Math 148   -    Elementary Statistics for Biologists   -    Fall 2020  

  Home   •   Syllabus   •   Schedule   •   Announcements   •   Homework   •   Course material   •   Q&A   •   Grades  

Last update: December 14, 2020 - 13:00 PM
NOTE that This document pertains to ALL sections of the course!
Visit this page frequently for important announcements!


Math 148 Announcements

12/14/2020   Your section Blackboard now reflects the changed letter grades.
12/14/2020   a. I have decided to revert to the original grading scale, and you will see that the syllabus reflects that decision. This is a very time consuming process, so please be patient. I will post another announcement no later than 8:00 PM today about the status.
b. The above will not address the complaints I have received concerning why your grade is based on the points in the TotAdj field, not on the potentially higher figure in the TotSum field. The reason is that, of the 12 quizzes and the five graded homework assignments, only the best 10 quizzes and the best four homeworks are counted towards the up to 1000 points that determine your grade. You should think of >>TotAdj<< as a shorthand notation for >>Best10QuizzesAndBest4Homeworks<<. If this confuses you a review of the syllabus should help.
12/13/2020   a. The letter grades for this course have been computed, and those of you who attended one of sections A01-A06 may already have seen them. Shiyi is in the process of posting the grades to her A07 and A08 sections.
b. There have been quite a few complaints about me having broken my promise that >>the distribution of your grades will be no worse than that of Fall 2019<< Let's look at that for a moment. Here are the grade distributions, now judge for yourselves:
Grade F D C- C C+ B- B B+ A- A
Fall 2020 Tentative 6.82% 2.27% 1.14% 2.27% 13.64% 13.07% 10.23% 21.59% 18.18% 10.80%
Fall 2020 Finalized 6.82% 2.27% 1.70% 7.95% 11.36% 13.64% 11.93% 18.75% 14.77% 10.80%
Fall 2019 9.20% 1.72% 4.60% 6.32% 12.07% 11.49% 18.97% 13.79% 12.07%% 9.77%
Please note that the syllabus now contains the finalized grading scale on which the percentages in the middle row are based.
c. What could be the reasons that your grades were so high that I had to adjust the grading scale for the worse and not for the better? The reason is that the final exam was too easy, and the homework grades were inflated As to the latter: It was a rarity to find a graded assignment that had more than zero points (it was turned in) and less than 22 points. I do not see that happening in previous semesters.
Please do not get me wrong. I am not saying that something untoward has happened, only that circumstances have led me to adjust the grading scale.
d. I will publish the anonymous finals grades on the grades page later tonight. Please check for that on Monday morning.
e. The grades will be rolled into the registrar's database tomorrow. For the first semester students among you: It may take a couple of days, maybe even weeks, before your grade(s) will show up on your inofficial transcripts.
f. The last thing that remains for me is to say goodbye to you I wish you a joyful holiday celebration, and that you will be successful in your further studies and beyond Best wishes for the future -- Michael Fochler --
12/9/2020   a. The anonymous grades for the third midterm have been posted.
b. Once the finals are graded I will apply a curve so that the distribution of your grades will be no worse than that of Fall 2019, the last semester before the pandemic forced us to move online.
c. This part is for the students of Shiyi Ma's sections A01, A07, A08 only:
You will find the properly scaled points (from 15 t0 25) for the first two graded homeworks in the grade center columns titled >>HW A<< and >>HW B<<. This was done properly in the other sections.
12/8/2020   All Zoom links are posted now, including the TA discussions sections.
12/8/2020   a. All lectures, including Monday's review session, have been posted. I'll publish the discussion links of last week as soon as I get them from my TAs.
b. All TAs will monitor web chats during the final. It goes without saying that you must send questions PRIVATELY to the TA only unless you want to get zero points on that final exam. Even better: send an email first and tell your TA in your chat that you did so. Emails allow you to provide screenshots which illustrate your question. Remember that your problem #8 is not the same as everybody else's #8 since Blackboard will select your problems randomly from its problem pools.
c. There are very strict regulations about what we will share with you about your final exam once it has been graded. Blackboard will display the total number of points you got and nothing else! I will make an announcement to you once all exams have been graded, since only then will you know for sure what your score was.
d. It will take some additional time for me to decide on what kind of curve I will apply, and only then will you know what your letter grade will be. I will make another announcement to that effect when all is finished.
e. Be aware that some problems are very lengthy. Some of them go over a full 8.5 x 11 page. Be sure you have some scratch paper ready so that you can jot down some notes.
f. Remember to save frequently, and always choose the >>Save All Answers<< button at the bottom rather than the >>Save Answer<< button since you may not remember in your hurry that those buttons are posted at the start of a problem and not at the end where you post your answers.
