Course description:

This course aims at exploring basic statistics concepts, including sampling, probability, binomial distribution, normal distribution, sample average, sample standard deviation, confidence intervals, tests of statistical hypotheses. Understanding statistics as a powerful tool for analyzing data will be achieved through examination of various examples. We aim to cover most of the textbook.

Although tailored for biology students, this course will not particularly focus on examples drawn from medicine and biology. Rather, we assume that you are accustomed to dealing with formulas and you do not need any remedial algebra. Knowledge of calculus is not assumed but you should be familiar with summation notation and indexed variables such as a₄ and x_n. Accordingly you should not have any problems with formulas such as   Σ x_k

General course info / Math 148 web site:

There is a website for Math 148. You can link to it from the instructor's home page . Here is a direct link .

Discussion section info:

A schedule for the discussion sections can be found on the Math 148 home page Note that TA's office hours will be held in the Math 148 helproom starting with week 2 or 3 of the semester.

Prerequisites:    

Major in biology or a related field. This is not a mathematical statistics and knowledge of calculus is not assumed, but formulas will be used in lecture to a much larger extent than in the text.

Textbook:    

Statistics (4th ed.) by Freedman, Pisani, and Purves. (REQUIRED).
Most of the homework will be chosen from this book and only references to the problems are given. If you do not obtain your book from the BU bookstore then there is a possibility that your copy is not in sync with the official version and it is your responsibily to ensure that you work on the correct problem.

Calculator:    

You will need a calculator for quizzes and exams.

• Calculators may not be programmable and they may not be graphing calculators. This specifically rules out calculators from the TI-83 and TI-84 series.
• Suggested calculators (August 24, 2016):
  1. TI 30X IIS scientific calculator: I have seen that one for less than $10.00 at Walmart.com with no S/H cost if you pick it up in store.
  2. TI BA II Plus financial calculator: Costs a little bit more than $30.00. This calculator has statistical functions but they won't do you a lot of good because you are required in your exams and quizzes to write down the actual formula with your specific data to get credit.
• Laptops and cell phones are not allowed.
• You are not permitted to share a calculator. You are advised to bring a backup calculator and spare batteries.

Blackboard:

Grades will be recorded in the Blackboard online gradebook. Stay on top of your grades! If your grade is incorrect you must contact your teaching assistant for a correction immediately. Grades will not be corrected more than one week after their posting date except in case of a prolonged and excused absence, e.g., a hospital stay. Visit blackboard frequently!

Lectures:

The lecture provides the main presentation of course material and will follow as closely as possible the course calendar. Attendance in lecture is not required but will give you additional points. You are responsible for learning lecture material missed due to an absence. Be sure to know at least one other student who can share her/his notes with you!

Discussion Sections:

Each student is assigned a discussion section, which meets once a week on either Tuesday or Thursday. This required class is a valuable opportunity for open discussion of the lecture material and assigned problems in a smaller class setting. Attendance in discussion is required; a significant portion of the points that determine your grade in the course are earned in your discussion class. More importantly, if you skip discussion then you will perform significantly below your potential when taking the exams and those count for 75% of the grade. Note that one period per week is generally not adequate to answer all questions. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunities outside of class for additional help.

Your main resource person is your teaching assistant. S/he is available during office hours (or by appointment) to answer your questions about the course material. Your TA is responsible for recording all quiz, homework, and exam scores. If you have concerns about your discussion session which cannot be handled by your TA or the head TA, contact the lecturer, Dr. Fochler. As mentioned above, you should check the course website and Blackboard regularly and consult with your TA if you have any questions about recorded grades.

Record keeping:

You must retain all returned papers in case of any discrepancy with your course grade. We cannot correct mistakes in grading or recording of scores without the original document. We will not review disputed points after the final. All grading issues must be settled within one week of the return of the paper.

Exams:

There will be 3 midterm exams given in lecture and one final exam. No notes, books, cell phones, or laptops are allowed for tests. However, you are allowed a calculator and an index card. Details will be discussed before each exam. Each midterm exam will be worth 150 points and the final exam will be worth 300 points.

Exam dates: Check the Math 148 home page.

