INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC & ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS

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1 INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC & ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS SPEA K300: Statistical Techniques Fall 2010 Instructor: Sarah E. Larson Office hours: SPEA 440A Wed, 11:00 AM- 1:00 PM, and by appointment Office phone: N/A Where to leave messages: is preferred Teaching Assistant: Hyunkang Hur Office Hours: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 AM Section: Class meetings: Mondays & Wednesdays 9:30 AM-10:45 AM Room: Library 033 I. Course Information Pre-requisites for the Course: No course work is required prior to beginning in SPEA K300: Statistical Techniques. Course Description K300 is an introduction to statistics for college and university students that highlight how to understand statistical language, how to interpret real world data, and how to construct statistical idea based on the use of graphical and numerical techniques. This course introduces students to the basics of statistics techniques. The course includes basic statistical concepts, techniques, and the languages of statistics for data collection and presentation, probability distributions, hypothesis testing, correlation, and regression analysis. Readings One text is required for this course, which can be purchased at the IU bookstore, as well as TIS. Furthermore, several websites carry this book, if you prefer to purchase books online. Bluman, Allan G Elementary Statistics: A Brief Version, 5 th Ed. Boston: MA, Mc-Graw-Hill. Several additional readings will be posted on OnCourse. Readings, which contain a [OC] next to the title, can be found on OnCourse under the Resources tab. Please make sure that you have completed all of the readings listed under a specific class period BEFORE coming to class that day!

2 Because of the quantitative nature of SPEA K300, a scientific calculator will be necessary for taking the exams. Cell phone calculators are strictly PROHIBITED, and will not be allowed for use during the exams. Some examples of appropriate scientific calculators include: Texas Instruments TI-30X Casio FX-115ES Texas Instruments TI-83 Plus Texas Instruments TI-84 Some of the homework assignments later in the semester will require the use of SPSS, a computer statistical package. SPSS can be accessed at the following locations: Any university STC build computer o Found under the Departmentally Sponsored Tab > Statistics > SPSS CD-ROM with one-year licenses can be purchased from the Stat/Math Center, 410 N. Park Avenue for instillation on personal computers. A vast majority of students find it unnecessary to purchase SPSS, as they are able to easily access it on university machines throughout campus. OnCourse Instructions OnCourse ( will be used within this class. Each student should be able to log onto OnCourse and locate the SPEA K300 tab for this class. Announcements will be posted via OnCourse; students are encouraged to check OnCourse daily for updates! All required readings not located in the required textbook could be found under the Resources tab of OnCourse. Assignments will be submitted via the Assignment tab on OnCourse. Grades will be posted under the Grades section of OnCourse. If a student has problems navigating or using OnCourse, the student should seek assistance via University Information Technology Services (UITS) immediately! A lack of knowledge with how to work OnCourse will NOT be accepted as an excuse for a late submission of an assignment! II. Course Goal Course Goal K300 is designed to provide students with a solid working knowledge of quantitative tools for analyzing social and real world data. By the end of this course, students will be able to use basic statistics techniques to explain specific concepts (ex. population vs. sample), describe and aggregate raw data observed in

3 professional and academic situations (ex. research papers or media). Students will be able to apply the appropriate statistical method to solve the real world problems, or understand the real world phenomenon. Students also will be able to analyze statistical problems by computer software (ex. excel or SPSS). III. Grading Homework Throughout the course, you will turn in five homework assignments, each covering two chapters of the material. Each assignment will be given at least one week in advance of the due date. You are encouraged to discuss the assignments with your peers; however, the finalized assignment turned in must be your own work. Understanding the homework assignments is important to performing well on the examinations. Homework assignments will comprise 30 percent of your final grade, or 6 percent for each assignment. Homework will be handed back at least one class session prior to the exam covering the material the material in the homework assignments. Homework assignments are due in class one the day posted on the syllabus. All assignments must be submitted in a printed form, not electronically. A 10 percentages penalty per day applies to all late assignments. Assignments submitted out of class on the due date will also incur a 10 percentages penalty. Grading Standards and Criteria Grade Distribution Homework (5, each worth 6%)- 30% Exam 1 15% Exam 2 15% Final Exam 20% Attendance and Participation - 10% Group Project 10% Grading Scale Score Grade A A A B B B C C C D F Exams Three exams will comprise fifty percent of your final grade. Each exam will cover predominantly the material covered in the prior class session, as listed in the syllabus; however some cumulative knowledge is necessary to interpret and apply the statistical tools. Exam 1 and Exam 2 will be each worth of fifteen percent of your

