STATISTICS 200: Elementary Statistics (Summer 2016)

Instructor: Kristen Horn

E-mail: ANGEL e-mail system
Course Description
Statistics is the art and science of using data from representative samples to make generalizations
about populations. The topics covered in this course include:

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, manufacturing, drug industry, etc. -- make
extensive use of the computer in applying statistical methods to their problems. So will you! This
course will offer you plenty of practice in analyzing data from a variety of areas. As a result, at
the end of this course, you will understand how statistics plays a role in your daily life and you
will be well equipped to solve problems and make decisions using statistics!
Prerequisite: 2 units in algebra
Instructor Availability
All correspondence for this course will take place through the ANGEL e-mail system and
discussion forums. You can find the ANGEL e-mail system under the communicate tab. E-mails
received outside of ANGEL have no guarantee of being answered. ANGEL e-mail is checked
daily, Monday through Friday, and a response will be received within 24 hours. Occasionally, emails will be checked on weekends; however, messages received after 5pm on Friday may not be
answered until the following Monday by 5pm. Please plan accordingly. Other methods of
communication are available as needed.
Required Materials Textbook and Software
Textbook: You must purchase one of the three textbook options below. Materials can be
ordered from MBS Direct (the bookstore used by Penn State's World Campus). For pricing and
ordering information, please see the MBS Direct Web site, located at
http://direct.mbsbooks.com/psude.htm.

Software: Minitab Express is required for this course. It is compatible with both PC and

Mac platforms. PC users also have the option of purchasing Minitab 17. For specific
ordering instructions, refer to the Department of Statistics website:
https://stat.psu.edu/Education/statistical-software-packages.
1

Lesson Notes

Notes will be available in the lessons folder of your STAT 200 course on ANGEL
(https://cms.psu.edu).
Assignments and Grading
We will cover 12 lessons this semester. Each lesson has one lab activity, required practice
problems in MyStatLab, and one unit quiz. The required assignments are found at mystatlab.com
and in the Lessons folder in Angel. The deadlines are posted in the schedule of assignments.
Grading for each lesson will be completed within 48 hours after the lesson deadline. In addition,
there is a proctored midterm and proctored exam.
Exam Proctor Required, No Software

25%

Aug 4 - Aug 11

Midterm Proctor Required, No Software

25%

Jun 21 - Jun 27

Lab Activities (best 11 of 12) Requires Software

20%

1 per lesson

Unit Quizzes (best 11 of 12) Requires Software

20%

1 per lesson

MyStatLab Practice Problems Weekly

10%

1 set per lesson

Lesson Discussions Weekly

0%

1 per lesson

Exam (25% of final grade)

One exam will be given at the end of the semester, which will cover all lessons. The exam must
be proctored, and will be available through ANGEL. More information regarding the proctor
process can be found in Lesson O: Orientation in section 0.4. The exam will be timed. Time
will start when the exam is opened. The exam will automatically be submitted when the timer
ends. One, student created, two-sided formula sheet will be allowed. Software is not required.
Midterm (25% of final grade)
The midterm is required to assess your cumulative understanding of the concepts. The semester
will consist of one (1), midterm worth 25% of your final grade. It will cover the material from
lessons 1 through 6, including 6. The midterm must be proctored, and will be available through
ANGEL. Software is not required. The midterm will be timed. Once the midterm is initiated
the timer will begin. The assessment will automatically be submitted after the time expires.
Lab Activities (20% of final grade)
Lab activities are used to guide students how to solve problems using software and to practice
concepts in each lesson. The semester will consist of 12 lab activities, one for each lesson. The
best 11 of 12 activities will be counted in your final grade. Labs will be graded as either 0% or
100%. A 100% will be earned if all problems are completed with work shown. Otherwise, the
lab will not earn credit. Partial credit is not given for lab activities. Lab activities are to be
submitted as an attachment via the respective lessons drop box (in Lab Activity folder) with
answers typed in the word document provided. Answers are expected to be in grammatically and
statistically correct sentences where applicable with all work shown.
Unit Quizzes (20% of final grade)
Unit quizzes are used in this course to help you assess your individual learning of a particular
lesson and for the instructor to assess your understanding of the concepts. You are expected to
complete a unit quiz for each lesson. Generally, these quizzes consist of multiple choice
questions on content covered during that particular lesson. The best 11 of 12 will count in your

