K300 Statistical Techniques

School of Public and Environmental Affairs

COURSE SYLLABUS
Spring 2011

Class Time: M,W – 5:45 pm– 7:00 pm Classroom: BH 347

Professor: Dr. Henry K. Wakhungu
E-mail: hewakhun@indiana.edu
Phone: (SPEA) 855-9820
(Home) 339-8873 (Leave
message)
TA: Sean D. McGrew
UTA: Ebony Rushing
TA Availability: By Appointment
Office: SPEA 427
Office Hrs: T,R 10:00 am – 11.00 am
Mailbox: SPEA 341
Secretary: Jennifer Mitchner
E-mail: sdmcgrew@indiana.edu
UTA : erushing@indiana.edu

Course Description:
This course introduces basic statistical analysis and interpretation. Topics
covered in this course include (but are not limited to) the following: the
nature of statistical data, ordering and manipulation of data, measures of
central tendency, probability, statistical inferences, hypothesis testing,
estimation, correlation, and regression. The focus of this course is on the
practical application and interpretation of statistics for intelligent functioning
in a professional or academic environment. As such, the course simulates
the real environment as much as possible, comprised of peers and resources
to aid in statistical application and interpretation. While it is necessary to
demonstrate individual mastery of the key concepts taught in this course, it
is equally imperative to develop skills and techniques to apply statistical
knowledge in a practical setting.

Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students should be able to use basic statistical
techniques to describe and aggregate raw data observed in professional and
academic settings. Students should also be able to begin to make inferences
and form hypothesis about the data and relationships between variables.
Finally, students should be able to interpret basic statistical analyses as
presented in the professional or academic environment.

Required Texts/ Materials:

1. Pearson Custom Business Resources – Compiled by Indiana University
2010. SPEA-K 300: Statistical Techniques
2. Minitab computer software
3. Microsoft Excel
4. SPSS
5. TI-83 Calculator

Note: Prerequisite for this class is M014 or equivalent. Students should have
an understanding of basic high school algebra, and should be able to
navigate Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word applications.
 Oncourse:
Oncourse will be used throughout the course and should be checked on a
regular basis for announcements and assignments. All homework
assignments will be posted to Oncourse on the date assigned in the syllabus;
they will not be distributed in class or by e-mail. If you are unable to access
oncourse for any reason, please notify me immediately.
Class Policies:
1. Homework assignments must be turned in individually. However,
discussing assignments in groups prior to completion is strongly
encouraged.
2. Late assignments (homework or project) will be penalized one
letter grade per day (10%) unless given prior approval by the
instructor for extenuating circumstances.
3. Make up exams will be given only for proven and substantiated
extenuating circumstances. Make up exams will be different, and
generally more difficult than the exams given at the scheduled
time. Per school policy, the final exam must be taken at the
scheduled time (different from normal class time). It is your
responsibility to ensure that you have no conflicts with the final
exam time.
4. Students are expected to attend class and arrive on time. Absence
from class and continued tardiness will result in a lower
participation grade.
5. All cell phones and pagers should be silent or turned off while class
is in session.

Assignments/ Grading:
Course grades will be assigned based upon the following distribution:

Assignment Points of Final

Grade
Homework (5 at 30 150
points each)
Exam 1 100
Exam 2 100
Exam 3 100
Group Research Project 100
Participation/ Attendance 50
TOTAL 600

Grading Scale (Rounded to the nearest number)

9 97 -100 = A+ 95 - 96.9 = A 90 - 94.9 = A- 87 - 89.9 = B+

8 83 - 86.9 = B 80 - 82.9 = B- 77 - 79.9 = C+ 73 - 76.9 = C

7 70 - 72.9 = C- 67 - 69.9 = D+ 63 - 66.9 = D 60 - 62.9 = D-

Homework:
Throughout the course, you will turn in 10 homework assignments, each
consisting of content strands covering one chapter of the material. In the
syllabus, the homework assignments are designated as follows: assignment
number – chapter. You will be given complete assignments (both sections)
at least one week in advance of their due date. You are encouraged to
discuss the assignments with your peers, however, the finished product
turned in MUST BE YOUR OWN WORK. Understanding the homework
assignments is critical to performing well on the exams.

Homework assignments will comprise 150 points of your final grade, or 15

points for a each chapter HW assignment. Grading may be based on a select
number of assigned problems graded, rather than a grading of the entire
assignment. However, you will not know in advance which problems will be
graded, so it is important that you do your best on each problem. Homework
will be handed back at least one class session prior to the exam covering the
material in the homework assignments. Complete answer keys for the
problem sets will be posted to Oncourse after the problem sets have been
turned in. Homework assignments are due IN CLASS on the day posted on
the syllabus. Late homework assignments will be penalized 10% per day late.
After answer keys for problem sets have been posted to Oncourse, late
homework assignments WILL NOT be accepted without prior approval from
the instructor.
Exams
Three exams will comprise 300 points of your final grade. Each exam will
cover predominantly the material covered in the prior class sessions, as listed
in the syllabus; however, some cumulative knowledge is necessary to
interpret and apply the statistical tools. Exams 1, 2, and 3 (Final Exam) will
be each worth 100 points of your final grade. Exams will include problems
similar to those completed on homework assignments, and therefore a
critical understanding of homework assignments is necessary for performing
well on the exams. You will not be required to memorize formulas for the
exams; however, you will need to know when to apply a particular formula to
a given problem. In addition to solving problems, exams will likely contain
short answer essays asking for interpretation of data presented.

Group Research Project (Report and Presentations)

(Please refer to the “Group Project Guide”, handed out separately and
available on Oncourse for this class.)
Because of the emphasis in this course on practical application of statistical
knowledge in preparation for real world experiences, a portion of your course
grade (20 points) will consist of an applied group statistical analysis project.
Due to the large number of students enrolled in this class, groups will consist
of 4 - 5 members each, unless otherwise notified or approved by the
instructor. A list of group members will be self-selected and submitted to the
instructor for approval by the second class session. The Research Project is
cumulative in nature and it is therefore a good idea to meet with your group
members regularly throughout the semester. In addition, group members
may serve as excellent resources when completing homework assignments
and preparing for exams. The grade for the group project (100 points total),
will be based on the following:

Individual Effort (as evaluated by group 20

members)
Project Presentation 30
Professionalism (5)
Clarity of Presentation (10)
Visual Aids (5)
Appropriateness of Statistical Methods (10)
Project Report 50
Total Possible Points 10
0

Participation and Attendance:

Because of the importance of active in-class discussion and participation, 50
points of your final grade is based on your attendance and participation in
class. More than two unexcused absences WILL result in a reduction of your
participation grade by 2 points for each absence. Additionally, it imperative
that you become an active participant in class discussions, including asking
questions, volunteering to solve problems on the board and participating in
class activities. Failure to participate will also result in a reduction of your
participation grade.

Policy on Incompletes:
There will be no incomplete grades except under extraordinary
circumstances with the appropriate documentation, in accordance with the IU
Academic Handbook.

Academic Dishonesty:
Academic misconduct will be treated according to current IU regulations in
the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct (See Academic
Misconduct: http://www.dsa.indiana.edu/Code/Part_3all.html and Jurisdiction
Concerning Misconduct, http://www.dsa.indiana.edu/Code/Part_4all.html.
Each student should understand his or her rights and responsibilities under
the Code.
For example, under the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct,
a student must give credit to the work of another person when he/she does
any of the following:
a. Quotes another person’s actual words, either oral or written;
b. Paraphrases another person’s words, either oral or written;
c. Uses another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; or
d. Borrows facts, statistics, or other illustrative material, unless the
information is common knowledge.

This also entails that you MAY NOT copy homework from another student,
either in whole or in part, for this course.
 Course Schedule

Week Topic Text/ Assignments

1 Introduction to Course Review syllabus and assignments,
including Group Research Project

Introduction and data Ch1: pp 1-9

collection Proposed Group List Due
Introduction to Statistical Ch1: pp 10-23
Programs: Minitab and Excel)
Presenting Data in Tables & Ch2: pp 25-54
Charts ( Homework 1-1 assigned)
2 Misusing Graphs & Ethical Ch2: pp 55-65
Issues
Using Statistical Software for Ch2: pp 67-81
Tables and Charts
Numerical Descriptive Ch3: pp 88-93( Homework 2-2 assigned)
Measures HOMEWORK 1-1 DUE
(Central Tendency
3 Describing Data: Variation Ch3: pp 94-109

Exploratory Data Analysis Ch3: pp 110-123; Homework 3-3

(Quartiles & the Boxplot) assigned
Using Statistical Software for HOMEWORK 2-2 DUE
Descriptive Statistics Ch3: pp 129-132
4 Basic Probability Ch4: pp 136-147;
(Homework 1 & 2 back)
Conditional Probability/Exam Ch4: pp 147-154 Homework 4-4
Review assigned
HOMEWORK 3-3 DUE

5 EXAM 1 (Chapters 1-4) HOMEWORK 4-4 DUE

Discrete Probability Ch5:168-173; Homework 5-5 assigned

Distributions
6 Binomial and Poisson Ch5: pp 173-186
Distributions
Using Statistical Software for Ch5:191-193; HOMEWORK 5-5 DUE
Discrete Probability
Distributions
The Normal Distribution Ch6: pp 196-211; Homework 6-6
assigned

7 Evaluating Normality Ch6: pp 212-219

Using Statistical Software to
Compute Probabilities from Ch6: pp 221-223
Normal Distribution
Confidence Intervals: Means Ch8: pp 262-273; HOMEWORK 6-6 DUE

8 Confidence Intervals: Ch8: pp 275-284; Homework 7-8

Proportions assigned
 Confidence Interval Estimation Ch8: pp 284-285
and Ethical Issues
Using Statistical Software for Ch8: pp 292-295
Confidence Interval Estimation
9 Hypothesis Testing: One Ch9: pp 302-312; Homework 8-9
Sample Tests – Fundamentals assigned
(Methodology)
HOMEWORK 7-7 DUE

10 Hypothesis Testing: t Test/Z Ch9: pp 313-327; HOMEWORK 8-9 DUE

Test
Exam Review Ch10: pp 344-366
Hypothesis Testing: Two
Sample Tests

11 Hypothesis Testing: Two Ch10: pp 344-366; Homework 9-10 assigned

Sample Tests
Exam 2 (Chapters 5-8)

12
SPRING BREAK NO CLASSES

13 Simple Linear Regression Ch10: pp 544-576; Homework 10-11

assigned
Ch10: pp 544-576; Homework 10-11
assigned

14 Simple Linear Regression, Work on Research Project;

cont. HOMEWORK 10-11 DUE

Group Research Project and

Final Exam Review
15 RESEARCH PROJECT RESEARCH PROJECTS DUE
PRESENTATIONS;
7 Groups 10 minutes each
RESEARCH PROJECT
PRESENTATIONS;
7 Groups 10 minutes each
16 FINAL EXAM (Chapters 9 &
11)
Mazel Tov!
Bahati Njema!