Stat 150 – Introduction to Statistical Investigations
Class meetings: MTRF 1:10-2:00 in Statistics Studio Classroom (02-206)
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Instructors: |
Beth Chance |
Allan Rossman |
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Office: |
FOE 25-103 |
FOE 25-102 |
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Office phone: |
756-2961 |
756-2861 |
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Email: |
bchance@calpoly.edu |
arossman@calpoly.edu |
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Office hours |
M 12-1, T 11-12, W 7:30-9 (BB Chat), F 11-12:30 |
M 3:10-4, T 12:10-2 (02-206), R 10:10-11, F 10:10-11 |
and by appointment and by chance
Text: Statistics: A Guide to the Unknown (4th edition)
by Roxy Peck et al (Eds.), Duxbury Press.
Course webpages: http://statweb.calpoly.edu/bchance/stat150F07/ and Blackboard
Course listserv: stat-150-01-2078@calpoly.edu
Overview: Statistics can be defined as the science of reasoning from data. Data and statistical reasoning abound in our everyday lives, and the discipline of statistics makes great contributions to the scientific enterprise and to many aspects of life in our technological society. Statistics also offers very attractive career opportunities to students with strong quantitative, computer, communication, and teamwork skills.
This course will introduce you to the discipline of statistics and to the nature of statistical reasoning. The course will also orient you to Cal Poly’s statistics program and aim to develop your skills in discussion, writing, presentation, and computing that should serve you well throughout your studies at Cal Poly.
Learning goals: Our goals are that by the end of this course you should have developed your ability to:
- Appreciate the role of statistics in the scientific enterprise and in everyday life
- Understand the process of statistical investigations, from the posing of questions and the collection of data through the analysis of data and presentation of results
- Comprehend fundamental concepts of statistics, such as variability, randomness and randomization, experiment, sampling, bias, significance
- Recognize the importance of sound data collection strategies
- Plan an effective data collection strategy to address a particular question
- Conduct preliminary analyses of data involving graphical and numerical components
- Address issues of statistical significance
- Use Minitab statistical software to perform basic analyses of data
- Critically read, summarize, and evaluate articles from popular media involving statistics
- Present clear arguments concerning statistical issues both orally and in writing
Course materials: You should purchase the textbook and a three-ring binder for storing and organizing handouts. You must also have a scientific calculator and access to the internet and Minitab software access outside of class. Please bring your book, binder, and calculator to every class session. We will provide details of how to use Minitab, and Word throughout the course.
Class policies: We strongly encourage you to prepare for and to participate in every class session. Not only will this help you to learn the material and perform well in the course, but it will also produce a much more enjoyable learning environment for all of us. Preparing for class will typically involve reading the essay in the book to be discussed that day and also starting and completing your assignments in a timely manner. Participating in class will typically entail contributing to discussions and working on hands-on activities that we design to help you investigate and learn the material. Some of these activities will ask you to work cooperatively with a partner or group. It will be your responsibility to ask for clarifications of any terminology and/or concepts as the course progresses, even if it is “hey what?”
Please make every effort to attend class and to arrive on time so as not to disrupt the learning of others. Due to the interactive nature of the classroom learning environment, most students find that attending class regularly is essential to learning the material. Naturally, you are responsible for material covered and announcements made during classes that you miss.
We also expect you to be polite in class. Some ways to do this are:
- Arrive to class on time.
- If you are late to class, enter quietly in order to minimize distractions.
- Pay attention during class. Do not read the newspaper or talk to your neighbor (unless we have asked you to work together). We would much rather you interrupt us with a question than hold your own private conversation. If you cannot stay awake, we would all be better served by your leaving quietly and catching up on your well-deserved sleep.
- Do not surf the web or check e-mail during class. It’s fine to do this before class starts, but please give us your full attention when we begin class.
- Do not allow your cell phone to ring or vibrate during class.
- Do not leave class early.
- Participate in class discussions and activities to the best of your abilities. Be willing to learn from your mistakes.
You might be interested in a website that lists some differences between high school and college with respect to manners and expectations: http://www.nwc.cc.wy.us/campusserv/advice/college/classroom.htm
Grading policies: In order to give you a variety of opportunities to demonstrate your learning, your course grade will be determined by the following components, with relative weight as indicated:
- portfolio-writing assignments and class participation (20%)
- project reports and presentations (65%)
- exam (15%)
Portfolio-writing assignments and Class participation: We will make frequent portfolio-writing assignments in which you comment on a statistical issue, summarize readings, reflect on your own experiences, and/or respond to questions found in the text. You will typically be asked to write several entries per week, and these portfolios will be collected roughly every two weeks. You should write very legibly or use a word processor, and always write in complete, well-structured sentences. If you miss a class on which a portfolio-writing assignment is based, you must meet with one of us to see what you missed. The portfolios are due at the beginning of class on the indicated day (or before), and late work will not be accepted.
We will also assign a class participation score based on the quality, in addition to the quantity, of the comments and questions that you contribute to our class discussions (of material and of readings) and activities. We may also collect some of your in-class work.
Project reports and presentations: The focus of this course is on project work. You will complete nine project assignments that will help you to learn statistical concepts and methods, as well as developing your writing and oral communication skills. Some projects culminate in written reports, some in oral presentations, some in both. You will work on most of the projects with a partner (or two), although you will complete three of them individually. Detailed expectations concerning the projects will be provided in advance. A listing of project assignments follows (OP = oral presentation, WR = written report; I = individual, T = team):
1) Day in the Life (OP; I): You will read a short article describing a typical day in the life of a statistician, and then present a summary of what you learn.
2) Learning Styles (WR; T): You will analyze data on the learning styles of you and your classmates, comparing them to data from students in other disciplines at other universities.
3) Finding Findings I (WR; T): You will read a news article summarizing the findings of a statistical investigation that we give you, and then find the original research article so that you can critique how well the news media presented the findings.
4) Human Development Trends (WR, OP; T): You will generate research questions concerning worldwide data on human development trends over decades, and then use dynamic graphical software to analyze data to address your questions.
5) Debate (OP; T): You will participate in a debate arguing one viewpoint of an ethical issue involving statistics, trying to persuade others to your team’s position.
6) Regression (WR, OP; T): You will generate a research question involving prediction, find multivariate data relevant to that question, and use regression techniques to analyze the data and develop a prediction model.
7) Experiment / Survey (WR, OP; T): You will devise a research question and design a study to address the question, then collect and analyze data to investigate the question.
8) Time Management (WR; I): You will collect data throughout the quarter on how you spend your time day-by-day, and then analyze the data to identify patterns and trends.
9) Finding Findings II (OP; I): You will select a news article that describes a statistical investigation of interest to you and find the original research article on which the news presentation was based. You will critique the news article presentation and apply what you have learned this quarter to summarize the statistical content of the research study.
NOTE: You will work on projects 8 and 9 throughout the quarter. Project 9 will be presented during the final exam time of the course.
Time management
study:
We ask that you collect data on your time management habits during every day of the quarter, including weekends and holidays. We would like you to record data on at least six different variables for every day of the quarter before Thanksgiving, beginning on Monday, September 24 and ending on Sunday, November 18. One variable must be “coursework outside of class for this course,” but you are to choose the other variables. Examples include exercise, sleep, and talking on your cell phone.
Keep in mind that suggested amounts of time spent studying (e.g., 25-35 hours a week) are guidelines. Individuals will vary, and your time usage will vary in different weeks and different quarters. We urge you to be honest: measure your time accurately and without bias. You will only be graded on the quality of your analysis and reflection on this assignment, not on how many hours you spend studying.
Exam: The scheduled exam date appears in the schedule below; you may make up the exam only with a written medical excuse. Be aware that the abilities to understand concepts, interpret results, explain reasoning, and communicate findings are more important than computational manipulations or rote memorization in all of these areas.
Advice: With apologies to David Letterman, we offer the following “Top Ten” suggestions to improve your learning in this course and throughout your college career:
1. Come to class. It is extremely important for you to attend every class meeting. The majority of class time will be devoted to group activities and discussions; we will not be lecturing much. Although much learning often takes place outside of the classroom, our classroom experiences set the stage for that learning to occur.
2. Prepare for class. Of course your attendance in class is of limited value if you have not prepared for class. Please read the assigned material for class so that you can contribute meaningfully to the discussion. You should find the textbook to be very readable and much less technical than most statistics books. You should also start assignments several days before the due date so that you may ask questions during class and in office hours, as well as reflect on the relevant material as it is discussed in class.
3. Participate in class. In addition to preparing for class and coming to class, we ask you to participate constructively in class. Since most class time will consist of group discussions, please feel free to take part enthusiastically.
4. Ask questions. Please feel free to ask questions during class. This includes questions that arise from your reading, because we will not attempt to present all of the material that you read about. It also includes questions that come to mind based on class activities and discussions. Rest assured that if you ask a question, the answer will probably benefit many students in addition to yourself.
5. Defend your arguments. You will find that there are not sharp distinctions between right and wrong answers for many of the issues that we will discuss. This does not mean, however, that all arguments are equally valid. What matters is the degree to which you defend your position with supporting evidence.
6. Work together. We think you will find that you can learn a great deal from your peers. Some of your assignments will ask you to work together in pairs or teams, but feel free to ask for advice from your peers at other times as well. When you are asked to comment on a peer’s work, please make constructive suggestions. Please show courtesy and respect for others’ views and their right to express them. Feel free to criticize the arguments of others, but do so on substantive grounds and present evidence to defend your own position. Take advantage of the opportunity to see topics from several viewpoints.
7. Put in time outside of class. You may not have needed to devote much time outside of class to succeed in high school. This course, and almost all college courses, requires you to make a substantial commitment outside of class. You are expected to devote 2-3 hours per week outside of class for every course unit, so you should invest 8-12 hours per week outside of class for this course. You have probably already seen signs on campus encouraging you to study for 25-35 hours per week; this really is sound advice but will require good time management across all your classes. It is very important that you keep on top of things and do not fall behind.
8. Use office hours. Please come to visit us during office hours. You may come with specific questions or general ones. You may bring questions about an assignment, questions about something mentioned in class, or questions about anything at all. Feel free to stop by at times other than office hours as well. You will also find e-mail to be an efficient way of communicating questions to us.
9. Have fun! We sincerely hope that you will enjoy both the subject matter of the course and the learning process. By all means you should try to enjoy the readings and discussions. We also hope that you will enjoy our class discussions and participate in them enthusiastically.
10. Think!! Please be prepared to open your mind as you investigate new ideas and think about familiar ones from new perspectives.
A common theme emerges from these suggestions: You are responsible for your own learning. We see our responsibilities as your instructors as providing you with an environment rich with activities, discussions, and feedback that foster your learning experience. Please be aware that you have a number of resources to support you in this endeavor. Please call on us to assist you with your learning as much as we can.
Schedule: The following is a tentative schedule, always subject to change. Please read the indicated chapter prior to attending that day’s class session.
Stat 150 -
Tentative Schedule (Fall, 2007)