"The cure for the common course"
0 to Statistics in One High-Velocity Semester
Student Survival: Top Ten List of What to Know to Pass Introductory Statistics
Course Information and Syllabus
If a man will begin with certainties he will end with doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny.The person who asks a question is ignorant for 5 minutes, the person who does not ask is ignorant forever.If you don't believe in random sampling, the next time you have a blood test tell the doctor to take it all.Don't give up, don't ever give up!   Statistics myths this course will disprove: Myth1: "If I had one hour left to live, I would live it in statisticsclass because it would seem to last forever!" Myth 2: "If it moves, it's biology; if it changes color, it'schemistry; if it breaks, it's physics; if it puts you to sleep, it's statistics. Myth 3: Math class is tough! |
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...and positively impact your future |
Fall 2012
"But where shall I begin?"asked Alice. "Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on till you come to the end; then stop."Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland So, What Is (Are) Statistics?
Q: What is Statistics?A: Statistics is a way of reasoning, along with a collection of tools and methods, to help us understand the world.
Q: What are statistics?
A: Statistics (plural) are particular calculations made from data.
Q: What are data?
A: Data (singular form is datum) are values along with their context.
"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and to know the place for the first time."
T.S. Eliot
Welcome to ST 511 Section 003!!
Our first class meeting will be 10:15-11:30 Thursday, August 16 in room 434 Daniels.
Check Registration and Records now to be certain that you are enrolled in the class.
Course Description
ST 511 is NOT a math course. The central theme of the course is to help you learn to understand the world from data. "Beyond the formula" skills are emphasized. This course will require you to: think critically, be skeptical, think about variation (rather than just about the center), and move beyond a "memorize the answer" approach. Subjects covered include: basic concepts of statistical models and use of samples, variation, statistical measures, distributions, tests of significance, analysis of variance and elementary experimental design, regression and correlation, and chi-square. Students will learn several methods for summarizing and describing data, in addition to techniques for using sample data to make inferences about a larger population.
Some mathematical skill is required to work with elementary statistics, but mathematical manipulations will be replaced by relying on technology for the calculations and graphics; this will allow more emphasis to be placed on the "beyond the formula" skills mentioned above.
This course requires more intellectual effort than the low mathematical level suggests! It is related to every other course you may study. The course is elementary in mathematical level but conceptually rich in statistical ideas and serious in its aim to improve your data-analytic skills and your ability to apply statistical methods with understanding.
Goals: the course will enable you to
i) incorporate statistical thinking into your everyday lives;ii) acquire the necessary data-gathering, data-analysis, and interpretation/communication expertise to meet the challenges of a more demanding cognitive global environment.