12/2/2020   a. Starfish tutoring session by Kelly Cao: Mon Dec 7, 12:00-2:00 PM Check today's email announcement for the Zoom link!
b. Today's lecture recording is available.
12/1/2020   Scope of quiz 12: Ch.26 and those parts of ch.28 that I will have taught you on Wed Dec 1. Ch.27 will definitely not be on that quiz.
11/30/2020   a. Homework 14 has been posted. It will DEFINITELY be collected for grading!. Due Fri 12/4/2020. Only 6 problems!
b. Today's lecture recording is available.
11/23/2020   a. Zoom links for all discussion sections (including A02 and A05) are now available.
b. There will be no office hours during Thanksgiving week held by either instructor or TAs. Office hours will resume normally during the week after Thanksgiving and end for TAs on Monday, December 7, the day before the first day of online finals. I plan to hold office hours on Tuesday, December 8 as usual.
11/22/2020   a. Zoom links for all lectures are current. TA discussion links for last week will be provided as soon as they become available.
b. Homework 13 has been posted. It will NOT be collected for grading: It's purpose is solely to let you practice inference for simple regression and what has been discussed so far about ANOVA. Odd-numbered problems have been chosen so you can check your solutions against the text.
11/17/2020   As you probably are aware we have surpassed the 100 COVID cases mark earlier today, and BU is again going fully remote. Thus the two remaining LH-1 lectures for this semester (Wed 11/18 and Fri 11/30) will be held remotely. Do not come to LH-1 anymore!
11/16/2020   a. I have received several emails from you about today's midterm as far as insufficient time is concerned, and I want to answer them all here: You have done this midterm under the same conditions as all other students. To the extent that others had the same problem as you, the curved letter grade will account for a test that may have given overall below average grades.
b. All discussion section recordings are available.
11/11/2020   a. Tomorrow's midterm: Same rules apply as for #1 and #2. I have added a link to the course materials page that shows you how to access the Blackboard Math Edit Capabilities (Not required, but it might make it easier for you to review your essay answers).
b. All lecture recordings are available.
11/11/2020   a. HW 12 has been published. It will NOT be collected for grading!
b. All lecture recordings are available.
11/10/2020   a. The I/T problems at BU still persist, so Iwill hold the Wednesday, 11/11 lecture remotely and NOT in LH-1. Do not come to lecture hall tomorrow!
b. I will hold office hours on Wednesday, 10:00-11:30.
c. This affects only those who are entitled to take the make-up for the final exam due to direct scheduling conflict, THREE finals within a 24 hour period, ...: There will be three time slots for the make-up final. Each one is monitored by one of our TAs:
  •   Zifan Huang: Wed 8:05 - 10:05 PM   •   Yangsheng Wang: Thu 8:00 - 10:00 AM   •   Shiyi Ma: 10:25 AM - 12:25 PM   •  
You can apply for any one of those three time slots if you qualify. You must do so by emailing your TA, since I will not respond to any such make-up requests. Deadline is next week Thursday evening.
11/10/2020   a. Due to the I/T problems at BU I will not have any connectivity of my laptop when on campus, and for me that is the case on Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun. On those days I will only check my email in the evening, so be sure to cc your TA if your email is urgent.
b. The above also is the reason that I have moved my Tuesday office hours to Wednesday, 10:00-11:30 until further notice.
11/8/2020   a. You may have seen Sunday afternoon's B-Alert about faculty not being allowed to use their own computers on campus. My poor eyesight does not permit me to use the small size monitors of the campus owned computers and I thus will hold the Monday, 11/9 lecture remotely and NOT in LH-1. Do not come to lecture hall tomorrow!