Students should make all arrangements to take the tests. The times and dates for these tests are non-negotiable. The final exam will be comprehensive and you must take the final exam at the scheduled time. A student can request the makeup final only if he or she has another final at the same time (direct conflict) or has three final exams scheduled within 24 hours. If you want to request to take the alternate final then you must do so before Thursday, December 1 in writing: Send an email to your TA and instructor.

Students with disabilities:

If you have a letter from the Service for Students with Disabilities that grants you extra time for exams or other special accomodations you should send an email to me and your TA (indicate your section, please) asap and approach me during office hours.

Index cards:

Index cards for the exams are subject to the following regulations:

• they must contain your name and section
• max size is 4 x 6 inches for the midterms
• max size is 5 x 8 inches for the final
• they may be written by hand or printed and contain material on both sides

Discussion Quizzes & Homework:

Students are expected to attend discussion sections prepared to turn in their homework and/or take a quiz. Both homework collection and quizzes will generally not be announced.

Quizzes:

There will be as many as 12 discussion quizzes, each worth 15 points.

Homework:

Homework will be assigned weekly and a list can be found on the Homework page of the course website. A total of 6 homework assignments, each worth 20 points, will be randomly collected during discussion.

The lowest 2 discussion quizzes and the lowest 1 homework will be dropped. No make-ups will be given unless a student has more excused absences than dropped discussion quizzes or homework assignments. No exception for those who have missed quizzes or homework because they were added late to the course!

Attendance:

Attendance sheets will be collected during six randomly selected lectures and 5 points will be awarded to everyone who attended lecture during such a date. In other words, you can earn up to 30 additional points if you were present during all those dates.

Attendance will not be taken during discussion but you are advised not to skip discussion as up to 12 quizzes means that a quiz will be given during almost every section!

Your grade:

You can earn a total of 1,030 points in this course:

TENTATIVE grading scale:

Success:

Success in this course depends largely on your attitude and effort. Attendance and participation in class is critical. It is not effective to sit and copy notes without following the thought processes involved in the lecture. For example, you should try to answer the questions posed by your lecturer. Students who do not actively participate have much more difficulty. However, be aware that much of the learning of mathematics at the university takes place outside of the classroom. You need to spend time reviewing the concepts of each lecture before you attempt homework problems. It is also important to look over the textbook sections to be covered in the next lecture to become familiar with the vocabulary and main ideas before class. That way you will be much more apt to grasp the material presented by your lecturer. As with most college courses, you should expect to spend a minimum of 2 hours working on your own for every hour of classroom instruction (at least 6 hours per week). It can also be very helpful to study with a group. This type of cooperative learning is encouraged, but be sure it leads to a better conceptual understanding. You must be able to work through the problems on your own. Even if you work together, each student must turn in his or her own work, not a copied solution, on any collected individual assignment.

Attendance Policy and Make-up Policy:

Registration in this course obliges you to be regular and punctual in class attendance. Make-up exams and quizzes will only be given in response to an excused absence. Excused absences include illness, religious holiday, a major tragedy in the family and participation in official BU athletic events (but remember that there are no make-ups for the first two missed quizzes and the first missed graded homework: see the Discussion Quizzes & Homework section). To be excused, absences should be properly documented, for example with a doctor's note. Bring this documentation to your lecturer or TA. The document should be issued to you at the day of the test. For example, if you missed a test on Friday, you should provide a Friday’s doctor’s note. The makeup will be scheduled within one week from the missed exam. You must request a make-up in writing by sending an email to your TA, cc the instructor.

Students will NOT be given the opportunity to complete old assignments at the end of the semester to improve their grades. When you receive a grade, whether on Blackboard or in class, you will have one week to discuss that grade with your instructor or teaching assistant before it becomes FINAL.

Academic Honesty:

Incidents of academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely. There is precedent for giving an "F" for the course to a student who attempts to advance his/her grade illegally. Dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: copying another student's work, letting someone copy your work, lying to or intentionally misleading an instructor, signing someone else's name to a document. To eliminate suspicion, only writing/erasing utensils, your calculator and your index card will be permitted on desks during an exam.

Best wishes for a successful semester!

Michael Fochler