Section Syllabus – Spring2020

STAT 240: Statistical Analysis

Description: An introduction to probability and statistics for students who have
completed a semester of calculus. Topics include probability, empirical and
theoretical frequency distributions, sampling, correlation and regression,
testing hypotheses, and estimation of parameters, with an emphasis on
illustrations and applications ofthese techniques.

Credit Hours: 3

Audience: Not open to students with credit for STAT 140, IDS 205, CE 202, or PSY
201.

Prerequisites: MATH 131 (Calculus I)

Time & Place: Section A: MWF 10:30 – 11:20, Gellersen 230

Section B: MWF 11:30 – 12:20, Gellerson 230
Section C: MWF 12:30 – 1:20, Gellersen 230

Instructor: Hugh Gong

Contact Info: Office: Gellersen 215

Email: hugh.gong@valpo.edu
Phone: 219-464-5033

Office Hours: M: 1:45 – 4:30, WF: 1:45 – 3:30

Textbook: Introduction to the Practice of Statistics, 8th Ed., by Moore, McCabe, and
Craig.ISBN-13: 978-1464158933 (recommended, not required)

Technology: Use of Microsoft Excel is required for the homework and group project.
Microsoft Excel can be found on all campus computers and can also be
downloaded freely from the University at this link:
http://www.valpo.edu/it/2015/02/13/office-365-now-available-free-of-
charge/. A calculator that is not on a cell phone/tablet/laptop is required for
the exams, and should also be brought to class daily for in-class activities.
Course materials and grades are maintained in Blackboard, and students
should check Blackboard regularly.

Accommodations: The Access & Accommodations Resource Center (AARC) is the campus
office that works with students to provide access and accommodations in
cases of diagnosed mental or emotional health issues, attentional or learning
disabilities, vision or hearing limitations, chronic diseases, or allergies. You
can contact the office at aarc@valpo.edu or 219.464.5206. Students who
need, or think they may need, accommodations due to a diagnosis, or who
 think they have a diagnosis, are invited to contact AARC to arrange a
confidential discussion with the AARC office. Further, students who are
registered with AARC are required to contact their professor(s) if they wish
to exercise the accommodations outlined in their letter from the AARC.

Notice of In the unlikely event class is cancelled, you will be notified through your
Cancellation: Valparaiso University e-mail account.

Blackboard: All homework assignments, course documents, grades and etc. will be
posted at the Blackboard. It is YOUR responsibility to check the
Blackboard at a regular basis.

Grading System: A: >=93, A-: 90-92

B+: 87-89, B: 83-86, B-: 80-82
C+: 77-79, C: 73-76, C-: 70-72
D+: 67-69, D: 63-66, D-: 60-62
F: <60

Grading: Course components contribute to the final grade as follows:

Homework 16%
Project 15%
Midterm Exams 45%
Final Exam 24%

Homework: All homework assignments will be posted on

Blackboard/Content/Homework. Each homework will be available since
1:30 pm at each assignment date and be due at the end of each due date.
You need submit your homework via the Blackboard.Usually one
homework’s due date is next homework’s assignment date.

Homework will be graded at 15-point scale. Late homework will be graded

at 7.5-point scale, if submitted within a week after the due date. Otherwise,
this homework will receive 0 point. You must show all work, not just final
answers, in order to receive full credit.

Project: You will work in groups of 2 to conduct your own experiment or

observational study to answer a research question of interest to you. You
will plan out the study design, collect the data, describe the data, and draw a
final conclusion from your work. You will produce a written project
proposal and give an oral presentation to the entire class. More detailed
information about the project will be given throughout the semester.

