Course Syllabus
ISI Website | indepst@uidaho.edu | 208-885-6641
MATH 1153 Introduction to Statistical Reasoning
Sponsoring Institution: Idaho State University
Credits: 3
Instructor Information
Course Instructor: Jason Reed
- Email: jreed@uidaho.edu
- Copy the ISI office at indepst@uidaho.edu on all communications.
My name is Jason Reed, and I am a lecturer of mathematics at Idaho State University. I have been teaching math since 2003. I teach a variety of courses, including algebra, trigonometry, calculus, math for elementary teachers, and statistics.
Course Description
Descriptive statistics, probability, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing for one and two parameters. Emphasis on applications to a wide variety of disciplines.
ISU students: Satisfies Goal 3 of the General Education Requirements
Introduction to Statistical Reasoning, Math 1153, is a survey course in statistics serving students from a variety of disciplines. The focus of the class is not on solving difficult algebraic problems; rather, the primary purpose of this class is to introduce the student to statistical thinking and to develop the skills needed to understand and incorporate data analysis techniques in everyday life.
Statistics, the science, is all about data. So even though this course is listed as Math 1153, it is really not a mathematics course. Because data vary, there is an inherent level of uncertainty in statistical problems that is not present in, say, geometry.
The real world is full of variability, and we are regularly forced to make judgments in the face of uncertainty. Statistical reasoning can help us make better judgments more often. We can't always be right, and statistics cannot literally prove anything, but statistics can provide guidance in a complex world.
No doubt you've heard analysts on TV dismiss statistics saying, "You can make statistics say anything you want." Well, of course you can—just as you can tell lies in English. That people sometimes fib doesn't mean you shouldn't learn to speak and listen, but that you should learn to identify fibbers. Similarly, that people can mislead with statistics doesn't mean you shouldn't use statistics, but that you need to learn how to identify statistical fibbers. I hope this course will help you to do this
Course Learning Outcomes
Students will be introduced to descriptive and inferential statistics in this course. In a modern world that often suffers from both too much and too little data, students will participate in intelligently applying the concepts of this course to a variety of disciplines.
Students will:
- interpret and produce descriptive statistics, both graphical and numerical;
- study some of the foundational concepts of statistical inference, including the role of the normal distribution and other distributions;
- solve numerous problems in inferential statistics from a wide collection of real-world and academic environments, with emphasis on testing hypotheses and estimating parameters;
- determine the assumptions that underlie and explain past and present use and abuse of statistical reasoning;
- practice using tables, calculators, and/or Courseware as time- and labor-saving devices, but only to the extent that these devices enhance understanding of the concepts and procedures of statistics.
Required Materials
- Hawkes Learning Systems (HLS) Beginning Statistics Courseware
- Minitab 19 Statistical Software package
- A computer with Internet access (including email). Check in Hawkes Learning for the Minimum System Requirements for using the courseware.
- A scientific calculator (Having a TI-83 or TI-84 is not essential but may be very useful as a time-saving device)
Hawkes Learning Statistics Courseware and eBook
Hawkes Learning Systems (HLS for short) Beginning Statistics courseware is required for this course and gives access to:
- Your course textbook in e-book format
- Warren, Carolyn, Kim Denley, and Emily Atchley. Beginning Statistics. 3rd ed. Mount Pleasant: Hawkes Learning /Quant Systems, Inc., 2021.
- Note: With the ebook, a physical copy of the book is not needed for this course
- HLS Courseware
- Courseware parallels Beginning Statistics section by section, providing students with a means to practice and then certify mastery of the material
See Getting Started with Hawkes for instructions on how to purchase and utilize the courseware.
Minitab Statistical Courseware
Minitab will do calculations and draw charts and graphs, freeing you to master the course content. Minitab output can be pasted into documents. This should be very valuable for you in preparing reports and papers for this and other classes. Much of the homework can be done either by hand or with Minitab. When practical, you should use both methods. Minitab is very powerful, and we will only use a fraction of its power in this course.
The current version is Minitab 19, but this may change by the time you read this. You should try to use the latest version of the software, but if you somehow obtain an older version, that will work too. Learn how to access and use Minitab by visiting the Getting Started with Minitab course page.
Course Rules and Requirements
3 graded Extended Problems, 3 Topic Certifications (graded self-study), 4 graded proctored exam
- Students may submit up to 1 extended problems per week and 1 exam per day.
- Before taking exams, students MUST wait for grades and feedback on assignments, which may take up to three weeks after date of receipt by the instructor.
- ALL assignments and exams must be submitted to receive a final grade for the course
In this course, we will cover most of the material in Beginning Statistics. The course consists of twelve lessons (arranged in three topics) and four exams. The graded assignments are Certifications (via HLS Courseware) and Extended Problems for each of the three Topics (see Grade Information below).
| Topics | Lessons | Certifications (HLS) | Extended Problems | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topic 1: Data and Data Description | 1-3 | Topic 1: 10 certifications | Topic 1 | Exam 1 |
| Topic 2: Probability and Distributions | 4-7 | Topic 2: 15 certifications | Topic 2 | Exam 2 |
| Topic 3: Inference and Regression | 8-12 | Topic 3: 18 certifications | Topic 3 | Exam 3 |
| Topics 1-3 | 1-12 | Comprehensive | Final Exam |
Assignments
Assignments consist of Topic Certifications and Extended Problems
Topic Certifications (43)
The Topic Certifications are to be completed within the Hawkes Learning Systems Courseware. The Topic Certifications are computer-graded and provide immediate feedback. Certification informs your instructor as to how you are doing in each chapter and provides feedback about areas that require more study on your part. The certification process (or displaying mastery of the lesson material) lets your instructor track your progress and will contribute to a portion of your final grade (see Grade Information.) You may attempt to certify as many times as you wish, but you must observe the following rules:
- Do not move on to the next section until you are completely done (for example, do not try certifying on 2.2 until you are certified on 2.1).
- Each certification allows so many incorrect responses before you are forced to start over. If you "strike out," you should take some time to reread the corresponding section of the text and/or the Instruct option in the HLS Courseware.
Extended Problems (3)
Submit Extended Problems in the CANVAS assignments listed under Modules. Graded Extended Problems will be returned via CANVAS.
Rules: Extended Problems
- Must be word-processed and able to be opened in Microsoft Word.
- Graphics must be cut and pasted from Minitab.
- Must be written in proper English, in essay form, and between 2-4 pages.
- Extended Problems 1 and 3 are to be completed as stated in Canvas.
- Extended Problem 2 has two parts: Part A and Part B.
- Submit Part A and wait for further instruction.
- Once you receive further instruction, resubmit Part A with Part B.
- Show your work and justify your procedures and answers. This means show the formula you are using, show the formula again with the numbers in place of the symbols, and show the answer. (In the case of complex calculations, it is appropriate to show intermediate results.)
- Be sure to explain your work. You cannot expect the reader to do part of the work for you.
- It is important to remember that confidence is quite different from certain. If you construct a thousand 95% confidence intervals, you can expect to be confident, but wrong, about 50 times. If you insist on a higher level of confidence, you must increase the sample size and/or live with abigger interval.
- Confidence intervals commonly show up in the news, and it is important that you be able to express them in proper English. See the end of Example 2, page 349 in your textbook. You should always write out your solution in this form.
- "We are (I am) 95% confident that the true population mean for the number of hours students on this campus study per week is between 13.5 and 17.9."
Exams
Exam Guidelines
Each exam will be designed to take an hour, but to reduce time pressure, you will have up to 90 minutes on the exams. You will have two hours for the Final Exam.
Calculations on the exams will not be difficult, but there must be enough work to justify all answers.
- Take the exam for each topic after you are fully certified in that topic and have the graded Extended Problem back from your instructor.
- You are advised to wait for your instructor's grades and comments on assignments and exams before taking each subsequent exam.
All exams require a proctor unless an exam is self-administered. To request an exam proctor, follow the instructions on the ISI page: Exam Proctors. Submit the Proctor Information Form at least two weeks before your first exam. ISI mails all exams directly to the proctor after receiving the Proctor/Exam Request Form. You must schedule the examination time with your proctor before each exam. The proctor administers the exam and returns it to the ISI office. The proctor administers the exam and returns it to the ISI office. Mr. Jason Reed grades the exams. Graded exams will not be returned to you.
What to Bring to an Exam
- Photo identification
- V number
- Pen or pencil
- A calculator,
- The foldout of formulas and tables from your book. The Formulas and Tables foldout from Beginning Statistics is essential for all exams. A printable version can be found in the Canvas course under both Exams and Other Resources.
- And one standard-sized page of notes (8.5" x 11" with writing on both sides). You should make a copy of your page of notes because you must submit your notes with your exam.
Study Hints:
- Keep a copy of every assignment submitted.
- Complete all assigned readings.
- Set a schedule allowing for course completion one month before your desired deadline.
- Web pages and URL links in the World Wide Web are subject to change. If you cannot access a link that has been listed in this course guide, use your favorite search engine (such as Google) to locate the site. To seek assistance or provide any updated information, contact your instructor.
- Always complete the Instruct section on the HLS Courseware.
- Use the Practice section on the HLS Courseware as much as you wish.
- Complete the Chapter Exercises in the textbook. These are to prepare you to do the certifications and are NOT submitted for grading. Almost all of these problems have answers in the back of your textbook. Every textbook I have ever seen has some incorrect answers. If you think you've found one, please let your instructor know.
- Certify on the HLS Courseware. This counts towards your final course grade!
- Complete and submit the three Extended Problems to your instructor via a CANVAS assignment submission.
- As you end each chapter in Beginning Statistics, consult the Chapter Review.
Email Standards
Place questions or comments for the instructor in the body of the email.
In the email's subject line include: Your name, course subject and number, and assignment number.
Example: Joe Vandal, Math 1153, Assignment 1 Question
Grade Information
The course grade will be based upon the following lessons and exams:
Certifications (10 points per group; 30 points total)
You can receive up to 10 points as a cumulative grade for the certifications within each of the three Topics (see Course Rules and Requirements above). For example, if you certify 12 of the required 15 sections for Topic 2, then you will receive a score of 8.00 out of 10 for Certification 2. (Note: 8.00 is 12/15 of 10 points.). These are computer graded via the HLS Courseware.
Extended Problems (10 points each; 30 points total)
You must also turn in an Extended Problem after you complete Lessons 3, 7, and 12 (at the end of each Topic). This problem is to be carefully written up in complete sentences. Mr. Reed grades these.
Exams (150 points)
After you have completed all Certifications and submitted your Extended Problem, you should take the corresponding Exam. Mr. Jason Reed grades the exams.
Grade Breakdown
| Certifications | Lessons | Points | Percentage of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic 1 | 1-3 | 10 | 4.76% |
| Topic 2 | 4-7 | 10 | 4.76% |
| Topic 3 | 8-12 | 10 | 4.76% |
| Total | 30 | 14.28% |
| Extended Problems | Lessons | Points | Percentage of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic 1 | 1-3 | 10 | 4.76% |
| Topic 2 | 4-7 | 10 | 4.76% |
| Topic 3 | 8-12 | 10 | 4.76% |
| Total | 30 | 14.28% |
| Exams | Lessons | Points | Percentage of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam 1 | 1-3 | 30 | 14.29% |
| Exam 2 | 4-7 | 30 | 14.29% |
| Exam 3 | 8-12 | 30 | 14.29% |
| Final Exam | 1-12 | 60 | 28.57% |
| Total | 30 | 71.44% |
Total Possible Points: 210
Grade Scale
Your grade will be based on your point total using the following scale. Of course, if your point total falls on the cutoff between two intervals, you will receive the higher grade. For example, if you score 183 points, you will receive a grade of B+.
- A = 195-210
- A- = 189-195
- B+ = 183-189
- B = 174-183
- B- = 168-174
- C+ = 162-168
- C = 153-162
- C- = 147-153
- D+ = 141-147
- D = 132-141
- D- = 126-132
- F = 0-126
The final course grade is issued after all assignments and exams have been graded.
Acts of academic dishonesty, including cheating or plagiarism, are considered a very serious transgression and may result in a grade of F for the course
Course Policies
Refer to the ISI Policies for the most current policies and procedures, including information on setting up accounts, student confidentiality, exams, transcripts, course exchanges, refunds, academic integrity, library resources, disability support and other services.