MATH211: Introduction to Statistical Analysis

11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 08/08/2024

Course Description

An introduction to statistical analysis for students with a background in calculus. Includes probability theory, probability distributions, expectation, statistical inference, regression and correlation.

Rationale

As a member of a society increasingly devoted to the use and misuse of numbers, the student must learn to correctly interpret statistical presentations in all areas and especially in his/her major fields. This course is designed to give the student a working knowledge of statistics with an emphasis on application rather than theory.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussion: Lies and Statistics?

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the discussion introduces some of the ethical challenges that are specific to the practice of statistics and encourages the student to approach these situations from a Christian perspective. For the discussion, the student must post a thread of 100-300 words (answering all of the prompts). Then, the student must post two replies of 30-50 words each. (FSLO: TSQR 4)

Homework Assignments (8)

The student will complete a homework assignment each Module: Week in the WebAssign that is associated with the course textbook. Typically, assignments will cover 4 – 5 sections from the textbook, but this will vary depending on the length and difficulty of each section included in the assignment. The student will be required to earn a 70% on each assignment before moving on to the next homework assignment or test. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E; FSLO: TSQR 1, 2)

Project: Password Security Assignment

This project applies combinatorics to an important real-life application and further explores topics introduced in the text. (CLO: A, C; FSLO: TSQR 1, 2).

Project: Introduction to Cryptography Assignment

This project uses confidence intervals to analyze letter frequencies and applies this to decrypting a fairly simple type of coded message. It’s an application of inferential statistics within the area of cyber-security, broadly-defined. (CLO: CLO A, C; FSLO: TSQR 1, 2)

Quiz: Exams (4)

Each test will cover the Learn material for two Modules: the material assigned during the test Module: Week and the material from the previous Module: Week. Tests are not cumulative. Each test will be open-book/open-notes, contain 12-14 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, and have a 3-hour time limit. These tests will be completed in the WebAssign that is associated with the course textbook. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E; FSLO: TSQR 1, 2)