4 final grade. The Final Exam will be worth twenty percent of your final grade. Exams will include problems similar to those completed on homework assignments, and therefore a critical understanding of homework assignments is necessary for performing well on the exams. You will not be required to memorize formulas for the exams; however, you will need to know when to apply a particular formula to a given problem. In additions to solving problems, exams will likely contain short answer essays asking for interpretation of data presented. Calculators are allowed and any necessary statistical tables will be provided. Group Research Project (Report and Presentation) Because of the emphasis in this course on practical application of statistical knowledge in preparation for real world experiences, ten percent of your final grade will consist of an applied group statistical analysis project. Due to the relatively large number of students enrolled in this class, groups will consist of 5 members each, unless otherwise notified or approved by the instructor. The standard size of a group may be adjusted when the enrollment becomes stable. The professor will identify group membership after the first exam. The research project is cumulative in nature and it is therefore a good idea to meet with your group members regularly after your group is formed. Detailed instructions for the group research project will be put to Oncourse. Final Exam SPEA K300 will have a final exam. This exam will take place on Monday, December 13, 2010 from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM in the normal classroom, Library 033. Policy Regarding Pass/Fail, Incompletes, and Withdraw Marks Pass /Fail Students cannot take SPEA K300 as a Pass/Fail course. Course Withdrawals Students who stop attending class without properly withdrawing from the class may receive a grade of F. It is important to withdraw from a course within specified timeframes (see chart below). Note that withdrawals after Week 12 of a regular session or Week 4 of a summer session are rarely granted. Poor performance in a course is not grounds for a late withdrawal. No withdrawal forms will be processed in the Office of the Registrar after the last day of classes. Any requests for a late withdrawal after the last day of classes must go through the grade appeal process, but each student should remember that in accordance with campus policy, SPEA does not permit a student to withdraw from a course if he/she has completed the course requirements. Grade replacement should be used in this case. To withdraw, obtain a withdrawal slip (DROP/ADD Form) from

5 the SPEA Student Services window. Instructions for completing it are given on the form. Withdrawal Deadlines Course deleted from record, no grade assigned, 100% refund (Advisor signature IS NOT required) Withdrawal with automatic grade of W (Advisor signature IS required) Withdrawal with grade of W or F (Advisor and instructor signatures ARE required) Week 1 (last day) Week 2 Week 7 (regular session) Week 2 Week 3 (summer session) Week 8 Week 12 (regular session) Week 3 Week 4 (summer session) Incompletes A grade of incomplete (I) indicates that a substantial portion of the work in a course has been satisfactorily but not entirely completed by the student as of the end of the semester. The incomplete can be given to a student facing a hardship such that such that it would be unjust to hold the student to the established time limits for completing the work. To be eligible for the incomplete in a SPEA course, the student s work must be of passing quality, and the student must have completed 75% of the course requirements. Poor performance in a course is not grounds for an incomplete. SPEA follows the campus guidelines, which may be accessed at the Office of the Registrar s website at in awarding incompletes. Incompletes must be removed within a time period not to exceed one year after the semester in which the student was enrolled in the course. The incomplete will revert to an F if the work is not completed within the allotted timeframe established by the instructor. Students Called to Active Duty SPEA encourages any student who is in the Indiana Military Reserves and is called to active duty to finish his/her coursework if at all possible. Students who cannot complete their courses have the option of withdrawing with 100% fee refund, but this request must be made within one week of being called to active duty. Students who are called to active duty may qualify for an incomplete (provided that all the above criteria have been met). For further information, please see the Office of the Registrar s website at IV. Important Policies

