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PRST 5600/6600/7600 Syllabus

Course Syllabus

PRST 5600/6600/7600 - Statistical Analysis

3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

Statistics is the study of the processes used to collect and analyze data in order to make informed decisions about the world. Throughout this course, you will learn how fundamental principles form the foundation of the scientific process that is statistics. The ultimate goal is to incorporate this understanding with the practitioner’s ability to effectively interpret and translate the results from experimental design.

Course Outcomes:

In this class, focus will be placed on:

1. Gaining a basic understanding of the principles of statistics and how they apply to everyday problems, and

2. Applying these principles to solve problems. Students will learn fundamental principles and how they are used to design experiments. Emphasis is placed on the application of statistics to solve everyday problems and dilemmas. Overall, the student is to gain a sound understanding of the statistical processes and their practical use to enhance their ability to live and work in a dynamic world. 

Prerequisites & Co-requisites:

Admission to the Master of Professional Studies program or departmental approval. PRST 5300/6300/7300 or an equivalent course is required.

Course Topics:

Part I. Gathering and Exploring Data

1. Statistics: The Art and Science of Learning from Data

2. Exploring Data with Graphs and Numerical Summaries

3. Association: Contingency, Correlation and Regression

4. Gathering Data

Part II. Probability, Probability Distributions and Sampling Distributions

5. Probability in Our Daily Lives

6. Probability Distributions

7. Sampling Distributions

Part III. Inferential Statistics

8. Statistical Inference: Confidence Intervals

9. Significance Tests About Hypotheses

10. Comparing Two Group

Specific Course Requirements:

Knowledge of hardware and software listed below.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course. Move your cursor over the "Books" link in the navigation bar and select "Textbooks & Course Materials." Select your Program, Term, Department, and Course; then select "Submit."

Supplementary Materials:

Interactmath, which is an online supplemental for the text that allows students to practice problems. http://www.interactmath.com. Directions will be provided in Course Content. 

Hardware and Software Requirements:

Minimum hardware requirements can be found here.

Minimum software requirements can be found here.

Common applications you might need:

Web Resources:

Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab (for APA, MLA, or Chicago style)

The Writing Center Online Writer's Handbook

Student Resources:
  • Technical support information can be found on the TN eCampus Help Desk page.
  • Smarthinking virtual tutoring is available FREE of charge. to access Smarthinking, visit the course homepage and select Smarthinking under Course Resources. You also view sample sessions to see what Smarthinking offers and how it works.
  • Information on other student issues or concerns can be located on the TN eCampus Student Resources page.

Instructor Information

Please see "Instructor Information" in the Getting Started Module for instructor contact information, virtual office hours, and other communication information. You can expect to receive a response from the instructor within 24-48 hours unless notified of extenuating circumstances.

Participation, Assessments, & Grading

Testing Procedures:

Quizzes will be taken at the end of each chapter, and are listed under Assessments. The quizzes are open book, open note. You should be aware of the dates for each quiz by checking the Calendar and/or Checklist.

Grading Procedures:
 Unit ValueTotal
10 Quizzes10 Points100
10 Homework Assignments10 Points100
10 Discussions 5 Points 50
1 Final Project100 Points100
Total 350

* details on the above items are provided in Assignments and Participation. 

Grading Scale:

315 – 350 = A

285 – 314 = B

260 – 284 = C

250 – 259 = D

<250 = F

Assignments and Projects:
Quizzes
Quizzes will be taken at the end of each chapter, and are listed under Assessments. The quizzes are open book, open note. You should be aware of the dates for each quiz by checking the Calendar and/or Checklist.
 
Homework
Homework assignments will be completed for each chapter, and will be submitted via the Dropbox by the scheduled time. Emailed homework assignments are not acceptable.
 
Discussion
Board Posts to the discussion board are required for each chapter. The student must submit a post (in response to the original discussion board topic) that is acceptable to the instructor to receive credit for the post within that chapter.

Supplemental Activities

Video Tutorials
Video tutorials are provided for most chapters and accomplish 2 main objectives:
1. Summarize the main points for each chapter, and
2. Interact with the student to understand the material by working through chapter problems in the textbook and on the data CD. Be sure to review them if you need guidance on the main points. Also, they provide a useful summary of each chapter, so viewing them before or after reading the chapter may be very beneficial. 
 
Online Lab Exercises
The interactmath.com link serves as a practice item only. There is no official course credit for doing these exercises. However, doing them will reinforce key concepts and enhance your understanding of the material, which ultimately will prepare you for the items that are required for course evaluation. 
Class Participation:

Students must participate in all interactive aspects of the course if interaction is part of the course design. Students are expected to communicate with the instructor as a learning resource and check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements. Students must actively participate in threaded discussion events. 

Late Policy:

Course Ground Rules

The following two statements (1., 2.) were derived from the TBR System-wide Student Rules document, released January 2012:

RULES OF THE TENNESSEE BOARD OF REGENTS STATE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM OF TENNESSEE SYSTEMWIDE STUDENT RULES CHAPTER 0240-02-03 STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY SANCTIONS

Read the document in its entirety here.

1. Standards of Conduct:

  • Students are required to adhere to the same professional, legal and ethical standards of conduct online as on campus. In addition, students should conform to generally accepted standards of "netiquette" while sending e-mail, posting comments to the discussion board, and while participating in other means of communicating online. Specifically, students should refrain from inappropriate and/or offensive language, comments and actions.

2. Review the TN eCampus Academic Integrity/Academic Honesty Policy:

  • In their academic activities, students are expected to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Academic dishonesty is prohibited.

Such conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • an attempt by one or more students to use unauthorized information in the taking of an exam
  • to submit as one's own work, themes, reports, drawings, laboratory notes, computer programs, or other products prepared by another person,
  • or to knowingly assist another student in obtaining or using unauthorized materials.

Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited.

Students guilty of academic misconduct, either directly or indirectly through participation or assistance, are subject to disciplinary action through the regular procedures of the student’s home institution.  Refer to the student handbook provided by your home institution to review the student conduct policy.

In addition to other possible disciplinary sanctions that may be imposed, the instructor has the authority to assign an "F" or zero for an activity or to assign an "F" for the course.

Other Course Rules:

Students are expected to:

  • Participate in all aspects of the course
  • Communicate with other students
  • Learn how to navigate in Brightspace
  • Keep abreast of course announcements
  • Use the assigned course management (Brightspace) email address rather than a personal email address
  • Address technical problems immediately:
  • Observe course netiquette at all times.

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members

Discussions:

  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in TN eCampus programs and courses. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading will be included within the course modules. To access the Virtual Library, go to the course homepage and select the Virtual Library link under Course Resources.

Students with Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this syllabus is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to keep this information up-to-date and accurate, there may be some discrepancies between this syllabus and the one found in your online course. The syllabus of record is the one found in your online course. Please make sure you read the syllabus in your course at the beginning of the semester. Questions regarding course content should be directed to your instructor.


Last Revised on May 15, 2017