B-alert asserts, and the Mathd department's I/T admin confirms, that students are not affected by the incident. Thus I understand that you students have nothing to worry about if you connect to Zoom, BB, and other services from your dorm room.
b. Scope of midterm 3 on 11/16 (NOT on 12/16) @8:30: ch.17 - 24 (all of ch.24). Duration: 55 minutes
c. TAs' discussion session recordings are posted on the course material page.
11/6/2020   Homework 11 and Friday's lecture have been posted.
11/4/2020   a. All lecture recordings have been published.
b. Scope of tomorrow's quiz: ch.21-22
11/1/2020   a. Homework 10 has been re-published: assignments #18 and #24 of ch.20 were in the wrong order.
b. TA discussion section recordings have been posted
10/31/2020   a. Homework 10 and Friday's lecture have been posted.
b. Reminder: Daylight Savings Time ends today: You'll get an additional hour tonight. Be sure to adjust those clocks that are not updated automatically (wrist watches, ...)
10/29/2020   a. A question from one of your peers:
Q:   Is there any way you could tell me what my current grade is? Currently I have 310/300 which is over 100%, which I'm assuming isn't correct
A:   Check the TENTATIVE grading scale toward the end of the syllabus: The total points will be 1,000 after dropping the worst homework and the worst two quizzes. There very likely will be a curve, but that one cannot be determined until the final exam has been graded.
b. Reminder: There will be a quiz tonight at 10:00. Scope: ch.19-20
c. The recording for yesterday's lecture is available.
10/27/2020   Pandemic - Mental Health Resources: I and other instructors at the Math department understand that some of you may be having a difficult time during this period of physical distancing including feeling anxiety and stress; these are normal during a crisis situation like the one caused by the pandemic. It is an important time to know about how we can best care for ourselves and others. Some of you have already reached out and are seeking support. But if you haven’t already done so, I highly encourage you to reach out for support. There are lots of resources and support systems on and off campus that may help you or provide you information on how to help a friend who may be in need. It is very important to remember you are not alone and we will be stronger together during this global crisis. If you need help, please reach out for support or if you think someone else needs support, please encourage them to reach out for support.
a. The University Counseling Center provides comprehensive clinical and referral services to Binghamton University's undergraduate students, graduate students and affiliated entities. They offer a wide range of telemental health services including individual counseling, group counseling, workshops, consultation for concerned parents, guardians, friends and family, a secure room if needed for urgent telemental health appointments, referrals to providers and treatment coordination, and mindfulness practices for stress management. They also provide same-day urgent teleservice for emergencies. See the following link for contact information:
https://www.binghamton.edu/counseling/index.html .
b. The next link provides names of various resources on Mental Health Services, phone numbers and additional details:
https://www.binghamton.edu/bhealthy/wellness-resources/mental-health.html .
c. The next link provides quite a lot of information on anxiety management workshops and other resource on managing stress, anxiety and isolation during quarantine:
https://www.binghamton.edu/counseling/covid-19.html .
d. The Mental Health program places a priority on helping students maintain their mental health during their time at Binghamton University by providing outreach, mental health tips, resources available both on and off campus, and information on how to help a friend who may be in need. This link provides you information on Mental Health Program:
https://www.binghamton.edu/hpps/mental-health/index.html .
e. The next link provides informational resources for coping during COVID-19:
https://www.binghamton.edu/hpps/covid19-resources/covid-19-mental-health/copingresources.html .
f. The CARE Team (Consultation, Advocacy, Referral and Education) work to educate and inform members of the Binghamton University community through caring, advocacy, and supportive endeavors. The CARE Team will take phone calls or emails for scheduling same day Zoom or phone meetings with students. General inquiries or requests for scheduling meetings will be handled 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays via phone or email. See this link for details:
https://www.binghamton.edu/case-management/
10/26/2020   a. The date for the Math 148 final exam (and I assume for all your other lectures) has been set: Tue Dec 08, 2020; 08:05PM - 10:05PM On-Line Date and time for the make-up final have yet to be determined.
b. Scope for midterm 3 will be ch.17-23 and some or all of ch.24.
c. The recording for today's lecture is available.
d. The deadline for withdrawal/change of grade option is TODAY, Oct 26!
10/24/2020   a. Homework 9 has been posted. Due next Thursday
b. The recording for yesterday's lecture is available.
10/22/2020   a. Remember that tonight will be a quiz. Scope: ch.17 and 18.
b. The recording for yesterday's lecture is available. There is none for Mon 10-19 since I forgot to turn on the recording. Starting tomorrow I will again lecture in LH-1 and a CTA will make sure that I will not forget this again.
c. Anonymous grades for midterms 1 and 2 are available. If you had your grade adjusted since you were affected by one of the two badly posed problems then you may not find your score, but you will still be able to see where it fits and how you rank in comparison to the other students in your section.
10/18/2020   a. The links for all office hours, discussion section and lecture recordings have been published.
b. The recordings for last week's lectures and discussion sections are available.
c. Anonymous grades for midterm 2 will be published later this week.
10/13/2020   Homework 8 has been posted.
10/9/2020   a. The links for all discussion sections recordings (and those for Monday's and Wednesday's lecture) have been published.
b. Homework 7 has been published so you can practice for the midterm: Odd numbered problems with solutions and hints in MyStatlab. Will not be collected for grading.
10/9/2020   Today's lecture was not recorded.
10/8/2020   a. Remember not to come to discussion section and lecture classrooms for at least the next two weeks, starting today!
b. Today's quiz will cover ch.13 and 14, and midterm 2 will cover ch.10-16.
c. the recordings of all lectures held through yesterday are available on the course materials page.
10/5/2020   a. The midterm has now been completely graded
b. This applies only to those of you who had the problem with the flat screen movie players: I had forgotten to turn on partial credits for that problem, so some of you got zero points even though some answers were correct This was fixed today (Sunday), so check now how many points you got on that problem.
10/2/2020   Homework 6 has been published. Due next week, Thursday.
10/1/2020   a. Remember that there will be a quiz at 10:00 PM!
b. All lecture recordings through Wed 9/30 are available.
9/26/2020   a. The essay questions will not be graded until Sunday evening, October 3, since all TAs are busy with midterm preparations.
b. Homework 5 has been published. Scope: ch.7 and ch.8. This one will definitely not be collected for grading.
c. All links for this last week's lectures and discussion recordings have been posted.
9/22/2020   Tomorrow's midterm:   •   Given online, in your discussion Blackboard, on Wed, 8/23, at 8:30 AM. Do not come to LH-1!
  •   Duration: 55 minutes   •   Procedure: Just like a 55 minutes long quiz.
  •   Consult the syllabus on what is considered cheating and what will happen to you if we catch you.
  •   Further instructions: click the link "Instructions for midterm 1" at the bottom of the course materials page.
9/21/2020   The link for today's lecture recording has been posted.
9/18/2020   All links for this last week's lectures and discussion recordings have been posted.
9/16/2020   a. Scope of tomorrow's quiz #3: ch.5 and 6.
b. The 9/16 lecture recording is now available.
9/14/2020   a. I have pushed back the first midterm to Wednesday, September 23 since things have been going slower than expected.   •   Scope: ch.1 - ch.8.   •   This is an online exam (via MyCourses). Do NOT come to LH 1! The exam will start at 8:30 AM and last 55 minutes
b. There are no practice exams, but here is how you prepare:
  • Read the summary and the glossary of terms at the end of each chapter.
  • Focus on doing problems for which you know the solution. Ideal are the fully worked examples in the chapters of the text.
  • Review your quizzes.
b. The Zoom recording of today's lecture is available.
9/13/2020   All lecture and discussion recordings are up-to-date except the A02 recording for Tue, September 8. That one was not recorded.
9/10/2020   Homework 4 has been posted. Due next week Thursday
9/10/2020   a. New entries on the discussion page for section A05 recordings, shifting and scaling (ch.5) and rounding rules (important for Blackboard quizzes and exams. See the next part of the announcement).
b. If you are asked in a Blackboard quiz or exam to fill in a blank with a numerical result, e.g. with a mean or SD you were asked to compute, the following rules apply
  • Round each result which is not an integer to TWO decimals (unless you are asked to round to a different number of decimals), but do NOT write TRAILING ZEROS.