final grade. Each quiz is delivered in ANGEL under each lesson folder. You must have access to
software to complete these quizzes. The unit quizzes are timed and the time limit varies by
lesson. You will have a practice attempt for each unit quiz. The practice quiz will not give the
correct answer. You are encouraged to rework the quiz and follow up with your instructor.
MyStatLab (10% of final grade)
MyStatLab is a resource provided by Pearson that can be used to supplement the online notes and
textbook. Practice problems will be assigned for each lesson at mystatlab.com. Each practice
problem assignment will be graded automatically in MyStatLab. A final grade will be calculated
in the MyStatLab gradebook, which will be worth 10% of your overall course grade. All
MyStatLab assignments will be counted in your grade. Unlimited attempts are given. Other
supplemental resources are available in MyStatLab, but will not be graded.
Lesson Discussions (0% of final grade)
A discussion board will be available for each lesson. These forums can be used to discuss the
corresponding lesson content. You can ask your peers specific questions, share examples, help
explain difficult concepts, etc. The posts made will not be counted in your final grade.
Late Assignments
Assignments are due by 11:55pm EST of the date noted on the schedule of assignments.
Assignments submitted after the deadline will not earn credit for any reason except in the rare
case where ANGEL may not be available. Requests for extensions must be provided at least two
(2) days in advance of the deadline and will not necessarily be granted. Special circumstances
will be considered on an individual basis and may be subject to a grade penalty.
Technology Caution
Since this course is delivered online technical problems may arise. Cases where the problem is
due to ANGEL availability can be considered, but personal computer issues are the students
responsibility. Be sure to allow yourself enough time to complete the lessons to avoid these
issues. If technical issues arise, you should immediately contact the World Campus helpdesk.
Grading Scale: The final letter grading will follow the standard University guidelines and are as
follows (All grades will be available in the ANGEL grade book under Report tab):
F
D
C
C+
BB
B+
AA
0

60

70

77

80

83

87

90

93

Collaboration: It is expected that the work you submit is your own. You are strongly advised to
review the Penn State Academic Integrity Policy at:
http://www.science.psu.edu/academic/Integrity/index.html
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: 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 at http://equity.psu.edu/ods/ .
Emergencies: In case of weather-related delays at the University, this online course will proceed
as planned. If you are affected by a weather-related emergency, please contact your instructor at
the earliest possible time to make special arrangements.

Student Expectations: Every student in this course is expected to:

Understand that the responsibility is on you in regards to the value of an education.
Grades are earned and not given.
Participate weekly. Not participating in an online course via discussion forums, e-mail,
etc. is equivalent to being absent in a traditional classroom.
Be aware of the time required for this course. Students should expect to spend on
average between 12-16 hours per week on this 4 credit course. Your course activity will
be monitored.
Seek help through the instructor, peers, tutors, etc. as soon as you experience difficulties.
Help is available!
Pay attention to details. Refer to the syllabus and schedule of assignments as needed.
Read and understand the online notes and textbook. Check course e-mail regularly to
keep up to date.
Stay positive! This course is challenging, but if we communicate and study when in a
positive frame of mind, we will be more successful than otherwise.
Respect the academic environment of the online classroom as well as each other.
Abide by the academic integrity policy and respect copyright laws. More information is
below.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception and is an
educational objective of this institution. All University policies regarding academic integrity
apply to this course. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

cheating,
plagiarizing,

fabricating of information or citations,

facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others,

having unauthorized possession of examinations,

submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the
instructor, or

tampering with or modifying the academic work of other students.

Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to the following:

Any sharing of assignment solutions or answer keys via personal communication or

websites other than those communications or web-based applications used as part of the
course.
Copying from other students

Copying from answer keys or solution sets or

Having tutors complete assignments for students.

All of these are examples of academic dishonesty and are unacceptable. Instructors regularly
monitor the web for inappropriate posting of instructional materials.
It is expected that any work submitted is your own. Students in this class are expected to
write up their problem sets or assignments individually. Students are expected to work on exams
on their own, and to write their papers in their own words using proper citations. All exam
answers must be your own, and you must not provide any assistance to other students, nor accept
assistance from others during exams.
For any material or ideas obtained from other sources, such as the text or other information you
find on the web, in the library, etc., a source reference must be given. Direct quotes from any
source must be identified as such.
Working together: Class members may work on homework assignments in groups, but then
each student must write up their answers separately. Students may study together for assessments,
but then each student must complete assessments by themselves, using their own words. Students
are not to copy assignment or exam answers from another person's paper and present them as
their own; students may not plagiarize text from papers or websites written by others. If you
become aware of students sharing answers, answer keys or solutions, please report these instances
to your instructor.
Consequence: Students who present other people's work as their own or post their own work for
others to copy will receive at least a 0 on the assignment and may receive an F or XF in the
course.
Any instances of academic dishonesty WILL be pursued under the University and Eberly College
of Science regulations concerning academic integrity. For more information on academic
integrity, see Penn State's statement on plagiarism and academic dishonesty .