Math 1342

Class and Instructor Information

• Class Time and Place: RVSG 8131, T/Th 7:35 - 8:55pm
• Instructor: Aaron Gladish, M.A Mathematics (UT Austin, 1995), Adjunct Professor
• Office Hours: RVSG 9139, T/Th 5:00 - 5:30 and 9:00 - 9:30pm
• Contacting Aaron: agladish@austincc.edu, or 512.632.5330 (leave a voice mail if you want a call back). Email is preferred and it goes to my phone. Voice mail takes the longest to receive a reply.

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Transfer Note:

Texas State University changed their Transfer Guide to show that MATH 1342 is no longer considered equivalent to their QMST 2333 (Quantitative Methods). ACC's BUSG 2371 is the correct equivalent to that course, which is needed for most majors in business.

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Required Materials

• Textbook

  • The Basic Practice of Statistics (BPS), 5th ed., by David S. Moore. One ISBN is 1429239301 but there are others depending on what's bundled with it.
  • You must have the book by the second class day. This means that if you order the book online, make sure you have it shipped in such a way that it will arrive by then.
  • You must have the 5th edition. Previous editions will not work.
  • There is a CD that comes with the book. It's handy to have but is not necessary.

• Access to MINITAB statistical software.

  • Available free at all ACC computer labs, the computers in this classroom, and at many of the computers at the learning lab.
  • You do not have to buy or rent MINITAB, but if you want to be able to run it on your laptop or at home, then there are options, some of which cost money, described later.
  • MINITAB is not available for a Mac. If you have a Mac and want to run MINITAB at home, you will need a Windows emulator. There are instructions at minitab.com
  • The homework problems identified by M mean that MINITAB is required. Do all the tasks and answer all the questions in the book, and if there are any additional questions in the MINITAB Manual, anwer them too. Print out your session window and all applicable graphs.
  • The homework problems identifed by T mean that technology is required. You may do these problems using any kind of device that is capable of doing statistical computations, including MINITAB, CrunchIt, Excel, or a calculator that can do stats.
  • You will not be required to use MINITAB on the exams. However, there will be problems that show MINITAB output and you will have to know how to read it.

• A scientific calculator.

  • If you already have a graphing calculator, that is more than enough, but you don't need a graphing calculator. A $10 scientific calculator that can do roots is enough.
  • The testing center has calculators you can borrow during the tests.
  • You will not be able to use the calculator on your phone for any of the exams.

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Optional Materials

• The StatsPortal

  • The StatsPortal contains:
    • Access to the electronic technology manuals, including a MINITAB Manual written by Mary Parker, who is a professor at ACC.
    • Access to applets and simulations to explore some statistical ideas. These applets are mentioned in the text.
    • Access to Crunch-It, web-based statistical software that is similar to MINITAB and can be used to work on problems when you don’t have MINITAB easily available.
    • Access to the online tutorials.
    • Access to the electronic version of the Student Study Guide (not the same as the MINITAB manual).
    • Access to self-quizzes.
    • Complete (electronic) copy of the textbook. It can be accessed during class using the classroom computers or your laptop. If you don't need a hard copy of the textbook, the least expensive option is to purchase access to the StatsPortal. Following the link on the site to purchase access.
    • Links from problems to allow you to just click a link to open the datafile for that problem in a statistics software package.
    • Links to more full answers to the odd-numbered problems than the back of the printed text.
    • Links to the online tutoring and to the applets and simulations used to illustrate the materials.
  • Access is free with a new book purchased at Bevo's or any of ACC's bookstores. Access a la carte cost $74 in August 2011 and can be purchased directly from the StatsPortal site or from the bookstore.
  • To sign up for StatsPortal, go to
    http://portals.bfwpub.com/bps5e.php .
    • You will need
      • The activation code in the StatsPortal folder.
      • Your permanent email address (Can't change this in the account)
      • Your instructor's name

• Videotape series: Against All Odds.

  • Visit
    http://www.austincc.edu/mparker/1342/tf/video/index.htm
    for further information.

• Math 0159 (Statistics Laboratory)

  • This is a one-credit, 12-week course held at Northridge Friday from noon to 2:25 and it is taught by an instructor who really knows the subject and knows how to teach it. It's like getting two-and-a-half hours of highly-qualified tutoring per week for the price of one credit hour.

• Mary Parker's notes on the homework on the first seven chapters (FREE):

  http://www.austincc.edu/mparker/1342/lessons/hw_notes/hwnotes.html

• Activities on the web (FREE)

  http://www.austincc.edu/mparker/1342/games.htm

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Purchasing Options:

• The Book

  • 1. Purchase a la carte access to the StatsPortal and forego a hard copy of the textbook. Cost in August 2011 was $74.
  • 2. Purchase a new textbook that contains a shrink-wrapped folder granting access to the StatsPortal. If you buy a new book at Bevo's or any of the ACC bookstores, it will include this folder. If you buy a new book elsewhere or if you buy a used book, you will have to pay for StatsPortal access in addition.
  • You should be aware that if you buy the loose-leaf version of the book, then you may not sell it back at the end of the semester.
  • Once the shrink-wrapped StatsPortal folder is opened, it may not be returned.
  • 3. Purchase or rent a used textbook
  • Renting a textbook is becoming a increasingly popular way of reducing cost. However, if you wind up having to drop the course, then you will have to rent the book all over again.
  • If you decide you want access to the StatsPortal and you buy a used book or rent one, then you will have to but access to the StatsPortal a la carte.
  • Students who purchased what were described as new books on Amazon and eBay have reported that the book did not ontain the StatsPortal folder.

