< html> Principles of Statistics I

Principles of Statistics I

MATH-203 (3 credits)

Course Details:

Time and Location: MWF, 11:35-12:25 Burnside Hall, Room 1B45

Instructor: Dr. Russell Steele (email: via WebCT)

Office: 1232 Burnside Hall, phone: 398-3837

Office Hours: Monday 2:30-4:30, Wednesday 2:30-4:30

Teaching Assistant: Juli Atherton

Tutorials: TBA

TA Office Hours: TBA

Required Textbook: Statistics, 9^th Edition by McClave and Sincich, available at the University Bookstore

Pre-requisites:

There is no calculus pre-requisite for this course. The course is intended for students in non-math disciplines and is not open to students in Mathematics programs or to students who have taken or are taking MATH 324.

Course Objectives:

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the practice of statistics. From a practical standpoint, students will learn both descriptive and inferential techniques used in statistical analyses. More importantly, students will learn to critically evaluate statistical evidence in a variety of areas (including, but not limited to, problems in medicine, science, finance, and the social sciences). I will try to provide as large a selection of examples and applications as possible in order to encourage the students to evaluate research encountered in their other courses and future work.

Grading:

Final grades will be assigned according to one of the following two methods:

Method I	Method II

0 % Midterm Exam	25 % Midterm Exam
85 % Final Exam	60 % Final Exam
15 % Homework Average	15 % Homework Average

I will assign each student the highest letter grade of the two grades calculated via the methods above.

Exams:

The midterm exam will be held in class on October 23 and will cover material from the first 5 chapters of the text. Because of the grading scheme, there will be NO MAKEUP EXAMS scheduled for the midterm. If you cannot attend the midterm for any reason, you receive a zero for the midterm grade and your final grade will be calculated using Method I. Acceptable excuses for missing the FINAL EXAM will be allowed and a makeup exam will be scheduled.

Homework:

Homework will be assigned every Friday and will be due every other Friday (with one exception). Late homework will not be accepted for partial credit. Solutions will be provided for all of the questions; the grader and TA will grade only half of the questions for credit. Questions about the homework will be answered via WebCT email and answered on the discussion message board. Please go there first before asking a question about the homework to see if it has already been answered.

Integrity:

McGill University policies on cheating and plagiarism will be strictly enforced. I refer you to the various student guides and the following websites for details:

WebCT and the course website

The course website will be located on WebCT, http://webct3.mcgill.ca/. You should be able to access all online course materials through WebCT. You will need your student ID number and Minerva password to access the materials. If you encounter any problems, please drop by my office hours or tell me during class.

The course website is the most efficient way for us to communicate. If you have questions regarding homework problems, please go through the following steps:

First, check the course discussion group to see if I have answered a similar question. All questions sent to my by students via email will be answered on the course website (the subject will contain the homework and question #).
If you cannot find your answer on the course discussion page, then send me email via the WebCT mail system with your question.
I (or a TA) will answer your question in the course discussion group (with the name deleted from the question text, of course).
If your question cannot be answered publicly, then I (or the TA) will email you privately via the WebCT mail system.
Please do NOT post your questions to the discussion group. I will selectively edit questions sent to me (or the TA) so that students do not give away too much information.