MATH 105 & 005L: Introduction to Statistics with Co-requisite Support
Course Description
Math 105 covers the following topics: summary of numerical data, distributions, linear regression, and introduction to statistical inference. StatCrunch will be used when statistical software is needed. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have an understanding of statistical concepts including: data visualizations, measures of center and dispersion, the Normal Distribution, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and regression. This course provides students an opportunity to analyze real data sets using technology. Students will learn the fundamentals of collecting, analyzing, drawing conclusions, and making decisions from data. Students will learn how to use statistical software to create graphics and summarize data.
Course prerequisites: Credit in Math 031 or GE Math Ready with Support
Degree/Program: Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (B4) GE
Co-requisite Support
Math 005L: Foundational level California Common Core State Standards mathematics topics in support of general education mathematics. This course is a supplemental requirement for Math Ready with Support students required to enroll in designated general education courses. 3 hours laboratory. This course is designated remedial and does not count as credit toward the bachelor's degree, although the units may be applied to financial aid minimum requirements. Formerly MATH 051.
Course Modality
The mode of instruction for this course is face-to-face. The course meets 5 days a week for 50 minutes each day. The plan is to use a flipped classroom model for Fall 2021 to ensure accessibility when students are unable to attend in person. Lessons and assignments are all accessible online asynchronously.
Participation and attendance is expected, but I also expect that there will be students who cannot make it to class due to sickness or caring for someone who becomes sick and I think it is important to ensure accessibility. Each class session will be divided into three segments: a math talk as an opener, lesson and homework support for the work they complete in Pearson MyStatLab, and a closer of University Life which will cover resources, support, and community around campus.
Elements of Course Design
Content is organized chronologically and broken into three main modules according to the three tests required of the course.
Each week, students are responsible for the following in their online system:
two lessons with corresponding questions,
a weekly homework assignment,
and a Skills Check and Skills Review. The Skills Check determines what the student must accomplish in their Skills Review.
The course units are mainly grouped as:
Sampling Distributions and Variation,
Estimating One-Sample Population Proportions and Means using Confidence Intervals and Hypothesis Testing, and
Estimating Two-Sample Population Proportions and Means, Two-Way (or Frequency) Tables, Linear Regression.
Setting Student Expectations
Flipped classroom - Lectures are posted online with some accompanying Check-for-Understanding Questions. These are completed Mondays and Tuesdays so students have the content and context for the week.
What do teachers do? What is “teaching?” - Have students consider this and reflect that direct instruction/lectures are just one aspect of teaching. Other aspects of teaching are posing questions, managing the classroom, guiding thought, providing support and scaffolding to direct connection-making and guide students to develop deep understanding, giving feedback, preparing lessons and activities.
So what do we do in class?
Math Talks - A 5-15 minute routine to build number sense, mathematical reasoning, flexibility in thinking and visualizing, mathematical communication, problem solving, and critical thinking
Course Support and Work Time - Time to ask questions and get answers from peers and instructor as well as continue working on the week’s assignments.
University Life, Resources, and Community Building - Building institutional knowledge about campus resources and how to find them, study skills and expectations, extracurriculars and building your personal community, and building our class community.
Student Engagement
Assessment of Student Learning
Assignments with automated feedback in Pearson My StatLab
Student learning outcomes (click button below)
Use of Jamboard and Peardeck activities for online collaborative learning and engagement
Grading breakdown
MyStatLab Assignments - 20%
Weekly Lessons
Weekly Skills Review
Weekly HW
Tests - 60%
In-Class Work - 20%
Technology & Tools
Blackboard hosts every tool for a “one-stop shop” for clear communication about the expected tools and a place for students to access every tool.
Pearson MyStatLab for lessons and assignments that provides immediate feedback and a clear timeline for when assignments are due.
Pronto for communication between students and and less formal student-instructor communication
Course Packet for a consistent note-taking format
Accessibility & UDL
I use a Google Doc as a class agenda to host all links used during class and document all activities so students have a running record of all announcements and things we have done in one place. I use Grackle Docs to ensure the Doc is accessible to all students with headings, image descriptions, and the like.
We use Pearson MyStatLab and make sure that all the problems are accessible problems.
Active learning strategies such as Think-Pair-Share or Think-Ink-Pair-Share, Jigsaw, Peardeck questions, “What do you notice? What do you wonder?,” and notecard to an absent student for a variety of ways to participate (writing, speaking, silent think time, peer teaching, etc.)
Compliance with Blackboard Ally
Opportunities for Active Learning
This class meets 5 days a week. Each day will be broken into three segments: (1) a math talk or other opener, (2) support with homework and lessons completed before class, and (3) a closing of Student Life and Resources.
One component of the Student Life and Resources that will be added to the course is Information Literacy. The hope is to teach students the frames of information literacy, then have students bring in misleading statistics (either deliberate or inadvertent) that they find and share with the class. The choice of media is up to them (e.g., TikToks, documentaries, news articles, podcasts, Instagram, pamphlets or brochures, etc.)
Training in Course Design
I have completed QLT, GoVirtual, Digital Pedagogy FLC, and the Active and Experiential Learning Institute.
The things I value the most are the tools that workshop facilitators have used that I have integrated such as Flipgrid, using Kaltura for videos and quizzing, updating accessibility for all of my course content, and online engagement pieces such as Peardeck, Slido, and Poll Everywhere.
I’ve also really come to value assignments and assessments with automated feedback. I sometimes sacrifice some of the deeper learning as a result, but I’m also able to be more flexible with students and with virtual learning, the sacrifice has been completely worth it.
My Blackboard organization has also become so much more user friendly for the students.