• MINITAB

• Access to MINITAB is available at the Learning Labs and Computer Centers and on the computers in this classroom free. ACC recommends that students use MINITAB on ACC computers.
• If you want to be able to use it at home, you can get a 30-day trial at no cost, or a six-month rental for $30. You can try this link if you are interested.
  http://www.minitab.com/education/semesterrental/default.aspx

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Prerequisites

• Statement of Prerequisite Requirements: Students who have passed the THEA math or COMPASS math to be eligible for college-level courses have satisfied the math prerequisite requirement. Students should also have college-level reading skills. Students who are exempt from TSI requirements should have had two years of high school algebra to satisfy the prerequisite.
• Students in MATH 1342 will be expected to:
  • understand material from the text after reading it.
  • do homework using fairly complicated formulas after seeing one example
  • do some, but not much, algebraic manipulation of formulas
• This course is reading intensive!
• The departmental prerequisite review sheet is the first homework assignment, and it can be found here:
  http://www.austincc.edu/mthdept2/prereqd/1342/index1342.htm.

• Completing it will give you a good idea of whether or not you are prepared for this course.

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Course Description:

A first course in statistics for students in business, nursing, allied health, social, physical, or behavioral sciences, or for any student requiring knowledge of the fundamental procedures for data organization and analysis. Topics include frequency distributions, graphing, measures of location and variation, the binomial and normal distributions, z-scores, t-test, chi-square test, F-test, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, regression, and correlation.

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Attendance

• Required. If you miss more than three class, you will lose one point off your overall course average for each day that you miss.
• If you can't keep up with the pace in class, then it's even more important for you to attend. Read the assignment before coming to class. That will help you keep up.

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Withdrawing

• The last day to withdraw is Monday, April 23.
• You should be aware of ACC's policy toward withdrawals. Visit
  http://www.austincc.edu/withdraw/WithdrawalInformation.php
  for more information.

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Homework

• Click on the Homework Tab on the top of this page to find out what the assignments are, what the required format is, how they are graded, and when they are due.
• I may spend about five minutes at the beginning of class going over homework problems, but in general, the review days prior to the test deadlines are the only times we will be able to do homework in class.

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Tests

• There will be five tests. The first four will be given in the testing center and the fifth will be in class. The deadlines are given on the schedule.
• The first four tests must be taken in the Riverside Testing Center. Tests will not be available on other campuses. The location, hours, and policies of the testing center can be found here:

  http://www.austincc.edu/testctr/riverside.php

• There will be one class set aside for Questions and Answers prior to the test, usually on a Thursday. Tests will be available to take on or before the review day, and will be available over a weekend. Test deadlines are on Mondays. Consult the Schedule page for further information.
• Tests are designed to be completed in about two hours on average.
• You may bring one 8 1/2 by 11 inch page of handwritten notes to each of the tests.
• You must bring a calculator that is capable of doing arithmetic computations to the tests. You may bring a graphing calculator. TI-89 and higher are not allowed.
• The first four tests are not specifically comprehensive, although like most subjects, math is cumulative.
• Test five is comprehensive but is general in nature. There will be very few numerical computations. It is designed to be completed in one hour because it will be given in class.
• • Test 1 covers chapters 1 - 5 (chapter 7 is review)
  • Test 2 covers chapters 8 - 13
  • Test 3 covers chapters 14 - 20 (chapters 16 and 21 are review)
  • Test 4 covers chapters 6 and 22 - 24
  • Test 5 covers everything.
• Test questions are based on homework problems and examples done in class. There should be no surprises.

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Grading

• Your grade will be the average of the five test scores and your homework average, weighted equally, where 89.5 and above is an A, 79.5 - 89.4 is a B, 69.5 - 79.4 is a C, 59.5 = 69.4 is a D, and below 59.5 is an F. There is no curve.
• There is no extra credit.
• If you have an average of A prior to the fifth test, then you will receive an A for the course and are exempt from taking the final.
• Incompletes. ACC's policy is that a grade of incomplete can be given only in the following circumstances:
  • You have completed all the work in the course except the final and are passing, you missed the final for some valid reason, you contacted me and we made arrangements for you to take the final, and that date isn't until after the grades are due.
  • I suspect you of cheating but I don't want to give you an F until I have had a chance to talk to you, and I haven't been able to do this before the grades are due.
• Homework and test grades are logged on Blackboard. You can access Blackboard directly via this link:
  https://acconline.austincc.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

  Access blackboard with your ACC EID (your first initial, usually, followed by your seven-digit ACC ID number). There is a link on the Blackboard main page to activate your ACC EID in case you haven't done this yet. That link will take you to the ACC EID login manager where you will set your password. It's pretty simple. The only thing that surprised me was that some ACC web sites are not case-sensitive whereas others require that the first letter of your EID be lower case. If you always use lower case, I think you will be fine.

