Syllabus for Spring 2014

Math 13: Introduction to Statistics - class code 22723
Spring 2014 – Laney College
Tuesday Thursday: 10:30 am-12:20 pm

Instructor: Matthew Hubbard 
Email address: mhubbard@peralta.edu
No recommended textbook
class website: http://budgetstats.blogspot.com/

Office hours: 
 T-Th: 1:30-1:55 pm G-201 (Math Lab)
T-Th: 6:30-6:55 pm G-201 (Math Lab)

Add and drop class dates
Last date to add: Sat., Feb. 1
Last date to drop class without a “W”: Sat., Feb. 1
Last date to drop class with a “W”: Sat., May 3

Holiday schedule for Tuesday-Thursday classes
Spring break April 14 to 19

Test dates:
Midterm 1: Thurs., Feb. 27
Midterm 2: Thurs., Apr. 10
Comprensive Final: Thursday, May 22 10:00 am to noon

Homework to be turned in: Assigned on Thursdays, due the next Tuesday.
Homework can be turned into Mr. Hubbard’s box in the Math Lab G-201, open Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
OR can be turned in by e-mail to mhubbard@peralta.edu.

Late homework accepted AT THE BEGINNING of the next class (usually Thursday)

Quizzes: One every Thursday, except the first and last week and weeks with a midterm

Grading system
20% Homework
  5% Labs
25% Quizzes best 2 of 3
25% Midterm I best 2 of 3
25% Midterm II best 2 of 3
25% Final

Lowest two of the homework scores will be dropped from the total.
Lowest two of the quiz scores will be dropped from the total.
Lowest total out of 100 points the quiz total and two midterms will be dropped from the final grade.
Anyone getting a higher grade out of 100 points on the final than the weighted average of all grades combined will get the final percentage instead deciding the final grade. This option is only available to students who have missed at most two homework assignments.
There are no make-up quizzes. Midterms can be made up if the student gives prior notice and has time to take the test before the next class meeting.
Anyone whose class average is over 97% going into the final can skip the final and get an A in the class.

Class rules: All cell phones and electronic communication devices off during class.
No hats, hoodies or headphones worn during quizzes and exams.
No calculators that also combine a cell phone or text message machine.

Recommended calculator: TI-30XIIs (any calculator with at least two lines of output will do, the TI-30XIIs is the cheapest that does all the things you need to do in this class. If you need help with any Texas Instruments calculator, I should be able to steer you in the right direction. I haven’t used other brands of calculators as much.)

Academic honesty: All assignments you turn in, homework, exams and quizzes, must be your own work. Anyone caught cheating on these assignments will be punished, where the punishment can be as severe as getting a zero on the assignment.


Student learning outcomes

Math 13 — Introduction to Statistics
1. Describe numerical and categorical data using statistical terminology and notation.
2. Analyze and explain relationships between variables in a sample or a population.
3. Make inferences about populations based on data obtained from samples.
4. Given a particular statistical or probabilistic context, determine whether or not a particular analytical methodology is appropriate and explain why.

The reciprocal relationship

The teacher will be on time and prepared to teach the class.
The students will be on time and prepared to learn.

The teacher will present the material to the best of his ability.
The students will absorb the material to the best of their ability. They will ask questions when topics are not clear.

The teacher will do his best to answer the questions the students ask about the material, either by repeating an answer with more details included or by taking a different approach to the material that might be clearer to some students.
The students will understand if the teacher feels a topic has been covered enough for the majority of the class and will accept questions being answered outside the class, either in extra time or through written communication.

The teacher will do his best to keep the class about the material. Personal details and distractions that are not germane to the class should not be part of the class.
The students will do their best to keep the class about the material. Questions that are not about the topic should be avoided. Distractions like cell phones and texting are not welcome when the class is in session.

The teacher will give assignments that will help the students master the skills required to pass the course.
The students will put in their best efforts to complete the assignments.
When the assignments are completed, the teacher will make every effort to get the assignments graded and back to the students in a timely manner, by the next class session whenever possible.

The teacher will present real life situations where the skills being learned will be used when they exist. In math, sometimes a particular skill is needed in general to solve later problems that will have real life applications. Other skills have the application of “learning how to learn”, of committing an idea to memory so that committing other ideas to memory becomes easier in the long run.
The student has the right to ask “When will I use this?” when dealing with mathematical topics. Sometimes, the answer is “We need this skill for the next skill we will learn.” Other times, the answer is “We are learning how to learn.” Both of these answers are as valid in their way as “We will need this to understand perspective” or “We use this to balance our checkbooks” or “Ratios can be used to change a recipe that serves three people to one that serves ten people” or other real life applications.