| Course Deletion | Requisite Change | |||
| Course Revision | Repeatability Change | |||
| Description Change | Diversity Option | |||
| Title Change | X | General Education Option | ||
| Number Change | area: GM | |||
| Contact Hour Change | Computer Requirement | |||
| Credit Change | Writing Requirement | |||
| Add Cross-listing | Other | |||
| Effective Term: Fall 2001 | ||
| New/Current Course Number: 760 - /230 | Crosslist Number: - / | |
| Old Course Number: | ||
| New/Current Course Title: | INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS |
| Old Course Title: | |
| 15 Character Abbreviation: | SAME |
| 25 Character Abbreviation: | |
| Sponsor(s): | Dr. Dieudonné D. Phanord, Chair |
| Department(s): | Mathematical and Computer Sciences |
| College(s): | Letters and Sciences |
| Other Programs Affected: | None |
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I Detailed explanation of changes: Add General Education (GM) credit
II Justification for action
It is almost impossible for any one to live in society today without a direct encounter with numbers, predictions, or some data involving statistical manipulations. From the residential neighborhoods to the market places, statistical analyses continue to play a significant role in the decision making process. Therefore, equipping any liberal art major or any major with the proper statistical tools should be the goal of a General Education Program.
Pursuant to its service obligations to L & S and to the University, the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences proposes to incorporate 760-230 into the General Education group of courses.
The course, INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS (760-230) falls directly in line with four different goals of our General Education program as written on (page 49) of the 2000-2002 Undergraduate Catalog. In particular, it is intended to highlight goals number one, four, six, and eight.Goal # 1
Think critically and analytically, integrate and synthesize knowledge, and draw conclusions from complex information.One of the objectives of the course is to help students develop a discerning sense of rational thought that will enable them to evaluate numerical data as well as make intelligent decisions, inferences and generalizations. Calculations of descriptive measures in statistics are introduced early in the course and then integrated into many aspects used for interpreting results and making inferences about various populations.Goal #4
Acquire a base of knowledge common to educated persons, the capacity to expand that base over their lifetime by understanding the way that knowledge is generated, organized, tested, and modified, while recognizing the past and current limits to understanding.Throughout the course students are exposed to common uses of statistics as seen in aspects of every day life. Students have the opportunity to develop a basic understanding of applied statistics and to acquire critical thinking skills needed for future studies.Goal # 6
Understand the natural and physical world, the process by which scientific concepts are developed, tested, and modified, and the reliability and limitations of scientific knowledge.The course exposes students to sample and experimental designs, probability models, and inferential statistics. Applications of z and t-tests, and chi-square tests of independence and homogeneity are included in the inferential unit.Goal # 8
Develop the mathematical and quantitative skills necessary for calculation, analysis, and problem solving and the ability to use a computer when appropriate.The use of calculators with statistical keys and software having statistical capabilities, such as EXCEL and MINITAB, is emphasized. Assignments, worksheets and computer projects give the students hands-on experience describing and analyzing data sets.