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How To Succeed

• Students who actively participate in obtaining their own education do better than those who don’t. You have to go after your own eduction. Don't just let the information come to you. Be proactive.
• There are two aspects to learning math: understanding the concepts and developing mathematical skill. If you focus solely on the skills probably you will be frustrated in this class. Focus on the concepts first and then the skills.
• The homework problems in this course are not simply imitations of examples worked out in the book or study guide. In fact, this is true for any college math class. You have to understand the underlying concepts and occasionally employ some creative thinking in order to solve them.
• You have to study the book and class notes before you attempt the homework! This is true for any college math class as well, but it is especially true in this course because the level of critical thinking required to solve some of the problems is far beyond the level required for any problem you have done up to this point.
• Part of your reason for being in college probably has something to do with getting a good job. When you interview, you may not be asked the traditional questions of describing yourself, your strengths and your weaknesses. 20 to 30% of companies are now asking problem-solving questions in order to find out how you think. Employers are not interested in how well you can imitate someone else’s solutions. Some of the problems in this course require some creative thought.
• That's not to say that there aren't skills to master, techniques to learn and formulas to memorize. But in most cases you will learn more if you work from concept to skill rather than from skill to concept.
• Plan on spending at least 15 hours per week of quality time in this course. That's two hours per day minimum, seven days per week or three hours per day, five days per week, minimum.
• Avoid cramming. It's difficult to put in 15 quality hours over one weekend.
• Fifteen hours per week spread evenly throughout the week if going to require that you aggressively avoid procrastinating and develop excellent time management skills.
• Come to every class and arrive on time. However, it's better to come late than not at all.
• I hate to have to say this because I think it should be obvious, but no texting during class. If there is an emergency with your baby-sitter, then slip outside the classroom and finish your personal business there.
• Strive for perfection on the homework.
• Read the book, study the concepts, and memorize the definitions before class. This is the number one thing you can do to ensure you get an A.
• Don't make the mistake of thinking that solving homework problems just requires finding an example to imitate. When you get stuck, ask yourself what concept is being tested by the problem, and go back and review the concepts that are relevant.
• Always try to figure hard problems out by yourself, but set a time limit. If you can't figure it out and you've done the steps describe in item 4, then leave the problem and come back to it later. If you are still experiencing difficulty, try these resources, in order:
  • Someone else in the class
  • Me
  • A professional tutor, preferably one who has had some graduate experience in math. Professional tutors can develop into a crutch if you use them too much. Ultimately, you have to get this stuff into your own brain; no one else can do that for you.
• Working with others: The most successful math students frequently have study buddies. I encourage you to find other people in the class to work with. However, the work you turn in must be your own.
• The Learning Labs. The locations, contact information, and hours of availability of the Learning Labs are posted at:
  http://www.austincc.edu/tutor

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Student Resources

• The student handbook is here:
  http://www.austincc.edu/handbook/

  The three most important links (on the left side of the page) are Campus Resources You Need to Succeed, which has links to information about the testing centers and the learning labs, Other Student Support Services, and Academic Guidelines.

• The link for student services is
  http://www.austincc.edu/support

• The link for instructional services is
  http://www.austincc.edu/faculty/newsemester/
  then click on “Campus Based Student Support Overview”.
• Students with Disabilities. Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office of Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to do this three weeks before the start of the semester. The web page for the OSD is currently
  http://www.austincc.edu/osd/index.html

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Scholastic Dishonesty

• What follows is ACC's official statement concerning cheating.
• Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to, cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work. Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, work, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to, tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations; and homework.
• Students who violate the rules concerning scholastic dishonesty will be assessed an academic penalty that the instructor determines is in keeping with the seriousness of the offense. This academic penalty may range from a grade penalty on the particular assignment to an overall grade penalty in the course, including possibly an F in the course.

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Academic Freedom

• What follows is ACC's official statement concerning academic freedom.
• Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good. The common good depends upon a search for truth and upon free expression. In this course the professor and students shall strive to protect free inquiry and the open exchange of facts, ideas, and opinions. Students are free to take exception to views offered in this course and to reserve judgment about debatable issues. Grades will not be affected by personal views. With this freedom comes the responsibility of civility and a respect for a diversity of ideas and opinions. This means that students must take turns speaking, listen to others speak without interruption, and refrain from name-calling or other personal attacks.

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Site copyrighted and maintained by Aaron Gladish, Adjunct Professor of Mathematics, Austin Community College
Click here to send Aaron email	Last update: 10-Jan-2012 08:01 AM