Instructor: Joshua Hertlein, Master of Science in Statistics (WVU).
Lecture Time: Tuesday 5:30 - 7:30
Class Location: MHH-D G20
Office Location: 4th floor Hodges (Room 402).        Work Phone: 304-285-1364
Office Hours: Tuesday (4:00 - 5:30, 7:30 - 8:00, or by appointment). You can also see any of the Lab GTAs.
Email: jhertlein@stat.wvu.edu

Lab Schedule:
Section: 020     W11:30 - 12:20
Section: 021     W10:30 - 11:20
Section: 022     F10:30 - 11:20
Section: 023     R4:00 - 4:50
Section: 024     F2:30 - 3:20
Section: 030     R1:30 - 2:20
Section: 031     R2:30 - 3:20

Course Description
This course uses a broad brush to introduce the fascinating science of statistics to students from many diverse fields. Examples and applications from biology, environmental science, education, political science, public policy, behavioral sciences, public health and medicine will be used to enhance the relevancy of the basic methods of descriptive and inferential statistics that form the core learning in this course: descriptive measures, random variables, sampling distributions, estimation, tests of hypothesis, chi-square tests, regression, and correlation.

This course is offered in the General Education Curriculum under Objective 2: Basic Mathematical Skills and Scientific Inquiry and Objective 4: Contemporary Society. The course material encourages critical thinking and challenges students to employ the scientific method to examine contemporary issues, ideas, and conventional wisdom.

Course Objectives
In this course students will:
Develop confidence in applying mathematics, and specifically statistics, to solve real-life problems.
Learn to approach and analyze problems both logically and mathematically.
Learn to communicate mathematically by being provided opportunities to read, write, and discuss ideas and concepts in statistics.
Learn to value mathematics and specifically statistics, as a universal scientific language.
Learn to value the role of mathematical and specifically statistical concepts and methodologies in addressing issues that arise in the natural and social sciences and in humanities.
This course provides the student with the foundations of statistical theory and the opportunity to practice using several statistical methods to organize, analyze, and present data, to design experiments appropriate to the information desired, to test hypotheses, to make judgments about data and to predict future behavior based on available data. Descriptive statistics, simple and conditional probability, probability distributions, and topics in inferential statistics such as hypothesis testing and estimation are emphasized.

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, all students are expected to demonstrate the ability to:
1. Understand the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics;
2. Identify the experimental unit and the variable type and to specify the variable values;
3. Organize data for statistical analysis, construct, interpret, and understand graphical displays of a set of observed data;
4. Calculate, interpret, understand, and identify when to use the sample mean, quartiles, IQR, median, mode, and standard deviation and identify outliers;
5. Measure and assess the association between two quantitative variables, and understand what the Pearson correlation coefficient measures;
6. Understand the idea of least squares estimation, interpret the intercept and slope of a least squares regression line, understand the connection between correlation and regression analysis;
7. Compute, understand and interpret the theoretical probability of an event, construct and interpret probability distributions, know how the laws of probability are used to compute probabilities of compound and conditional events;
8. Understand and examine the sampling distribution of a statistic;
9. Calculate the expected value and variance of a discrete numeric random variable;
10. Identify and understand binomial, poisson, and normal random variables, compute their probabilities, means and variances;
11. Compute z-scores and understand the z-score as a measure of relative position;
12. Use Normal approximation to compute binomial probabilities;
13. Understand and compute the mean and standard deviation of the sampling distribution of sample means and use the Central Limit Theorem to answer probability questions involving the sample mean;
14. Compute and interpret confidence intervals on population means, population proportions, and mean differences between two populations using sample data;
15. Construct the null and alternative hypotheses;
16. Understand and describe the Type I and Type II errors in the context of a hypothesis test;
17. Relate the steps in hypothesis testing to the scientific method;
18. Perform large- and small-sample hypothesis tests on population parameters, use p-values and the classical methods for making decisions, interpret the results and state the conclusion of a hypothesis test;
19. Perform chi-square tests of independence and the chi-square test of homogeneity, through the use of contingency tables;
20. Make inferences concerning the theoretical slope of a linear regression line and determine the accuracy of regression predictions.

e-Book (Required)
LifeStats: by Ditlev Monrad, E.James Harner, Barbara A. Bailey and Xuming He
Note: You must purchase your e-Book online through the website: www.8-mobius.com

LifeStats online ordering instructions are provided at:
www.stat.wvu.edu/~hlee/LifeStatsOnlineOrderingInstructions.htm

The Department of Statistics requires that students purchase an eBook ($52.50). Your IDEAL account will be discontinued and you will not be able to complete the labs and quizzes if you do not purchase the textbook by the end of the second week of class. This is department policy.

