What is Expected of Me in Math 40?
This is a 17-week in-person course that begins on Thursday, August 17, 2023.
You will learn in a community with your peers.
You are expected to ENGAGE in the class during lessons to learn the content and interact with your peers and me. Do your best!
This course is in-person. You must enroll in one of the concurrent support classes linked to this course (listed above). We will work on a lot of group work in class and using technology. We are in a computer room, so you don't need to bring your laptop, but you are welcome to do so if you wish. Everything we use is FREE and I will explain how to gain access to the tools.
Textbook, Software, and Other Materials
Education should NOT be expensive; however, too often it is. I am striving to make your course with me as inexpensive as I possibly can. I am using FREE textbooks and free online resources. I allow free calculator apps for phones, even on exams. I have you use free technology (Excel is free to LPC students; Google Sheets is free with a free account - and your LPC email is a Google account!).
If you encounter a problem with the course or with required resources, please let me know. I may be able to help.
Access to the internet will be necessary, due to the online homework and submitting assignments.
Textbook: Statistics and Probability, a free online textbook. If you want to order a hard copy, I can provide instructions on how you can print and pay only the cost of printing the book! (I'm still fine-editing this very large book for more clarity, so bear with me - your comments are very helpful! You likely won't need this physical book, but can use it for reference if needed. An older version of Bluman's Elementary Statistics or Triola's Statistics would also be sufficient.)
Online Homework System: MyOpenMath through Canvas is an online homework system similar to MyMathLab, ConnectMath, and WebAssign, but FREE to you! There could be some coding errors with some homework problems, so bear with us as we fix them!
Canvas Student App - another way to be connected to the course, though it is best if you can acquire a laptop/computer (see FAQs for requesting to borrow one for free from LPC.)
A scientific calculator is suggested (Example, but other brands and types are acceptable). Your computer or phone's calculator is also sufficient for most of our calculations by hand (turn phone to landscape). For Statistics, I'm going to expect some fluency in Excel/Google by the second exam, and these can also act as a calculator. By chapter 5, you should start working in Google/Excel for your homework assignments.
Desmos Test Mode App is a FREE alternative to a scientific calculator that could be used on exams. Currently this is only available on iPhones, but they are in beta testing for Android (yay!).
The files you submit as assignments in Canvas can be created using Google Docs. You all have access to Google Docs in the Google Drive account that comes with your District-issued Zonemail account. Some of you might even have your own private Gmail account. Learn how to use Google Docs.
Microsoft Excel and/or Google Sheets will be used to organize data and run statistical analysis. There is a semester-long project that each of you will participate in through the lab portion of class. Learning this technology will be important to your grade in multiple ways, and a marketable skill you can promote in your resume!
Access to MS Excel or Google Sheets. You have free access to MS Office as an LPC Student! Just use your Zonemail email address. Google comes with your Zonemail.
Chrome is the preferred browser for Canvas. However, make sure you have multiple browsers installed because if something doesn't work in one browser, it should work in the other. Stay away from Internet Explorer.
Here are links to popular browsers:
Get Safari Often Safari doesn't work well with MyOpenMath, so the other browsers will be better choices.
In order to view documents and certain multimedia on the Web, you need specific browser plug-ins. The most popular plug-in is Acrobat Reader and is typically built into your web browser. If you need to download a free plug-in, click the link below.
CANVAS: Instructions and Submissions
Canvas will be used to house all documentation from class, as well as the primary communication between you and me, and you and your fellow students. Canvas is a powerful tool to help facilitate discussion outside of the traditional classroom.
All your work is submitted through Canvas. Content is organized by weekly Modules to keep you on task with the material. There are several ways you can navigate through Canvas, but I encourage you to stick with the Modules.
More about getting started with Canvas can be found here.
Technical Support
Contact LPC’s technical support desk during weekdays to get any Canvas problems solved. During nights and weekends, you can contact Canvas directly at 1-844-600-3467.
If you need NetTutor technical support, click the Customer Service Request link within NetTutor, and fill out the form. You may also call the NetTutor Customer Support Team at (813) 674-0660 x204. The direct email is support@link-systems.com. Note: NetTutor may not be available for mathematics classes. Be sure to check the LPC Tutoring Center.
