Stats Syllabus

Course Overview and Administrative Details

  • Course Characterization:

    • Elementary/introductory statistics course covering a broad range of introductory statistical concepts.

    • Serves as the terminal mathematics/statistics requirement for many academic majors.

    • Majors requiring advanced statistics (such as Applied Mathematics, Data Science and Analytics (DSA), or graduate programs in DSA) will take additional upper-level coursework.

  • Instructor Background:

    • Instructor: Professor Fisher.

    • Historical teaching repertoire includes College Math (currently in course catalog but rarely offered), College Algebra, Health for Engineers, Statistics, and Pre-Calculus (noted as the health/wellness sequence pre-calculus course).

    • Primary ongoing teaching assignment is Statistics.

  • Official Catalog Description & Transferability:

    • Course description is sourced directly from the 2026–2027 (2026–20272026\text{--}2027) official course catalog.

    • External institutions evaluate transfer credit requests primarily using the catalog description, followed by the course syllabus.

    • Common transfer credit obstacles:

    • Software Requirements: Some institutions require specific software (e.g., Minitab) mentioned in the course description to grant transfer credit.

    • Credit Hour Mismatches: Community college or dual-enrollment high school courses are frequently 33-credit courses, whereas this course is 44 credits.

    • Students who completed statistics at another institution or through high school dual-enrollment should verify their transfer credit evaluation to ensure no administrative errors occurred.

  • Curriculum Core Topics:

    • Frequency distributions

    • Measures of location

    • Measures of dispersion

    • Units

    • Basic probability

    • Probability distributions

    • Topics in statistical inference

    • Note on Data Analysis Software: Although mentioned in the official catalog description for transfer compatibility, dedicated software laboratory sessions are not conducted because classes do not take place in a computer lab.

Course Materials and Technology Requirements

  • Textbook Options and Access:

    • Digital / Online Version: Free online access and a downloadable PDF are available via links on Brightspace (OpenStax platform).

    • Physical Hard Copy: An optional bound printout is available at the campus bookstore for approximately 3030 dollars (yellow cover, unbound/bound PDF printout containing approximately 800+800+ pages total).

    • Third-Party Purchase: Physical copies historically range between 1010 and 2020 dollars on secondary markets like Amazon.

    • In-Class Requirement: Students do not need to bring physical textbooks to class sessions.

  • Textbook Layout & Homework Structure:

    • Unlike traditional mathematics textbooks that place practice problems immediately after individual sub-sections (e.g., Section 1.1, Section 1.2), all practice and homework sets are consolidated at the end of each chapter.

    • Sequential Problem Numbering: Questions are numbered continuously across the practice and homework sets (e.g., Question 1 through Question 110 per chapter). Each number appears only once per chapter.

    • Page Number Discrepancies: Homework assigned on the classroom board references physical textbook page numbers. These numbers do not correspond to the digital/online viewing format.

    • Solutions: Blue hyperlinked text in the digital version leads directly to answers. Selected problem solutions are situated immediately at the end of each chapter rather than in a unified appendix at the end of the entire book.

  • Calculator Policy:

    • Permitted Devices: Scientific calculators ONLY.

    • Prohibited Devices: Graphing calculators, cell phones, computers, iPads, and smartwatches are strictly forbidden during quizzes, tests, and examinations.

    • Calculator Sharing: Absolutely no sharing of calculators is permitted during evaluations.

    • Recommended Calculator Model: Texas Instruments TI-30XII S (TI-30X2S / TI30X2F).

    • Cost: Typically available for approximately 1010 dollars at retailers such as Walmart during fall sales.

    • Advantages: Standard order-of-operations evaluation (holds operations in memory until the equals key is pressed) and keystroke syntax similar to TI graphing calculators.

    • Warning: Avoid non-S scientific or business/financial models that execute calculations sequentially without enforcing standard mathematical order of operations.

  • Brightspace Resources:

    • Syllabus copy.

    • Digital textbook links (online viewer and direct PDF file).

    • Remind service invitation code.

    • Standardized course formula reference sheet.

  • Formula Sheet Policy:

    • A standardized formula sheet is provided on Brightspace and in hard copy for examinations.

    • Any formula present on the sheet does not need to be memorized. Any statistical formula discussed in class that is not included on the provided sheet must be memorized.

Course Logistics, Attendance, and Communication Policies

  • Communication Protocol:

    • Primary Method (Email): Email subject lines MUST be populated with descriptive details (e.g., "Monday Wednesday Stats"). Unlabeled emails are automatically threaded together by email clients and risk being overlooked.

    • Secondary Method (Remind Messaging Service):

    • Invite link posted on Brightspace.

    • Text Join Code: Send fsta100 (or 2612 fsta100) to phone number 81010.

    • Standard SMS functionality (does not require the mobile app). Standard text messaging rates apply upon registration.

    • Used for urgent updates, late arrivals, emergency cancellations, or notifying the instructor to review an email.

    • Group texts shield student personal phone numbers from other participants.

    • Homework Inquiries: When asking homework questions via email or Remind, attach a clear photograph of the exact problem to ensure a timely response.

  • Office Hours:

    • Available Tuesdays and Thursdays at night, before or after class sessions, or by appointment.

  • Attendance Policy:

    • Grades are calculated strictly on demonstrated knowledge of course material.

    • Regular class attendance is factored into instructor discretion for borderline grade adjustments (e.g., bumping a borderline grade from a BB to a B+B+ or C+C+ to B−B-).

    • Excessive unexcused absences invalidate any eligibility for borderline grade adjustments.

    • Notification Protocol: If an absence occurs, notify the instructor via email before, during, or after the missed session. Specific medical or personal excuses are not required, but students must inquire about covered material and announcements.

  • Makeup Policy:

    • NO MAKEUP EXAMS OR MAKEUP ASSIGNMENTS ARE PERMITTED.

  • Extra Credit Policy:

    • No individual or case-by-case extra credit assignments will be granted under any circumstances.

    • All extra credit opportunities are distributed universally to the entire class (e.g., built-in bonus points on assessments or class-wide bonus questions).

  • Academic Support Services:

    • Tutoring: Available through the campus Learning Center located in the library.

    • Offers private one-on-one tutoring and group study sessions.

    • Crucial Distinction: Students must specifically request a dedicated Statistics tutor, as general math or health-sequence tutors may not be proficient in statistical methods.

  • Disability Accommodations:

    • Students requiring accommodations must register through the Accessibility/Disability Services office.

    • Accommodations are strictly non-retroactive and take effect only after formal documentation is established and presented.

Assessment Structure and Grading System

  • Evaluation Breakdown:

    • Two Major Exams: 8080 points each (160160 points total). Tentatively scheduled around mid-semester (Columbus Day) and prior to Thanksgiving.

    • Quizzes: Five quizzes administered at 2020 points each. The lowest single quiz score is dropped (4×20=804 \times 20 = 80 points total towards the final grade). Dropped quiz handles missed quizzes due to absence.

    • Graded Take-Home Assignments: Cumulative total of 6060 points across the semester (variable assignment frequency and individual point values, e.g., 88 points to 2020 points each).

    • Comprehensive Final Exam: 100100 points total. Covers the full semester content, with a heavier emphasis on un-tested material taught at the end of the term. Standard time allotment of 1 hour 15 minutes1\text{ hour }15\text{ minutes}.

    • Total Course Points: 400400 points max.

  • Grading System Mechanics:

    • Grades are calculated on a cumulative point-earned system, not a weighted percentage average.

    • Formula for course percentage:     Final Percentage=(Total Points Earned400)×100\text{Final Percentage} = \left( \frac{\text{Total Points Earned}}{400} \right) \times 100

    • Final letter grades are assigned strictly based on total accumulated points out of 400400:

    • Top Grade Tier (A+A+): 386 to 400386\text{ to }400 total points.

  • Homework Practice Standard:

    • Homework is assigned following every class session but is not collected or graded.

    • Mastery Criterion: A student is considered proficient in a concept when they can correctly solve 55 consecutive practice problems without referencing notes, textbooks, or solution keys.

    • Assessment items (quizzes and tests) mirror end-of-chapter practice questions directly. The initial quiz heavily emphasizes core statistical vocabulary.

Class Schedule, Calendar Conflicts, and Upcoming Deadlines

  • Semester Calendar Milestones:

    • Meeting Days: Monday and Wednesday.

    • Upcoming Holiday: No classes campus-wide on Labor Day Monday.

    • Last Friday of Semester Classes: December 11.

    • Final Exam Week: Week immediately following December 11.

  • Wednesday Class Conflict Warning:

    • Potential instructor scheduling conflicts affect four specific Wednesdays during the month of October.

    • If in-person class cannot meet on these dates, course delivery will shift asynchronously to Brightspace (e.g., recorded online lectures, assigned readings, online quizzes, or graded take-home assignments) to avoid canceling required instructional time.