Class Notes
You can download lecture notes at: www.stat.wvu.edu/~jhertlein/StatNotes.htm

Grading
Exam 1               100
Exam 2               100
Final                   150
Lab Exercises     100
Lab Quizzes       100

The course grade will be based ona total of 550 points, using a 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% criteria for assigning thecourse grades A, B, C, D respectively. Any total less than 60% of 550 points will result in the course grade F.

Text Exercises
Text exercises are assigned by section on the class schedule, but they are not graded. However, you should work the exercises sincethey provide you with practice problems and are often representative of exam questions.

Attendance and Exams
Class attendance is required (must bring WVU student ID), and your total points under the Grading section above will be modified by the following bonus or penalty score:

Number of absences:
0 or 1         10 bonus points
2                 5 bonus points
3                 0 bonus points
4                 5 penalty points
5                 10 penalty points
6 or more   15 penalty points

During exams: textbooks are not permitted; calculators are required and cannot be shared. You are not allowed to use cell phones during exams, and you must remove baseball caps. You must not leave the room during an exam without the instructor's permission. The date for each exam is indicated in the class schedule, but the final determination of material covered on each exam will be announced in class prior to the exam. For further guidelines please refer to http://www.wvu.edu/~acadaff/acad/policies/attendance.htm.

Lab Exercises
During the semester, 23 exercises will be assigned and the best 20 will be used to compute the lab grade. Each exercise will be worth 5 points. Fifteen (15) of the exercises must be worked (i.e., a reasonable attempt must be made) in order to receive a passing grade. You will find it helpful to bring a pencil, paper, calculator, and your textbook when completing the exercises. The lab instructors will work practice examples similar to the assigned exercises in G31/33 Eiesland Hall during your assigned lab period. You can work the exercises during the free periods at the lab or you can work them at any computer supporting Java. Graduate Teaching Assistants will teach the labs sections as outlined above and will also be available during free lab hours. You are expected to attend the lab sessions for the quizzes/examples and complete the exercises on your own.

Lab Quizzes
During the semester, 12 quizzes will be given and the best 10 will be used to compute the quiz grade. Each quiz will be worth 10 points. You will find it helpful to bring a pencil and calculator when completing the quizzes. The quizzes are timed and are to be done in G31/33 Eiesland Hall during your assigned lab period.

**** 3 exercises, as well as your 2 lowest quiz grades, will be dropped. These dropped exercises and quizzes are in case something catastrophic happens (i.e.IDEAL doesn't save your answers, a death in the family, serious illness, etc.). This is also to safeguard me in case we do have a mishap with IDEAL and your exercises don't get submitted. Chances are that won't happen, so you'll end up benefiting from this. Since I do drop a number of each, there are absolutely NO make-ups, under any foreseeable circumstances (outside of a case where you have an excuse that you missed 3 weeks because of serious illness, or something like that). ALSO: You are given 3 "absences" until the penalty points take effect. These freebies are in case you forget your WVU student ID, death in the family, serious illness, etc. In summation, there are NO MAKE-UP EXCERCISES, NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES, and NO ATTENDANCE FOR FORGOTTEN IDs.

Make-Up Exams
In the case of an emergency situation, I must be notified within two days of the exam. Your instructor will determine the manner in which the missed evaluation is made up.

Exam 1 is slated for Sept. 29th, Exam 2 for November 3rd, and the Final for the week of Dec. 14th.

Prerequisite
Math 124 or Math 126 or the equivalent (college algebra)

Academic Integrity
The integrity of the classes offered by any academic institution solidifies the foundation of its mission and cannot be sacrificed to expediency, ignorance, or blatant fraud. Therefore, I will enforce rigorous standards of academic integrity in all aspects and assignments of this course. For the detailed policy of West Virginia University regarding the definitions of acts considered to fall under academic dishonesty and possible ensuing sanctions, please see the Student Conduct Code at http://www.arc.wvu.edu/admissions/integrity.html Should you have any questions about possibly improper research citations or references, or any other activity that may be interpreted as an attempt at academic dishonesty, please see me before the assignment is due to discuss the matter.

Social Justice
West Virginia University is committed to social justice. I concur with that commitment and expect to maintain a positive learning environment based upon open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. Our University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, veterans status, religion, sexual orientation, color or national origin. Any suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment in this class will be appreciated and given serious consideration.

If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise me and make appropriate arrangements with the Office of Disability Services (293-6700).