6 Academic Dishonesty SPEA faculty do not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty. If you have not done so, you should read the IUB Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, which can be accessed at so you will be sure to understand what these terms mean and what penalties can be issued for academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty can result in a grade of F for the class (an F for academic dishonesty cannot be removed from the transcript). Significant violations of the Code can result in expulsion from the University. Plagiarism is using another person s words, ideas, artistic creations, or other intellectual property without giving proper credit. According to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, a student must give credit to the work of another person when he/she does any of the following: A. Quotes another person s actual words, either oral or written; B. Paraphrases another person s words, either oral or written; C. Uses another person s idea, opinion, or theory; or D. Borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material, unless the information is common knowledge. Classroom civility The breaking of any of these rules will constitute expulsion from the classroom for the remainder of the class period! The only exceptions made to these rules will be for disabled students with paperwork from the Office of Disabilities Services. o The use of cell phones and other communication and electronic devices is not allowed in class. o Remember to completely silence (no vibrate mode) and stow away your cell phone. As much as you probably have a great song for a ringtone, I do not want to hear it during the middle of class! =) o Do not read the newspaper or any text unrelated to class once the lecture starts. This includes doing the Crossword or Sudoku in the Indiana Daily Student! o Do not fall asleep in class! Disabilities Every effort will be made to accommodate those individuals with disabilities documented by the office of Disabilities Services ( However, documentation must be

7 presented to the instructor within the first THREE weeks of class time. Documentation will NOT be accepted 72 hours or less before the due date of an assignment or exam. Please feel free to come talk to me about any issues regarding disabilities. Attendance Because of the importance of active in-class discussion and participation, 10 percentages of your final grade is based on your attendance and participation in class. More than three unexcused absences will result in a reduction of your participation grade. Any additional unexcused absence will result in a 10 percentages deduction off your attendance grade. In case of emergency, a notice prior to the beginning of the class is required in order to be counted as present. Late Assignments Assignments that are turned in past the due date will be deducted one letter grade (10 points) for each day past the deadline, before the instructor begins to grade the paper. If the paper is handed in more than three days late, the student will automatically receive an F for the assignment. Revision of Syllabus The instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus in any way she sees fit after the initial distribution to the class. Subsequent versions of the syllabus will be available via OnCourse, and students will be notified via OnCourse of any changes. Course Schedule (This schedule is tentative. Any changes will be announced on Oncourse) Week1 8/30 Introduction Reading: None 9/1 The Nature of Probability and Statistics Reading: Ch. 1 (1-6) Week2 9/6 Frequency Distributions and Graphs Reading: Ch. 2 (1-2) 9/8 Frequency Distributions and Graphs Reading: Ch. 2 (3-4) HW1 assigned

8 Week3 9/13 Data Description Reading: Ch. 3 (1-2) 9/15 Data Description Reading: Ch. 3 (3-4) HW1 due HW2 assigned Week4 9/20 Probability and Counting Rules Reading: Ch. 4 (1-3) 9/22 Probability and Counting Rules Reading: Ch. 4 (4-5) HW2 due Week5 9/27 Review Session Reading: Ch /29 First Exam (In-Class: 1 hr 15 min) Week6 10/4 Discrete Probability Distributions Reading: Ch. 5 (1-3) 10/6 The Normal Distribution Reading: Ch. 6 (1-2) HW3 assigned Week7 10/11 The Normal Distribution Reading: Ch. 6 (3-4) 10/13 Confidence Intervals and Sample Size Reading: Ch. 7 (1-2) HW3 due Week8 10/18 Confidence Intervals and Sample Size Reading: Ch. 7 (3-4) 10/20 Hypothesis Testing Reading: Ch. 8 (1-2)

9 HW4 assigned Week9 10/25 Hypothesis Testing Reading: Ch. 8 (3-4) 10/27 Hypothesis Testing Reading: Ch. 8 (5-6) HW4 due Week10 11/1 Review Session Reading: Ch. 5 8 & Ch /3 Second Exam (In-class: 1hr 15min) Week11 11/8 Testing the Difference between Two Means, Two Proportions, and Two Variances Reading : Ch. 9 (1-3) 11/10 Testing the Difference between Two Means, Two Proportions, and Two Variances Reading : Ch. 9 (4-5) Week12 11/15 Correlation and Regression Reading: Ch. 10 (1-2) HW5 assigned 11/17 Correlation and Regression Reading: Ch. 10 (3) Week13 11/22 Group Presentation HW5 due 11/24 No Class, Thanksgiving Recess Week14 11/29 Group Presentation 12/1 Group Presentation Week15

10 12/6 Group Presentation 12/8 Review Session Reading: Ch & Ch. 1 7 Week16 12/13 Final Exam (5:00 7:00 pm) (2hr)