STAT 302: Statistical Methods

Fall 2009

Instructor

Dr. David Dahl
dr.dahl@ddahl.org
979-845-3141
436 Blocker

Teaching Assistant

Mehdi Maadooliat
madoliat@stat.tamu.edu
979-845-8888
415A Blocker

Times and Places

Lecture for both sections: W F, 3:00pm - 3:50pm, HECC 203
Lab for section 511: M, 1:50pm - 2:40pm, BLOC 162
Lab for section 512: M, 3:00pm - 3:50pm, BLOC 162

Getting Help

There are many opportunities to get help. Several graduate students will be available to help in 162 BLOC as follows:

Days	Times	Teaching Assistants
Mondays	5:00pm - 8:00pm	Mehdi, Naiwei, Katie
Tuesday	5:10pm - 8:00pm	Naiwei, Jia, Kun Xu, Ranye
Wednesday	5:00pm - 8:00pm	Kashyap, Soutir, Lin, Katie, Soojin
Thursdays	5:10pm - 8:00pm	Brian, Qi, Xin Xin
Sundays	1:00pm - 4:00pm	Soojin, Jia
Sundays	4:00pm - 7:00pm	Kun Xu, Ranye

Note in particular that Mehdi (the teaching assistant for our sections) will be available in 162 BLOC on Mondays, 5:00pm - 8:00pm.
Mehdi will also hold office hours in 415A BLOC on Thursdays, 10:00am - 11:00am.
Dr. Dahl's office hours are held in 436 BLOC on Wednesdays and Fridays, 1:00pm - 2:30pm.

Important Resources

Lecture Notes, Exams, and Other Material
Lab Materials
Personal Information
StatSwami: Online tools by Dr. Dahl

Textbook

Our online textbook is The Practice of Statistics in the Life Sciences, by Brigitte Baldi and David Moore.
Please register online using these instructions. Your will need the "eBook Activation Code" from your Personal Information.

Homework

Homework will be completed online using the WebAssign system.
Please register online using these instructions. Your will need the "WebAssign Class Key" from your Personal Information.
Homework will typically be posted on Fridays and will be due the following Thursday nights by 11:45pm. Late homework is not accepted. Computer problems are not an acceptable excuse for not finishing homework.

Labs

Mondays' lab time will involve in-class exercises conducted by Mehdi.
The labs are designed to reinforce concepts taught in lecture, to provide practice applying the methods, and to help with homework.
Labs are due at the end of class. Late labs are not accepted.
Labs are graded on the following scale:
- 2 points for doing the entire lab.
- 1 point for attempting only some of the lab.
- 0 points if you miss the lab.

Exams

Each exam has multiple choice and true/false questions. You will need to bring your own large grey Scantron form.
Each exam is cumulative, but emphasizes recently covered material.
You will need a basic calculator that has the square root function. More advanced calculators may only be used if you do not use the advanced functionality.
Dates:
- Midterm 1: Monday, October 19 in BLOC 162 at your regular lab time.
- Midterm 2: Monday, November 16 in BLOC 162 at your regular lab time.
- Final: Tuesday, December 15 in HECC 203 from 10:30am - 12:30pm.

Course Grade

Total scores are computed using the following weights:
- 15% -- Homework
- 15% -- Labs
- 20% -- Midterm 1
- 20% -- Midterm 2
- 30% -- Final

Course grades are assigned by total scores using the following scale:

90%	≤	score	≤	100%	=>	A
80%	≤	score	<	90%	=>	B
70%	≤	score	<	80%	=>	C
60%	≤	score	<	70%	=>	D
0%	≤	score	<	60%	=>	F

University Excused Absenses

Definition: Details of what constitutes a University Excused Absense is available in the Student Rules.
Homework: Through the course of the semester, many students will have University Excused Absenses. To account for this, your lowest two homework percentages will automatically be dropped when computing your grade. If you miss more than two homeworks due to unforseen University Excused Absenses, you must provide documentation for all University Excused Absenses and the missed work will be dropped when computing your grade.
Lab: Likewise, your lowest two lab scores will be automatically dropped. You must provide documentation for all University Excused Absenses in order to drop more than two lab scores.
Exams: If you are unable to take an exam at the scheduled time you must notify Dr. Dahl as soon as possible. Missed exams will be a given zero points except for an University Excused Absence. In that case, Dr. Dahl (at his discretion) may either administer a makeup exam or use the final exam grade to compensate for the missed exam.
Incomplete Grade: An incomplete grade will be given only if a student, due to an University Excused Absence, is unable to make up the final before the semester grades are due.

Course Description

Introduction to concepts of random sampling and statistical inference; estimation and testing hypotheses of means and variances, analysis of variance, regression analysis; chi-square tests.
The course is intended for students in biological sciences or agriculture, except agricultural economics.
Prerequisites are MATH 141 or 166 or equivalent.

Class Attendance

Class attendance is an important part of your success in the class. The syllabus, homework assignments, exam dates, etc. may be changed by in-class announcements. If you are absent, please check with a classmate regarding the lecture material and announcements. Outside of class, Dr. Dahl and Mehdi are best-able to help those who attend class.

Statement on Disabilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation for their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Office of Disabilities Services in Room B118, Cain Hall. The phone number is 845-1637.

Statement on Plagiarism

The handouts used in this course are copyrighted. By "handouts," I mean all materials generated for this class, which include but are not limited to syllabi, quizzes, exams, lab problems, in-class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets. Because these materials are copyrighted, you do not have the right to copy the handouts, unless I expressly grant permission. As commonly defined, plagiarism consists of passing off as one's own ideas, words, writing, etc., which belong to another. In accordance with this definition, you are committing plagiarism if you copy the work of another person and turn it in as your own, even if you should have the permission of that person. Plagiarism is one of the worst academic sins, for the plagiarist destroys the trust among colleagues without which research cannot be safely communicated. If you have any questions regarding plagiarism, please consult the latest issue of the Texas A&M University Student Rules, under the section "Scholastic Dishonesty."

Academic Integrity Statement:

The Aggie Honor Code states, "An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do." Please refer to the Honor Council Rules and Procedures on the web: http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor