DISCLAIMER: This syllabus is subject to change.

Any change will be announced in class and on

Canvas.

STATISTICS 100: Statistical Concepts and Reasoning

Instructor: Dr. Andrew (Andy) Wiesner
Office: 308 Thomas Building
Phone: 814-863-5653
Email: Use Canvas email system under Inbox tab.
My Office Hours: By Appt

Course Description:
STAT 100 is an introductory statistics course where we will learn statistical terminology and basic
statistical methods. Most of you are taking this course to satisfy a Gen Ed requirement, as a preparation
for STAT 200, or both. At its core, statistics is the art and science of using sample data to generalize
about populations. The topics covered in this course include:

• common terminology used in statistics

• methods for collecting and summarizing data
• methods for evaluating the accuracy of sample estimates
• techniques for making statistical inferences

Users of statistics -- researchers, government agencies like the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, companies like the automakers and drug industry, etc. -- make extensive use of the computer in
applying statistical methods to their problems. As a result, you should be well prepared for problem-
solving involving statistics in the rest of your college courses, as well as gaining an understanding of the
role of statistics in your daily life.

Required Materials: Textbook: Seeing Through Statistics, Fourth Edition, by Jessica Utts, published by
Duxbury Press. A used text without the CD is acceptable.

Assignments and Grading:

1. Exams (65%): Two midterm exams and one final exam will be given during the semester. You will
be allotted 50 minutes for each exam. These exams are assigned during lab on the following dates:

Exam 1 – September 30
Exam 2 (cumulative) – Nov 4
Final (cumulative) – Dec 9

ALL exams must be taken in the lab during your assigned lab time unless a prior exception was granted.
The midterms will count 30% each, while the final (cumulative) exam will be 10%. The exams will be
delivered in Canvas as a set of multiple-choice questions. You may bring to the exam one sheet of
handwritten notes (front and back), a pen/pencil, and calculator (basic), and photo ID. The note sheet will
be collected and NOT returned. You may NOT search the internet, Canvas course materials, or contact a
friend, etc. during the exam. Access to all Canvas assignments will be made unavailable the day of an
exam from 11:00am to 3:00pm. All exams MUST be taken in lab on the days assigned. See Academic
Integrity policy below on penalty for violations. No exceptions or make ups without prior approval from
your instructor. Any exam submitted from outside the lab during the scheduled exam time will receive a
zero. EXCEPTION: The final exam MUST be taken. If you do NOT take the final exam,
then that zero will account for 50% of your final course grade with the remaining two
exams accounting for 15%.
2. Labs (25%): Lab meetings will be used to support lecture. The lab is a computer lab, thus will include
some computerized assignments. These assignments will be completed and submitted during your
scheduled lab time. Late submissions or missed lab assignments cannot be made up. There will be
approximately 10 lab assignments, your best 9 counting toward your final grade. Similar to exams, lab
assignments must be submitted during your scheduled lab time unless prior exception was granted.

3. Homework (10%): At the end of each lesson a homework will be made available in Canvas. You will
have two attempts at each quiz with the higher score being recorded. You will have 50 minutes to
complete each quiz which will consist of 15-20 multiple choice questions. The quiz will only be available
from Monday after lecture until the 11:59pm Sunday due date of that week. There will be 10 homework
assignments, your best 9 counting toward your final grade. Answers will be provided after due date.
Missed homework cannot be made up.

Grading Scale: The final letter grading will follow the standard University guidelines and are as follows
(All grades will be available in the Canvas grade book):

Letter Grade Minimum Cutoff

A 93
A-minus 90
B-plus 87
B 83
B-minus 80
C-plus 77
C 70
D 60
F 0

Academic Integrity: All work submitted is expected to represent the individual work of the student.
Students caught submitting clicker responses for another student, assisting a student on exams, taking an
exam for another student, or any other instance where the work submitted is not that of the individual
student will result in the following minimum penalty: An ‘F’ for the course for ALL students involved
(e.g. the student with multiple clickers and student(s) who “own” them). For clickers you may consult
with other students in the class and for quizzes other students registered in our current section of STAT
100. You are strongly encouraged to consult the Penn State Academic Integrity Policy at:
http://www.science.psu.edu/academic/Integrity/index.html

Disability Services:
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. If you have a
disability--‐related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course, contact the Office for
Disability Services (ODS) at 814-863‐1807 (V/TTY). For further information regarding ODS, please visit
the Office for Disability Services Web site. In order to receive consideration for course accommodations,
you must contact ODS and provide documentation (see the documentation guidelines). If the
documentation supports the need for academic adjustments, ODS will provide a letter identifying
appropriate academic adjustments. Please provide the letter and discuss any adjustments with me as early
in the course as possible. You must contact ODS and request academic adjustment letters at the beginning
of each semester.

Counseling and Psychological Services:

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Many students at Penn State face personal challenges or have psychological needs that may interfere with
interfere with their academic progress, social development, or emotional wellbeing. The university offers
a variety of confidential services to help you through difficult times, including individual and group
counseling, crisis intervention, consultations, online chats, and mental health screenings. These services
are provided by staff who welcome all students and embrace a philosophy respectful of clients’ cultural
and religious backgrounds, and sensitive to differences in race, ability, gender identity and sexual
orientation. Counseling and Psychological Services at University Park (CAPS): 814-863-0395
Counseling and Psychological Services at Commonwealth Campuses Penn State Crisis Line (24 hours/7
days/week): 877-229-6400
Crisis Text Line (24 hours/7 days/week): Text LIONS to 741741