  • Some examples: If the result is 13, write 13; if it is 0.3456, write 0.35, and DO NOT WRITE .35; if it is -12.1333 write -12.13.
  • Remember that you round as follows: If digit #3 after the decimal point is between 0 and 4 then chop off the digits starting with that one, otherwise you have to add 1 to digit #2 (this may propagate to the left if digit #2 was a 9), and then chop off the digits starting with #3.
  • If the result is negative, DO NOT LEAVE ANY SPACES between the minus sign and the first digit.
  • Examples: If the result is -5.3666, write -5.37 and NOT - 5.37. If it is -.11822, write -0.12 (do not forget the leading zero!)
If you do not follow these rules then Blackboard will punish you. It is a dumb program and will not recognize your results as correct otherwise. These rules still need to be checked by my TAs, and I will republish them if I overlooked something or made a mistake.
c. There have been unusually many complaints about students not having access to the Zoom recordings of our lectures and discussions sections. It looks like the access policy was changed (I could not get to my own lecture recordings). This is what you do (one possible option) when you get that Zoom signon screen: Choose "Sign on with Google" and pick your xyz@binghamton.edu email ID (which is a Google gmail account). Remember that the password is (hopefully) not the same as the one you use to log into BU services like BU Brain or Blackboard. That should fix the problem.
9/9/2020   Today's lecture recording is available.
9/7/2020   Today's lecture recording is available, so are all discussion section recordings for Shiyi Ma's sections A01, A07, A08. The recordings for the other sections will be posted no later than this weekend.
9/4/2020   a. Today's lecture recording is available.
b. Homework 3 has been posted. Due next week Thursday
9/3/2020   a. Next Monday's lecture (Sep 7, Labor Day) will be held online for everyone, including those of you who are scheduled for LH 1 on Mondays:
There will be no Broome County buses running (see the BC Transit Service Alerts page). I expect that the OCCT buses will be filled to capacity early, and some of those who live off campus may be left at the bus stop because the bus is full or even somewhat overcrowded, and I do not want anyone to whom this applies to incur any avoidable health risk.
b. TA office hours (published yesterday) will start next week.
c. In case I forgot to mention: Yesterday's lecture is available on the course materials page.
9/2/2020   a. Reminder: Quiz 01 will be given on Thu 9/3 at 10:00 PM. Duration: 16 minutes (+ extended time for students with an SSD letter).
b. HW 2 is due (typed) by Thu 9/3, 11:59 PM. Mail it to your TA, NOT to me: I will delete those emails!
c. TA Office hours (online!)
  • Shiyi Ma: Mon 5:00-6:30 and Wed 5:00-6:30
  • Zifan Huang: Mon 1:30-2:00, Tue 12:30-1:00, Wed 1:00-1:30, Thu 3:00-3:30, Fri 1:00-2:00
  • Yangsheng Wang: Tue 8:30-9:30 AM and 3:30-4:00, Thu 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
All Math 148 students can attend ANY of those office hours, but each TA will give preference to the students in her/his sections. Your instructor will email all office hour Zoom links for the entire week some time during the preceding weekend.
9/2/2020   a. The link for the 9/2 lecture is available on the course materials page.
b. Yangsheng Wang is now the TA for sections A02 and A05. Please send all further TA communication to Yangsheng (wangy@math.binghamton.edu) instead of Shiyi (A02) or Zifan (A05).
8/29/2020   a. The link for the 8/29 lecture is available on the course materials page.
b. One of you asked me to link to their Google doc page. Sorry, but I do all my written communication to you via posting to my course website (hosted by the BU Math department), sending emails, or (very occasionally) making a Blackboard announcement.
