Home Page for Statistics 31,

Introduction to Statistics,

Section 1,   Spring 2005

Course Handouts and Graphics:

Syllabus:    (parts of Moore and McCabe likely will be covered)

Dates of Examinations:

•        Midterm I:    Tuesday, Feb. 15
•        Midterm II:    Tuesday, Apr 12
  
•        Final:    Tuesday, May 10,   9:00 - 12:00

Course Information:

Class Meetings:

Class Waiting List:

Grading:    Based on:   

1. Homework      10%
2. Midterm I        20%
3. Midterm II       20%
4. Final Exam (cumulative)     50%

Homework:

• Readability is your responsibility
• Highlight your numerical answer
• Never turn in more that one page per problem (or no credit given)
• In Excel, highlight a block, and try "Atl, File, Print, Print What: Selection".

Textbooks:

• Listen to what happens in class
• Do HW promptly
• Resolve questions soon
  
• If you feel youself falling behind, then catch up using text book.

• In addition: read text, in parallel, for an alternate viewpoint
  

Internet and Email Access:

• This is an email list, allowing "broadcast" of emails to all class members.
• Essential for staying on top of course announcements (e.g. cancelled classes, discovered errors on HW, changes made to web page, etc.)
• Forum for tips on HW problems (selected answers to student's questions will be broadcast this way)
• Good manners:  put problem number in subject line
  
• Careful about replying "to the whole list" (do you want everybody to see your answer?)
• Pre-enrolled class members have already been subscribed to the list, and don't need to take further action (unless you want to unsubscribe)
• If you are not subscribed, but want to join, go to the URL:    http://lists.unc.edu/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=Stat31-1-2005
• If you want to make some changes in your subscription (e.g. to unsubscribe), follow instructions at the bottom of an email "To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-stat31-1-2005-4286820C@listserv.unc.edu", or else log-in to the list and follow instructions. 
  

Computation:

• "A tool, not an end in itself".  Intended to facilitate thought, not replace it"
• Never done in class, even for exams (so don't bring your CCI Laptop)
• Done with Microsoft EXCEL, available on your CCI Computer.
• EXCEL is "user friendly", so if you have experience using computers, you may be able to just start using EXCEL.
• If you are wondering "how do I do that?", the Introduction chapter of the Hoppe (2003)  text above provides well organized access to a number of important topics.
• If you have no prior computing experience, then a careful reading of that same Introduction, at the beginning of the Hoppe (2003) text listed above may be useful.
• General rules for when you encounter a problem:

1. "Just try something"
2. Ask a freind, or somebody hanging around
3. Seek "more official" help.
   

• Caution:  Numerical answers to HW problems will be given.  Avoid the trap of "just twiddling EXCEL until you get the right number" (because you can't do that on the exam).
  

Access to Textbook Data

• A lot of "busy work retyping" can be avoided by "importing data"
• The data sets needed are available on the CDrom that came with the text.
• Versions of the data, already in EXCEL are there
• Look in the directory:

• You can copy these as needed, or copy them all to your hard disk
• To work a HW problem, copy this file to where you would like to work on it, and double click (to open EXCEL)
• You will want to save your work as you go along (in EXCEL, alt, file, save)
  

Additional Sources of Help

The Statistics Department has developed a good quality EXCEL "Primer" (web based introduction), that can be found at the URL: http://www.stat.unc.edu/teach/rosu/Stat31/Companion.html.  If you have never used EXCEL it is strongly recommended that you work through this (even if you have some experience, it may be worth a look to be sure you are up to speed on what we are doing with it).

Also on offer are:   Open Tutorial sessions