Important dates relating to the project are as follows:

Project Assignment: Wed, 2/26/2020
Project Groups & Topics Due: Wed, 3/18/2020 (2%)
Project Proposals Due: Mon, 4/6/2020 (4%)
 Project Data Sets Due: Mon, 4/20/2020 (2%)
Project Presentation Slide Due: Mon, 4/27/2020 (If Missing this deadline,
you will not be allowed to present)
Project Presentations: Wed, 4/26/2020; Fri, 5/1/2020; and Mon, 5/4/2020
(7%)

Exam: There will be 3 midterm exams, each worth 15%, and 1 cumulative final
exam, worth 24%. The dates of the exams are as follows:
Exam 1: Mon 2/10/2020
Exam 2: Mon 3/23/2020
Exam 3: Mon 4/27/2020
Final Exam:
Section A: 10:30 – 12:30 Friday 5/8/2020, Gellersen 230
Section B: 10:30 – 12:30 Tuesday 5/12/2020, Gellersen 230
Section C: 1:00 – 3: 00 Thursday 5/7/2020, Gellersen 230

Attendance: You are responsible for all course material covered during classroom
sessions. Please make the instructor aware of any excused absences. Since
the University does not have an official policy for what constitutes an
excused absence, determining if an absence is excused is at the discretion of
the instructor.

Attendance Policy for Homework: Only in the case of a sudden and

unexpected excuse, youmay request an extended submission. Otherwise,
homework will be treated as late homework if it is still submitted.

Attendance Policy for Exams: If you have an excused absence on an exam

day, you must make an appointment to take the exam before the regularly
scheduled time, or in the case of a sudden, unexpected excused absence,
contact the instructor as soon as possible to arrange a time to make up the
exam. If you miss a midterm exam for an unexcused reason, you will
receive a zero on the exam. If you miss the final exam for an unexcused
reason, you will receive an F for this class automatically.

Expectations: Everyone is expected to be respectful of others and to help maintain a

classroom conducive to learning. Private communications, reading of
extraneous materials, use of personal electronic equipment (such as cell
phones, laptops, etc.), and sleeping are not permitted.

Honor Code: Valparaiso University operates under a student initiated Honor Code. Each
student studying at Valparaiso University agrees to conform to the Code.
All new students should read the following explanation, since they must
sign their registration form indicating that they will abide by the Honor
Code. The Honor Code is an integral part of VU and permits students to do
their academic work in an atmosphere of responsible freedom. The Honor
Code is based on the highest principles of Christian ethics and morality and
 presumes that every student is willing to maintain honesty in all academic
work, as well as other phases of university living. Students are required to
sign the pledge, indicating that they have submitted honest work and have
not allowed the dishonesty of others to erode the integrity of the Honor
System:

I have neither given or received

nor have I tolerated others’ use of unauthorized aid.

The Honor Code applies to all students registered for academic credit at
Valparaiso University. Students have the responsibility for not using, giving
or tolerating unauthorized aid. When the definition of authorized aid is in
question, students should ask the instructor to interpret the application of the
Honor Code.

Authorized Aid: Anyone and anything is authorized aid on homework. However, you should
try to finish the homework yourself and submit your own homework. No
identical homework assignments will be accepted. You and your project
group members can finish your project together, and anything is authorized.
Exams and Final Exam are closed book and closed notes, and they need to
be finished independently. You will be provided formula sheet and
necessary statistical tables. Cell phones are not allowed in the all exams.

Academic To get help in this course, the best place to start is to work with your
Support: professor during office hours and ask your professor if there are any Help
Sessions or department-level tutoring offered for this course. Another step
is to use the Academic Success Center (ASC) online directory
(valpo.edu/academicsuccess) or contact the ASC
(academic.success@valpo.edu) to help point you in the right direction for
academic support resources for this course. Valpo’s learning centers offer a
variety of programs and services that provide group and individual learning
assistance for many subject areas. These learning centers include:

 Writing Center … primarily serves the needs of undergraduate

students, but is also available for Graduate students. Writing
Consultants provide proofreading and editing assistance for papers and
assignments.
 Language Resource Center … provides tutoring and other
resources for language study as well as opportunities for authentic
language use through conversation programs, enrichment activities and
other exchanges. 
 Academic Success Center … provides referral service to help
connect students with appropriate resources on campus to support
their academic achievement

Emergencies: VU’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) uses multiple forms of

communication, including e-mail, building alarms, outdoor sirens,
message boards, computer alerts, Twitter, and public address
messaging. Please review the specific procedures for this class found in
Blackboard. Remember: “Siren inside, GO outside; Siren outside, GO
inside.” To evacuate, gather your personal belonging quickly and
proceed to the nearest exit. Do not use the elevator. To shelter in place,
move away from the windows and stay low to the ground; lock or
barricade the door if there is a threat of violence.