8/27/2020   a. Homework #2 has been published. Due as a file (email) next week on Thu September 3.
b. Reminder of COVID rules (discussed in the 8/26 lecture): If you do not wear a mask in class or discussion then your instructor/TA will ask you three times, in quick succession, to correct that situation or leave immediately. If you don't follow instructions then you will get an F, and the remainder of that lecture/discussion will be canceled. You will not be asked a fourth time! If there should be a second incident then you quite likely will be expelled from Binghamton University.
c. Reminder that office hours will be held online, starting next week. Instructor's office hours: See home page or syllabus. TA's office hours: TBD.
8/26/2020   Concerning the text book access code: If you buy the book from the BU book store then you are guaranteed to get the access code for the DVB (MyStatLab) website, if you buy it used then you are guaranteed NOT to get that access code, If you buy the book new but from an outside channel then I cannot predict what your situation will be.
8/26/2020   The Zoom link for the 8/26 lecture can be found on the course materials page. Sorry for the insufficient audio quality at the beginning until I was made aware of it and switched to the headset microphone,
8/25/2020   DO NOT ATTEND CLASS IF YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ISOLATE! All lectures and discussions are streamed online and will be recorded, so you need not worry about missing anything.
8/25/2020   a. There will not be a quiz this week's Thursday.
b. Quite a few of you have a scheduling conflict at Thu 9:00 PM, thus the QUIZ DATE has been moved to 10:00 PM on Thursdays
c. I referred in some of the course webpages to lecture sections A 1, A 2, A 4. There is no lecture section A 1; instead it is named lecture sections A 0. This is the section which meets in class on Mondays and has the CRN 21426. I have updated those webpages.
8/23/2020   a. Students in the A 05 and A 06 discussion sections ONLY: As of Sunday, August 23, 6:00 PM I still do not know who will be my TA for sections A 05 and A 06. I extend the 8/22 arrangement to all issues for students in those sections:
Students in discussion section A 02 should email Shiyi Ma and attend one of her sections online, NOT IN PERSON, and those in discussion section A 05 should do the same with the other TA, Zifan Huang. Do not email your instructor since there will very likely be no response!
The reason why you cannot come to the classroom but must attend online: Social distancing regulations, of course.
b. I have had student inquiries about switching class from in-person to online. Please consult the info in this part of the Restarting Binghamton FAQ.. Find out NOW: I believe that the deadline is Monday, 8/24 (in case you are eligible).
8/22/2020   a. Important update to the syllabus: Quizzes are administered online and NOT during discussion: They will be announced, and they will given at the same time and day of the week for the students of ALL discussion groups: Thursdays, at 9:00 PM.. Those quizzes will not take more than 15 minutes, so be sure to reserve the Thursday 9:00 - 9:15 PM time slot for your Math 148 quizzes. If you have an in-class lecture during that time then please email your TA. If there are enough responses I may decide to move the time to 10:00 PM. Students in discussion section A 02 should email Shiyi Ma, and those in discussion section A 05 should email Zifan Huang. Do not email your instructor since there will be no response!
b. Homework 1 contained a stale link to a webpage from psychstat3.missouristate.edu. I have removed that link.
8/20/2020   Correction: Lecture takes places in the MORNING: 8:30 - 9:30 AM, not 8:30 - 9:30 PM. Home page and syllabus have been updated.
8/19/2020   a. Be sure to look at all tabs of this website and to install the material on the DVD that comes with the text!
b. Homework 1 has been posted. It will not be graded.
c. Syllabus and course material page have information about registering with the MyStatlab website (also called the SDM website). Once you have access to MyStatlab you can access all the (optional) homework assignments that have been created in advance for the entire semester on that MyStatLab site. An example would be MATH-148-CH-01.
d. Blackboard ("MyCourses") has not yet been set up for Math 148. This instructor only use Blackboard to post the grades you get on your exams, quizzes and homeworks and to provide a PDF version of the syllabus. in addition to the HTML version found on this website. Your section TA may elect to use BB for additional communication.
e. Note that you have an in-class lecture ONLY ONCE A WEEK! It depends on whether you are enrolled into instructor section A0, A2, or A4 (not to be confused with your discussion section A01 - A08!) on which day you are allowed to attend class in LH-1 rather than via Zoom! You are not allowed to come to LH-1 on the other two lecture days of the week! See the syllabus for details!