Frequently Asked Questions for Statistics 212
This page will be updated occasionally. For comments or questions, e-mail me
(dcline@stat.tamu.edu) or contact the
Statistics Department.
Course Objectives
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What are the course objectives?
STAT 212 is designed to introduce students to the statistical methods of regression,
analysis of variance and categorical data analysis, particularly in ways useful
to research in engineering and science. Emphasis is placed on modeling data
and choosing the analysis appropriate for the data.
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Who may take this course?
STAT 212 is designed for applied mathematics majors and industrial engineering majors
but students from any field who meet the prerequisites may take the course.
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What are the prerequisites for this course?
One semester of calculus based introductory statistics is required. STAT 211
satisfies this.
STAT 30x courses generally do not, but you may check with the instructor to see if
you are sufficiently prepared.
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Do I need previous experience with statistical software?
I don't assume you know any statistical software but if you have taken STAT 211 you
are probably already familiar with Minitab. You may use either Minitab or SAS to
do your homework. I will provide examples from both Minitab
and SAS that include explicit instructions for you to follow.
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Reading Assignments
Homework Assignments
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How can I get the next assignment?
I will post the assignments at least one week
in advance of the due date. You are expected to check regularly as I may not
make an explicit announcement in class.
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How can I get the data for my assignments?
I will place some of the data sets for the homework
on the class web page to save you from typing it all in yourself.
Note by the way, that these are much more realistically sized data sets than those
in the textbook.
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How should I include my computer output with my homework solutions?
Please paste all relevant graphs and tables into your solutions as you refer
to them, just you would in a technical report. Do not simply attach your output
to the back of your homework solutions, and do not write your solutions onto the
output. You may find, however, that it is helpful to retain a complete copy of the
output for yourself.
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How much discussion should I provide in my homework
solutions?
A good rule of thumb is to think about studying for exams. If you can review your
homework 10 weeks later and still understand what you did and what your thought processes
were then you probably have enough discussion. The grader and I will be checking
more than your numerical answers; Keep in mind that statistics is not just
number crunching – it also has the objective of convincing the reader that the
data support the conclusions. So both the conclusions and the evidence need to be
stated clearly.
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May we work together on the homework?
Please see the homework policy for this
class. You may form work groups of two to four students to discuss your homework
and to offer each other suggestions (especially about the computing). The work
must still be your own, however. Do not "divide it up" between you and do not
copy from someone else's. No outside sources are to be used (such as previous
years' solutions or solutions manuals).
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Can I get solutions to the homework assignments?
If I provide any solutions to homework or exams, it will be only partial answers.
If you get something wrong, I expect you to reason it out as best you can and then come
to see me or the grader for further help. Confidence comes with experience,
obviously, which is why both the grader and I are very happy to discuss your work with
you, either before or after you turn it in, and why I encourage you to be involved in a
discussion group.
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May I turn in an assignment late?
I do not accept late homework except for the usual University excuses (with
verification) such as illness or University sponsored absences. If you are
unsure about an excuse, please check with me before the work is due.
Please also note that the grader will not accept any late homework, even with
excuses; instead you must bring it to me.
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May I turn an assignment into the grader?
The grader will not accept any late homework, even with
excuses; instead you must bring it to me.
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Exams
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When will the next exam be?
The first midterm exam is usually in the fifth or sixth week and the second midterm
is four to five weeks later. I will announce each about two weeks in advance.
Check the exam information section or the
messages section for details. The final exam is
according to the University schedule and was announced with the
course information.
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What will the next exam cover?
Each exam is cumulative, meaning anything taught, discussed, in the assigned reading or
in the homework up to that point is fair game. Much of the material is cumulative
as well, so you might see earlier material in the context of later material. The
exam may have (partial) computer output that you will need to understand, but I will
not examine you on how to use the software.
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What do I need to bring to the exams?
Please see the exam policy for specifics.
Bring your calculator and copies of necessary statistical tables. You may also
bring limited notes (of your own construction): one 8x11 sheet, both sides ok,
for the first exam; two for the second exam and four for the final exam. Books are
not allowed. The intention is for you both to have an organized study of
the material and to avoid having to memorize a lot.
