INTRODUCTION: WELCOME TO STAT 200 January 5 th, 2009

Contact Info Steve Kanters Office: LSK Phone: Office Hours: Actually… Workshops 2

Textbook and Website  Moore, D.S. and McCabe, G.P. (2009): An Introduction to the Practice of Statistics (6th edition).  It would be fine to use the 5th edition of the text. However, we will assign reading and suggested exercises based on the 6th edition.  We may not provide correspondence between page and question numbers between the two editions. You may find a copy of both editions in the library for private loan (loan period is 2 hours).  Website: slate.stat.ubc.ca 3

What are Statistics? 4  If we tried to summarize the field of statistics in one sentence, it would be: “Statistics is the study of Variance in Data”.  The big picture of Statistics:

Why Study Statistics 5  We live in a world of information overload. Deciphering all this information and understanding it is a difficult task. Statistics is one approach to this task.  Imagine a black-box process where only input and output can be observed. Statistics can help us draw conclusions on the process based on the resulting data.  Statistics is an essential part of most scientific research, you can always benefit from more statistical knowledge

What Statistics is and isn’t 6  Statistics is not a math course  Statistics is not about learning a bunch of formulas  Statistics is not difficult if you don’t make the mistakes above.  Statistics is a conceptual course.  Knowing how to calculate a formula is useless if we don’t know When to use it How to interpret it  As such, there is a fair share of vocabulary in this course and understanding it is key.

Tentative Schedule DateLecture Jan. 5-9Intro + Ch Jan Ch Jan Ch Jan Ch 4 Feb. 2-6Ch 1.3, 4.4 Feb. 9-13Ch Feb 23-27Midterm +Ch March 2-6Ch 6-7 March 9-13Ch 7 March 16-20Ch 12.1 and 2 March 23-27Ch 2 and 10.1 March 30 – April 3Ch. 2 and 9.1 April 6-8Review and such 7

Lectures, Labs and Clickers – Part 1  This class will use many approaches to teaching you the material.  The lectures will use a mixture of slides and hand- written notes. The slides are not complete on their own but cover the basics. They help reduce writing which should increase listening  Lectures will also be an opportunity to solve questions together as a class (i.e. you copy my solution) and for questions to be answered in groups during class (to keep you active! 8

Lectures, Labs and Clickers – Part 2 9  The lectures will also feature clickers. These  Allow for more conceptual questions to be asked.  Will force you to keep up with the material.  Will get everyone to participate.  Finally Labs will be an active way of learning how to apply statistics in different contexts.  These will be done once a week and be run by the TA’s

Course Evaluation  One comprehensive final exam covering all material seen in lectures (45%)  One in-class midterm worth 25%.  Three assignments worth 15% in all.  On-line Attitude survey – 2% (free marks!)  Class participation via i-clicker – 5%  This is in two components: participation and correctness of answers.  Weekly labs – 8% 10

Notes on Course Evaluation 11  There will be NO make up exam  A missed exam requires proper supporting documents (e.g. a doctor’s note) in order to avoid a zero. In such an event, the weight of the midterm will be shifted to the final, or the final will be deferred.  It is expected and encouraged that students discuss their assignments with each other. It encourages the learning process.  However, the assignment you hand in should be your own product. Students caught copying each others answers will be given a zero for the assignment.

Clickers! – Part 1 12  This year our STAT 200 course will be using the i>Clicker.  It is a response system that allows you to respond to questions posed by instructors during class, and you will be graded on that feedback.  You are required to purchase an i>clicker remote for in-class participation.

Clickers! – Registration 13  Each clicker has a unique serial number which is used to identify it. You can find this number at the back.  In order to receive the grades, you’ll need to register the serial number of your PRS (personal response system) to your name.  This is achieved using WebCT  The instructions for this can be found on the website  You must register your clicker before the start of week 2

Clickers! – Frequency 14  The frequency in your clicker needs to match the one of the receptor in the room.  Here the frequency is AB, but the default frequency is AA, so we’ll need to change this at the start of every class:  Hold the power button until the blue light flashes  Press frequency AB  You should get a green light indicating you’re good to go.

What is your gender? A. Male B. Female

What is your handedness? A. Left B. Right

How many statistics courses have you taken in the past? A. 0 B. 1 C. 2 D. 3

What do you think will be your final grade in this course? A. 100% B. 68%-99% C. 50%-67% D. Below 50% (oh no!)