Grades
Practice (Homework) = 15%
Focused Lessons/Hypothesis Annotations = 15%
Labs = 15%
Project = 15%
Exams (3, 9% each) = 27%
Final Assessment = 13%
Note that about half your grade is on formative assessments (low-stakes, knowledge checks) and half on summative assessments (exams, final). I want to provide you with ample feedback on your formative assessments so you're ready for the summative assessments.
More Information on Assignments
Focused Lessons
Learning the material initially will consist of three different means of delivery:
Lessons. In-class lessons relevant to the content focus on interpreting statistical results, running the tests/calculating using technology, and understanding the new terms. Lessons also consist of group work and show how to use the technology with help. You can complete your focused notes by hand on paper or using online notetaking apps (Notes, OneNote; I provide the PDFs for the notes through Canvas and the paper copies the first week of class).
Reading the textbook. Either before or after attending class and working example problems, it is good to go through your textbook for more notes and learning. I have some videos for examples in the textbook that will supplement your learning.
Annotating. Writing in the margins is a powerful tool to organize thoughts, questions, and make notes that stay with the book. I will have some questions scattered throughout the text too to focus your learning.
Practice
Practice homework is intended to practice what you learn. Each lesson will have a few problems for you to apply your learning. You are welcome to work with others on completing the problems, but you will have different problems (different numbers). You should keep a notebook or a spreadsheet of your work - don't just do the problems on scratch paper - so you can refer back to how you completed your work. I will ask you on occasion to upload a picture of your work or your spreadsheet file, so keep these handy when you do your homework. As we get further into the assignments, it may be easier to use Excel or Google Sheets to do the homework, and I will ask for uploads of those files when we are ready (usually around chapter 6, normal distribution).
(Optional) Discussion boards are available for you to ask and answer questions on the homework. MyOpenMath has a "message instructor" feature, but it is difficult to access through Canvas. So instead of allowing "message instructor", discussion boards will be used to ask and answer homework questions. These discussion boards are not required, but can give you some insight on homework and allow you to help your peers.
Lab Assignments
This class also includes a requirement to learn technology. I have chosen to work with MS Excel/Google Sheets and Python programming. Most of the assignments have similar instructions, but sometimes Microsoft and Google diverge on how to do some functions. Learning a new technology can be quite rewarding since you can translate that skill into other areas (include the skill on your resume!). It can also be time-consuming if you are very new at it. The labs are intended to ramp up in difficulty as we go and build on each other, so it is important you do the labs as presented.
We will also be using Python programming through Google CoLab. One of the largest growing fields right now is interdisciplinary computing. These Python lab assignments have a lot of instructions and are meant to show you that statistics can be accomplished using multiple technologies. We'll work together to complete these labs.
Exams
There are three exams in the semester:
Exam 1 covers Chapters 1, 2, and 4
Exam 2 covers Chapters 3, 5, and 6
Exam 3 covers Chapters 7, 8, and 9
Exams will have two parts: without technology and with technology. The second parts are open notes, open book - only content linked from Canvas. NO PERSONS other than me can help you. Exams are scheduled for particular days during class.
Final Assessment
Your final exam will be Thursday, December 14 at 9:30 am. The final exam will consist of questions from the entire course and questions from chapters 10 and 11.
The corresponding support course final exam immediately follows at 11:30am; however this "exam" will be a take-home exam due on December 19.
The project will be one of your choosing, from several broad topics. Big picture: You will determine a topic you want to explore. You'll find an existing data set to work with your topic, provide a short history/importance narrative, and create three examples of descriptive statistics and two inferential statistics to go along with your project. You should connect the statistics with the narrative and blend them together so these smaller assignments become one finished product. That product can come in the form of a paper, a slide presentation, a video, or a website (Google sites - this platform - is really easy to use, and you already have access through your Zonemail account!).
Success is dependent on effort. ~ Sophocles
Media Credits:
Course Banner: Stormtroopers Pondering Masks, Photo by Clément Falize on Unsplash
Bottom Quote Background, Stack of Rocks, Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash