Course Description

In this course you will come to understand some specific statistical tools (equations and software) that will help you think about data in the face of uncertainty. More importantly we will have the opportunity to learn about the idea of statistics and how it can be used as a tool to support conifident decisions in business and the sciences when perceptions of the truth are unknown or debated.

Course Learning Outcomes

In this course, we will:

  1. Develop skills in using Excel for statistical analysis.
  2. Determine the correct statistical procedures to use in a given situation.
  3. Explain how the Central Limit Theorem (CLT) applies in inference.
  4. Interpret the meaning of confidence intervals in context.
  5. Interpret the results of hypothesis tests.
  6. Make informed decisions, based on the results of inferential procedures.
  7. Develop skills and confidence as a disciple leader.

Required Materials

The following materials are required for this course.

Course Schedule

This course has been designed to follow a weekly schedule in which students complete two lessons per week. You are expected to complete all of the learning activities for each lesson in the order they are listed. We may shift the order of completion for some assignments, and may even extend the deadlines on a few assignments if circumstances warrant it for the whole class.

Due dates and times for all assignments may be found by accessing the Calendar tool in I-Learn. In addition, all required assignments and tests have been set up to appear in the “Due Soon” list that you will see whenever you log into I-Learn. Also, all activity directions will have information on when the assignment or assessment opens and when it closes (due date and time). These due dates and times listed in the activity directions are based on Mountain Time in the United States of America, and are set up to be aligned with the due dates and times of students on campus at BYU-Idaho. If you have any questions about when an assignment is due, you should contact your TA or me.

As is typical at BYU-Idaho, the average amount of study time that students will put in per week per credit is 3 to 4 hours. So, for a 3-credit class, we expect students to spend on average between 9 and 12 hours of total study time. For this course, on average, it will take students approximately 9 hours of study time to complete all the learning activities for each week. This is the amount of time that you should expect to put into this class each week if you want to get a passing grade. If you want a higher grade, you may need to put in more study time, maybe even beyond 12 hours per week.

Course Navigation

You can access all materials in I-Learn. There are 24 lessons and approximately 12 learning activities. We will complete two lessons per week. Each lesson contains four parts:

  1. Preparation Assignment
  2. Group Quiz
  3. Class Meeting
  4. Homework

Preparation Quiz: You prepare for each lesson by studying the corresponding reading and taking the prep quiz.

Class Group Quiz: The first 10 minutes of class will allow you to take the quiz again with your group. It will be the sazme quiz as the prep quiz.

Class Meeting: We will meet together twice a week to discuss the previously reviewed material and discuss how these tools are used in the real world. Please note that I see class as a consulting experience (I am your consultant). Come to class with questions! As we learn together the concepts will settle better in your minds.

Homework: The homework quiz is the final graded element of the lesson. You will be responsible to complete the homework before you begin the next lesson.

Exams: There are four exams in the course that will be taken through I-Learn in the testing center.

Grading

Grading Scale

This course will use the standard BYU-Idaho grading scale:

Letter Percentage Letter Percentage
A 93-100% C 73-77%
A- 90-93% C- 70-73%
B+ 87-90% D+ 67-70%
B 83-87% D 63-67%
B- 80-83% D- 60-63%
C+ 77-80% F 0-60%

Grade Components

Grades will be determined as follows:

  • 50% Exams
  • 20% Weekly Application Activities
  • 15% Homework
  • 10% Preparation Quizes
  • 5% Team Class Quizes

Course Policies

Please read the following course policies and make sure that you understand what these policies mean regarding your interactions with me, the TAs and the other students in this course.

Personal Honor

In this class, our interactions with each other should be guided at all times by the following principles of personal honor. If you have any questions about how Personal Honor is related to academic honesty or the university’s dress and grooming standards, you may visit the University Standards web page to get more information.

  • Personal honor is integrity in fulfilling commitments, responsibilities, and covenants.
  • Personal honor begins with willing obedience and is fully developed when we consistently govern ourselves by true principles.
  • Personal honor increases spiritual strength through the ministry of the Holy Ghost.
  • Personal honor is central to every aspect of our lives, including the BYU-Idaho experience.
  • Personal honor brings us joy and happiness; deepens our desire to love, serve, and lift others; and ultimately helps us to become more like the Savior.

This class will follow the policies posted on the Mathematics Department website. These polices cover the

  • Honor Code
  • Discrimination
  • Disabilities
  • Children in the Classroom
  • Electronic Devices (We will use laptops in class so ignore the general rule about laptops.)