- How can I get practice exams?
I will also post practice exams for you to
study with. These are intended to give you an idea of the types of questions I
may ask, and the likely exam length. Note that I do not guarantee that the content
of the exams will be exactly the same from year to year.
In 2006: the style of my exams is likely to change this year so the practice exams
may be those of other professors.
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Can I get solutions to the exams?
I do not provide solutions to exams but I usually go over parts of it in class.
I will, however, be happy to discuss your exam with you during office hours.
I ask only that to make a reasonable effort to rework the problem or to look up the
concept in the books or notes before you come to me.
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What do I do if I must miss an exam?
Exams may be missed only for the usual University excuses (with verification) such as
illness or University sponsored absences. If you are unsure about an excuse, please
check with me. In any case, notify me or the statistics department before the
exam and we will arrange a make-up.
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Grades
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What is Dr. Cline's grading policy?
For STAT 212, an 85% earns an A, 75% earns a B, 65% earns a C and 50% earns a D.
Incompletes will be given only in the event that circumstances beyond your control
causes work or exams to be missed and the missed work cannot be made up.
(See the missed work policy.)
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Will the grades be "curved"?
Grades will not be adjusted or curved. What you see is what you get.
For me at least, this is the best way I can be fair and consistent from year to year.
- May I turn in an assignment late?
I do not accept late homework except for the usual University excuses
(with verification) such as illness or University sponsored absences. If
you are unsure about an excuse, please check with me before the
work is due. Please also note that the grader will not accept any
late homework, even with excuses; you must bring it to me.
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What do I do if I must miss class?
I will post lecture notes,
homework assignments
and new handouts on the course web
page in case you miss getting them. Also check the
messages for anything
new of importance. (Note that these items may not appear immediately.)
Exams may be missed only for the usual University excuses (with
verification) such as illness or University sponsored absences. If
you are unsure about an excuse, please check with me. In any case,
notify me before the exam and we will arrange a make-up.
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Will grades be posted at the end of the semester?
I do not post grades. For privacy reasons, I cannot tell you your grade
over the phone or by e-mail. However, I am usually around for part of
the week after grades are due and available to give you your final exam
and your grade. If you personally hand me an addressed stamped envelope,
I can mail your exam and grade to you.
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Reaching Dr. Cline and the Grader
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How can I reach Dr. Cline?
Check my home page or my
schedule for my office hours.
Please call or email for an appointment if you want to see me some other time.
My office is Blocker 459D and my phone is 845-1443. You can e-mail me
(dcline@stat.tamu.edu) or
leave a message with the Statistics Department (845-3141, fax 845-3144).
My home page on the Internet is at
http://stat.tamu.edu/~dcline.
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How can I reach the grader?
The grader for this class will be determined near the start of the term.
Check the messages page for specific information,
including the grader's office hours. Please feel free to discuss your homework
with the grader. However, the grader does not accept homework. You must
bring it to me and, if it is late, have a valid excuse.
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Computing
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Do I need previous experience with statistical software?
I don't assume you know any statistical software (my examples are usually include
explicit instructions) but I do expect enough computer familiarity so that I can
give you basic instructions and examples and send you off on your own.
- Where can I find computer software to use?
You can get both Minitab and SAS from
Software Evaluation & Loan Library
(SELL) in 1105 Computing Services Center, Teague Building (862-4104).
You also may use University PC's in one of the
Open Access Labs.
These computers already have Minitab and SAS installed. If you choose to learn it on your
own, you also may use SPSS (but I do not recommend Excel at this time).
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Will I need a Minitab or SAS manual?
Software manuals are not required because the software has online help and the examples
I provide are intended to suffice.
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How can I get help on using the computer?
The examples provide instruction for each of the methods I expect you to do by
computer. If you have tried to follow the examples exactly and you still are not
getting it right, you may e-mail me or come to see either me or the grader. Be sure
to print out exactly what you did and the output or we may not be able to help you.
For technical computer questions (as opposed to those about the homework), you may contact
the CIS Helpdesk (845-8300).
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Will I have to know computer commands for the exams?
The exams may have (partial) computer output that you will need to understand,
but I will not examine you on how to use the computer.
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The Statistics Department