistics course for students in many majors such as business, health sciences, and social sciences.

 Common Course Objectives

1. Interpret ideas of population versus sample, random variables, and techniques of descriptive statistics including frequency distributions, histograms, boxplots, and scatterplots. 
2. Calculate and interpret measures of central tendency and dispersion, including mean, median, standard deviation, and quartiles. 
3. Find and use empirical probabilities in bootstrap distributions to find confidence intervals and in randomization distributions to test hypotheses.
4. Find and use theoretical probabilities from normal, t, chi-squared and F distributions to form confidence intervals and test hypotheses. Apply the 95% rule to normal and to approximately normal distributions.
5. Analyze relationships between two quantitative variables using correlation and linear regression.
6. Analyze data presented in two-way tables to provide information about relationships between categorical variables.
7. Apply ideas of appropriate sampling techniques and experimental design to data production. 
8. Use the sampling distributions of sample proportions and sample means to answer appropriate questions. 
9. Estimate single means, difference of two means, single proportions and difference of two proportions using confidence intervals. Interpret the results. 
10. Demonstrate skills in hypothesis testing for means and proportions, for single populations and comparison of two populations. 
11. Demonstrate skills in hypothesis testing using chi-squared tests.
12. Demonstrate skills in inference for regression and ANOVA techniques.

Throughout the course, students will use statistical applets to do computations and produce graphical displays needed to analyze data.  Students will do some statistical calculations by hand with a scientific calculator.  

 Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

1. Explain the use of data collection and statistics as tools to reach reasonable conclusions.
2. Recognize, examine, and interpret the basic principles of describing and presenting data.
3. Compute and interpret empirical and theoretical probabilities using the rules of probabilities and combinatorics.
4. Explain the role of probability in statistics.
5. Examine, analyze, and compare various sampling distributions for both discrete and continuous random variables.
6. Describe and compute confidence intervals.
7. Solve linear regression and correlation problems.
8. Perform hypothesis testing using statistical methods.

General Education Competencies

1. Critical Thinking – gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information - is covered in every SLO. 
2. Quantitative and Empirical Reasoning – applying mathematical, logical, and scientific principles and methods - is covered in every SLO.
3. Technology Skills- using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information - is covered in SLOs # 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
4. Written, Oral and Visual Communication – communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium is covered in every SLO.

The Details

Distance Education Information: This class is fully online. Successful online students actively participate in class on a regular basis just like in an on-campus class and avoid putting off classwork until the last minute. This includes reading assignments, taking quizzes and tests, and any other activities assigned by your professor. You will need to stay motivated and routinely log in to your classes in order to keep on top of your assignments.

Students will use the Blackboard learning management system for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, and collaboration. Students are encouraged to read ACC Distance Education General Information available at https://online.austincc.edu/faq/.

First Day Access: To enhance your learning experience and provide affordable access to the right course material, this course is part of an inclusive access model called First Day™. You can easily access the required materials for this course through Blackboard, at a discounted price, and benefit from single sign-on access.  Austin Community College includes the discounted price as a course fee in your registration fees for this course.

It is NOT recommended that you Opt Out, as these materials are required to complete the course. You can choose to Opt Out on the first day of class, but you will be responsible for purchasing your course materials at the full retail price and access to your materials may be suspended. See your course in Blackboard for details.

Withdrawal Policy: It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the roll should he or she decide to withdraw from the class. The instructor does, however, reserve the right to drop a student should he or she feel it is necessary. If a student decides to withdraw, he or she should also verify that the withdrawal is submitted before the Final Withdrawal Date. The student is also strongly encouraged to retain their copy of the withdrawal form for their records.

Students who enroll for the third or subsequent time in a course taken since Fall 2002 may be charged a higher tuition rate for that course.  State law permits students to withdraw from no more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career at Texas public colleges or universities. With certain exceptions, all course withdrawals automatically count towards this limit. Details regarding this policy can be found in the ACC college catalog.

Reinstatement Policy: Students who withdrew or were withdrawn will not be reinstated unless they have completed all coursework, projects, and exams necessary to place them at the same level of course completion as the rest of the class. Reinstatement is up to the instructor’s approval.

Incomplete Grade Policy: Incomplete grades (I) will be given only in very rare circumstances. Generally, to receive a grade of "I", a student must be up to date on coursework and have a passing grade, and after the last date to withdraw, have a legitimate reason that prevents course completion. An incomplete grade cannot be carried beyond the established date in the following semester. The completion date is determined by the instructor but may not be later than the final deadline for withdrawal in the subsequent semester.

Communication with Your Instructor: All e-mail communication to students will be sent solely to the student’s ACCmail account or math software if applicable, with the expectation that such communications will be read in a timely fashion.  Likewise, students should use their ACCmail account or math software when communicating with instructors.  Instructors will respond to student emails within 3 business days, if no response has been received by the student at the end of that time, then the student should send a reminder to the instructor.

Name Change Information: If you want to change how your name appears online at ACC, go to https://www.austincc.edu/admissions/update-student-information/chosen-name.

General College Policies: Policies that apply to all courses at ACC can be found here: https://www.austincc.edu/offices/academic-outcomes-assessment/master-syllabi/college-policies.

Required Materials 

This is a First Day™ class. The cost of required course materials, including an online version of the textbook and software access, has been added to your tuition and fees bill.    

1. Textbook: Statistics: Unlocking the Power of Data, 3rd Edition by Lock, Lock, Lock Morgan, Lock, Lock. Wiley (WileyPlus software) ISBN: 9781119682288
2. Access to videos: of examples and explanations
3. Access to Statistical Applets: for students to explore the concepts
4. Required Technology:

• Scientific calculator
• Internet access to use the statistical software StatKey, the Visualize applets, and the material in WileyPlus.
• Access to a webcam and microphone are required for this course. Eligible students can check out required technology at https://www.austincc.edu/students/student-technology-services

Course Calendar

Note: Schedule changes may occur during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and posted as a Blackboard Announcement. 

Course Content

Course Description

Credit Hours: 3, Contact Hours: 3

MATH 1342 – Elementary Statistics (3-3-0). A first course in statistics for students in business; nursing; allied health; or the social, physical, or behavioral sciences; or for any student requiring knowledge of the fundamental procedures for data organization and analysis. Topics include frequency distributions, graphing, measures of location and variation, the binomial and normal distributions, z-scores, t-test, chi-square test, F-test, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, regression, and correlation.

Course Rationale

Students will learn to

1. Determine the aspects of a question, if any, for which statistics can provide relevant information.
2. Analyze statistical studies, particularly regarding appropriate sampling and experimental design.
3. Select and use appropriate statistical analyses to get useful information from data.
4. Communicate knowledge using standard statistical language and also interpret it in non-technical language.

This course meets the Core Curriculum requirement in mathematics.  It meets the requirement for an introductory statistics course for students in many majors such as business, health sciences, and social sciences.

 Common Course Objectives

1. Interpret ideas of population versus sample, random variables, and techniques of descriptive statistics including frequency distributions, histograms, boxplots, and scatterplots. 
2. Calculate and interpret measures of central tendency and dispersion, including mean, median, standard deviation, and quartiles. 
3. Find and use empirical probabilities in bootstrap distributions to find confidence intervals and in randomization distributions to test hypotheses.
4. Find and use theoretical probabilities from normal, t, chi-squared and F distributions to form confidence intervals and test hypotheses. Apply the 95% rule to normal and to approximately normal distributions.
5. Analyze relationships between two quantitative variables using correlation and linear regression.
6. Analyze data presented in two-way tables to provide information about relationships between categorical variables.
7. Apply ideas of appropriate sampling techniques and experimental design to data production. 
8. Use the sampling distributions of sample proportions and sample means to answer appropriate questions. 
9. Estimate single means, difference of two means, single proportions and difference of two proportions using confidence intervals. Interpret the results. 
10. Demonstrate skills in hypothesis testing for means and proportions, for single populations and comparison of two populations. 
11. Demonstrate skills in hypothesis testing using chi-squared tests.
12. Demonstrate skills in inference for regression and ANOVA techniques.

Throughout the course, students will use statistical applets to do computations and produce graphical displays needed to analyze data.  Students will do some statistical calculations by hand with a scientific calculator.  

 Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

1. Explain the use of data collection and statistics as tools to reach reasonable conclusions.
2. Recognize, examine, and interpret the basic principles of describing and presenting data.
3. Compute and interpret empirical and theoretical probabilities using the rules of probabilities and combinatorics.
4. Explain the role of probability in statistics.
5. Examine, analyze, and compare various sampling distributions for both discrete and continuous random variables.
6. Describe and compute confidence intervals.
7. Solve linear regression and correlation problems.
8. Perform hypothesis testing using statistical methods.

General Education Competencies

1. Critical Thinking – gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information - is covered in every SLO. 
2. Quantitative and Empirical Reasoning – applying mathematical, logical, and scientific principles and methods - is covered in every SLO.
3. Technology Skills- using appropriate technology to retrieve, manage, analyze, and present information - is covered in SLOs # 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8.
4. Written, Oral and Visual Communication – communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium is covered in every SLO.