Eastern Connecticut State University
Syllabus for Economics 215─ Statistics for Business and Economics
|
Instructor: |
Dr. Maryanne Clifford |
Summer 2007 |
|
Office: |
446 Webb Hall |
|
|
Phone: |
860-465-5512 |
|
|
Email: |
cliffordm@easternct.edu |
|
|
Office Hours: |
TR 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM and by appointment. |
|
This course will provide an introduction to the principles of statistics. The statistical tools, that we will acquire in this course, are applied by managers in the business sector, policy makers in the government sector, and researchers in the academic arena. Students successfully completing this course should leave with an understanding of these basic statistical principles and their applicability to real world situations. You should also be able to incorporate the tools of statistical analysis into your own decision-making processes as you weigh costs and benefits to make choices.
The required text for the course is Introductory Statistics with Technology, by Prem Mann. (Fifth Edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.)
Course Outline and Readings
|
TOPIC |
TEXT |
|
I. Statistics, Data, Statistical Thinking, and Methods for Describing Sets of Data |
Chapters 1, 2, and 3 |
|
II. Probability, Random Variables and Probability Distributions |
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 |
|
III. Inferences Based on a Single Sample |
Chapters 7 and 8 |
|
IV. Comparing Two Population Means and Proportions |
Chapters 9 and 10 |
|
V Testing |
Chapters 11, 12, and 14 |
|
VI. Simple Linear Regression |
Chapter 13 |
|
If extra time occurs, I may teach selected topics with remaining time |
|
Note: Sections from these chapters may be omitted. Omissions will be announced in class.
Evaluation Criteria
Your final grade for the course is based on the distribution below and follows a standard 100 point scale. A: 90 to 100, B: 80-89, C: 70-79, D: 60-69, E: 59 and below. If I feel that a curve is necessary it will be determined separately for each exam. Grading in the course will be based upon concept quizzes, a mid-semester exam and a final exam. Assignments, quizzes, and exams will include multiple choice, essay questions and problems to be solved based from lecture material and assigned readings.
|
Task |
% of Course Grade |
|
Quizzes and Problems |
30% |
|
Short Writing Assignment |
10% |
|
Midterm Exam |
30% |
|
Final Exam |
30% |
|
Total |
100% |
There will be a mid-semester exam and a final exam. The date for the midterm exam is July 26th. The final is Thursday August 9th at 6PM. If you need to reschedule the final exam because of a conflict, university regulations require that you submit your request in writing to me two weeks in advance.
The mid-semester exams may consist of multiple choice, true/false questions, short answer, essay, and graphical questions. More precise details of the exam design will be given prior to each exam. Due to grading time constraints, the final exam may be weighted more heavily toward multiple choice than the other exam.
Makeup Exams
Makeup exams are given only for excused absences or if the student has obtained the instructor's prior approval. If you miss an exam with an unexcused absence you will receive a zero for the exam. The University defines the following as excused absences: illness of the student or serious illness of a member of the student's immediate family; death of a member of the student's immediate family; University sponsored trips; or major religious holidays. In each foreseen case, written verification will be required at least one week before the scheduled exam and permission to miss an exam must be secured before the scheduled exam time unless the cause of the absence is unforeseen. IF YOU MISS AN EXAM FOR AN UNFORESEEN REASON YOU SHOULD CONTACT ME AS SOON AS YOU ARE PHYSICALLY ABLE TO PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL ME.
Completing practice assignments is a vital means to assist you in learning the material. Practice assignments provide feedback to you about your personal level of understanding and feedback to me about the overall level of understanding in the class. Students may work together on practice assignments and I encourage you to do so, however, the final work that you submit should be your own. (i.e. do not copy or allow someone to copy your work.) Note: In general late submissions will not be accepted for a grade. Those students with excused absences are expected to turn in assignments on or before the due date.
Makeups for missed exams or late homeworks will be arranged only with written varification under conditions approved by the University.
Students are expected to read assigned material prior to class and participate in class discussion and projects. Do not be afraid to participate because of the size of the class and if you have a question, never let it go unanswered. If you do not get an opportunity to ask your question during class, stop by during my office hours or feel free to contact me via electronic mail.
I will not take roll, however, consistent attendance is essential for acceptable performance in the course. Many students find statistical concepts difficult to grasp. Missing class will only make the process of absorbing this material more difficult. I will also present material in class that may not be found in the text. If you find yourself falling behind or are having problems with the material, I encourage you to come to me for assistance. My posted office hours list the times that you are guaranteed to find me in my office. However, if you have a conflict, you may arrange a meeting time outside of office hours.
1. Find an article that relates to what we have covered in this class, like the article about the statistics in setting the cost/prices of car insurance. The article selected must be at least one column and 5” long. Note longer articles tend to work out better. A copy of this article must be attached to your paper when it is handed in. This is the starting point for your paper.
2.) Use this article to write a paper that is 2-4 pages long. The paper must be double-spaced, have approximately 1 inch margins, and use a 10 or 12 font.
The first part of your paper should be a brief summary of the article. The bulk of this paper should include an explanation of this article relates to the class. You will want to explain how this article relates to class/text. Be sure to include the latter chapters of the text, which we have recently covered. Any applicable graphs (or other diagrams) need to be included here. The last part should be how all this relates to the real life (or the rest of the world). The paper will be graded as follows:
|
Copy of article |
10 |
|
Summary of article |
15 |
|
Relates to class |
50 |
|
Application to world / real life |
25 |
|
Total Points |
100 |