Psyc B5 Elementary Statistics

Welcome to Bakersfield College Psyc B5!!!

This is my liquid syllabus, a place where you can learn a little about me and a lot about the class! You can find more about me at the home page, but for a quick summary, I love people and have spent my adult life serving others, first as a social worker and now as a teacher and always as a wife and mom (though my kids are all grown now). I like to think I'm pretty laid back, but my family would say I'm Type A, so I guess what I really am is more informal, so feel free to call me Becky, but if you are more comfortable with Mrs. Colaw or Professor, I'm okay with that also.

I am so excited to have you join my on a journey to understand statistics! I know it may seem a little overwhelming to you. Students often come in with a lot of fear and anxiety, but take some deep breaths because you can do this! You are not on your own. I am here to walk you through step by step, and some of you will find your classmates to be helpful also. There are resources available to provide additional support as needed. I want you to understand this information, so I will do my best to make things clear to you. You will need to do your part by reading the textbook, watching the lecture videos, completing the homework and quizzes, and maybe the most important of all, asking questions. It's going to be a great semester. Let's do this!!!

Picture of Becky and husband in Antelope Canyon.

Communication Essentials

The best way to reach me is by email or at my office/Zoom during office hours, but I am including my phone number here as well. I try to respond to email within 24 hours during the week, but it is usually much faster. I respond on the weekend if I am available, but please respect that sometimes I need downtime also, so try to think ahead about questions you might have in case I am not available to answer during the weekend.

Office: BC Southwest Room 206

Email: rebecca.colaw@bakersfieldcollege.com

Phone: (661) 541-1532

Question and Answer Discussion Board

If you have questions that might pertain to all students, we have a question and answer board in Canvas that I encourage you to use.

About This Class

Textbook: Salkind, N.J. & Frey, B.B. (2020). Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. See the special ISBN in the syllabus for the best cost on the textbook.

Other Materials: We will use statistical software called SPSS. It will be provided to you through Bakersfield College AppStream; more information will be provided during week 1. It is mandatory that you use it.

Materials Needed When Class Starts: You will need your textbook on the first day of class.

Week 1 "Success Kit"

To help you get a strong start in this course, here is a recommended schedule for the first week as well as all of the due dates for week one. Keep in mind that if this is an eight week class, we are covering multiple chapters each week. This is an example of one week in an eight week online course. It will vary by length of the class and whether it is in person or not.

Monday: Read syllabus and complete syllabus quiz (syllabus quiz due on Wednesday).
Tuesday: Read Chapter 1 and watch lecture videos. Start on Chapter 1 homework (it is not due until Sunday).
Wednesday: Introduction Post due on Canvas. Take Chapter 1 Quiz (it is not due until Sunday).
Thursday: Read Chapter 2 and watch lecture videos. Start Chapter 2 homework (it is not due until Sunday).
Friday: Reply to two classmates on the introduction discussion board. Take Chapter 2 Quiz (it is not due until Sunday).
Saturday and Sunday: Complete homework and quizzes and make sure to submit by Sunday night at 11:59. Remember quizzes will not be accepted late. I will accept homework late, but I don't recommend getting behind as it will make it more difficult throughout the semester.

My Advice for Students

Course Goals

All of your courses have specific goals called Student Learning Outcomes. These are goals that as instructors we must be helping you to achieve. In other words, it is my job to teach the material in a way that leads to your understanding and achievement of these learning goals. There are three learning goals for this course, and they include the following:

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to identify the appropriate level of measurement associated with descriptive statistics, t-tests, correlation and regression, ANOVA and chi square.
Upon completion the student will be able to: Use statistical software to analyze and effectively apply descriptive and inferential statistics for each level of data.
Upon completion the student will be able to: Use appropriate statistical techniques to analyze, interpret, and present behavioral and social sciences research.

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