SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 1

SCM 211: Business Statistics

Statistical thinking will one day be as necessary for efficient citizenship
as the ability to read and write. - H.G. Wells

Instructor Information
Rachel Petrak, MPH
rpetrak@umflint.edu
810-845-1373 (cell)
Office Hours: By appointment. Text message or call me to make an appointment.
Office: TBA Riverfront
Table of Contents
Course Description.......................................................................................................................... 2
Learning Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 3
Activity Schedule Overview ........................................................................................................... 4
Description of Activities ................................................................................................................. 4
Course Materials ............................................................................................................................. 5
Videos ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Grading ........................................................................................................................................... 6
Technology ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Course Policies................................................................................................................................ 7
Calendar ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Exam Schedule.............................................................................................................................. 12
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 2

Course Description
This course will introduce you to the basics of statistical concepts and techniques used to
summarize numerical data in business contexts. Our primary focus is on:

1. Descriptive statistics--how to describe data with summary measures, such as mean,

median, variance and correlation;
2. Informative presentation/analysis techniques, such as frequency table, cross-tabulation,
graphics and regression;
3. Statistical inference, i.e. how to draw conclusion about population based on samples,
including normal distribution and sampling theory, point estimate, confidence interval,
hypothesis testing and ANOVA;
4. Explain the differences among various statistical techniques and identify an appropriate
technique for a given set of variable and research questions;
5. Learning hand calculation (using calculators) and computer calculation for each statistical
technique.

Course activities include:

 Watching lecture videos on MediaSite and YouTube

 Reading the textbook
 Completing homework and practice in MindTap
 Reviewing posted resources
 Preparing for and doing lab activities
 Posting on the discussion board
 Doing practice problems
 Creating study cards.

For the most effective way, do statistics every day!

This is a labor-intensive course. The workload is manageable, if you don’t get behind.

 If you find yourself more than 5 days behind the scheduled material, get in touch with me
right away so that I can help you make the most strategic plan for catching up. If you get
more than a week behind, you may not be able to catch up.
 If you need help, reach out to me right away. I love to solve problems!
 If something happens in your life that is interfering with your study time, reach out to me
so that we can discuss your options and make a plan.
 The sooner you let me know about your issue, the more assistance I can be.

It's a good idea to budget about 45-90 minutes per day (approx. 9-12 hours per week). I strongly
recommend that you do your statistics in small chunks of time and break up the work
throughout each day and week. Students who try to cram all their statistics studying into 1-2
days a week get much lower grades and report finding the course more overwhelming. Even if
you can only manage 20-30 minutes some days, that's ok! The key is to do some statistics
every day!
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 3

Learning Objectives

1. Students will be able to classify variables based on their level of measurement.

2. Students will be able to select the appropriate descriptive statistics for variables based
on their level of measurement.
3. If given data (raw or grouped), students will be able to construct an appropriate data
visualization.
4. Given raw data, students able to use the normal approximation for data to find
corresponding standard scores (z-scores).
5. Students will be able to find the percentile rank for scores (raw or standard).
6. Students will be able to use statistical tables (z, t, r, F, Chi Square) to find the
probability of a value.
7. Students will be able to identity when more information is needed in order to conduct a
requested analysis.
8. Students will be able to use the library resources and databases to find research about
their selected topic.
9. Students will be able to use the GSS Data Explorer to identity variables of interest to
them.
10. Students will be able to download the data for their variables of interest from the GSS
Data Explorer.
11. Students will be able to make formal hypotheses integrating variables from the GSS.
12. Students will be able to identify the correct inferential statistics for their hypotheses.
13. Students will be able to construct written interpretations of descriptive and inferential
statistics.
14. Student will be able to interpret various types of data visualizations.
15. Students will be able to identify measurement error issues.
16. Students will be able to identify sampling issues.
17. Students will be able to use Excel to prepare data for analysis.
18. Students will be able to use Excel to produce data visualizations.
19. Students will be able to use Excel to compute descriptive statistics.
20. Students will be able to use Excel to compute inferential statistics.
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 4

Activity Schedule Overview

Assignments are due on Sunday night of each week.

Primary Graded Activities:

 MindTap
o Contains all homework and practice associated with our textbook (Anderson).
o Specific assigned problems are listed in MindTap.
o Only items marked “Counts towards grade” need to be completed. The remaining
items are optional.
 Lab Activities
o Give you an opportunity to apply and explore statistics in real world contexts.
o Lab activities are on BB and should be completed after that week's homework.
o Labs activities and assignments are linked in each week’s content folder.
 Exams
o Occur once every 3-4 weeks (4 exams).
o See Course Calendar for specific dates.
 Scheduling
o All assignments (not exams) have a two-day grace period for late submissions.
o There are never late penalties if you submit within two days of the due date.
o If you get further than a few days behind, you should get in touch with me so that
I can help you efficiently catch up before it’s too late!

Some topics may take a bit more or less time than indicated in the calendar. Any changes in
dates will be announced on Blackboard.

Description of Activities
Exams

 Exams are worth 36% of your final grade.

 There are four exams, including a final exam. Each exam will consist of multiple choice
(and/or true/false), short-answer questions, and problem-solving questions. Exams are
based on reading, lectures, homework/MindTap, quizzes, and labs.
 Each exam will be inclusive of all materials covered in class including lectures,
homework assignments, and assigned chapter readings up to the day of the exam. See
class schedule for details on which chapters will be covered on each exam.
 Three of the exams are intended to evaluate your understanding and skills for each unit of
the course, and in this sense, these tests are not cumulative. Throughout the course, you
will learn new materials by building on what you have learned previously.

◦ The final exam is cumulative.

SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 5

Lab Activities

 Lab activities start the first week of the course. Lab activities are linked in each week’s
folder.
 Lab activities may include videos, online activities, home activities, quizzes, surveys,
data analysis, discussion board posts, and reports. Lab activities vary from week to week.
 Labs provide interesting and relevant applications of many statistical topics, and the
activities are different for each lab.
 For some labs, we will use Excel/Office 365. On BB under Technical Assistance, you
will find more guidance on installing Office 365. If you have any difficulties with
installation of Office 365, contact ITS for assistance.

MindTap/Homework

 MindTap contains your textbook and all homework assignments.

 See MindTap for specific problems assigned.
 MindTap assignments start the first week of class.
 There are also many extra practice opportunities on MindTap.

Extra Credit

 Some extra credit activities/opportunities will be available. Specific activities will be

announced.

Course Materials
 Anderson, Sweeney, Williams, Camm, and Cochran. Essentials of Statistics for Business
and Economics, 8th Edition, with MindTap
 MindTap is required, and it can be purchased direct from the publisher at:
o www.cengagebrain.com/course/2377524
 A printed copy of the book is not essential. MindTap includes all the materials, although
some students like to have the looseleaf version of the book, as well.
 You need to register your MindTap via the link in the MindTap area of our BB site.
 Use Chrome browser for best results. Make sure you have popup blockers turned off.

Videos
Lecture videos that were recorded live in a previous semester are available on MediaSite. Lab
videos are available on my YouTube channel.

 Required videos are linked in the folder for each week’s material.
 I will be happy to make additional videos by request (e.g. covering specific exercises or
questions) for your optional viewing.
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 6

Grading
Your grade for this course will be based on your performance on the following
assignments. Grades will be based on total points earned as a percentage of total points possible.

More information will be posted about each component as the course proceeds.

ITEM PERCENT OF GRADE POINTS

Exams 1-3 18 180
Final Exam 18 180
Lab Assignments & Quizzes 35 350
MindTap (Homework) 29 290
Total 100 1000

Grades will be based on total points earned as a percentage of total points possible, according to
the following scale.

Letter Grade Honor Points Percentage

Grade
A+ 4 98 and above
A 4 93-97.9
A- 3.7 90-92.9
B+ 3.3 87-89.9
B 3 83-86.9
B- 2.7 80-82.9
C+ 2.3 77-79.9
C 2 73-76.9
C- 1.7 70-72.9
D+ 1.3 67-69.9
D 1 63-66.9
D- 0.7 59-62.9
E 0 Below 59
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 7

Technology
Computer Access

Access to a computer or mobile electronic device (tablet or smartphone) with internet access is
required to access Blackboard. Please let me know if you need information on computers
available for use on campus.

Excel 2016

Microsoft Office 365 is free to UMF students and includes the most updated version of Excel.
Guidance for obtaining and installing Office 365 is available in the Technical Assistance area.
ITS can help you if you have any issues getting it set up.

Google Account

You will need a google account in order to access several tools that we will use throughout the
course, such as google forms, trends, and correlate.

Course Policies
Late Assignment Policy

Assignments have due dates and times listed in Blackboard and MindTap. Assignments should
be submitted within 2 days of the due date. If you turn in an assignment late (any time after the
2-day grace period), you could lose up to 5% per day.

BlackBoard

When you register for this course, you automatically gain access to the course companion web
site in BlackBoard (BB). In this web site, you can view your homework assignments and exam
scores. You can also send emails to me and your classmates through the web site and use forums
to have discussions. To visit the site, open your web browser and go to
https://bb.umflint.edu. After you log on, click the course number. If you are not familiar with
Blackboard, click on “Blackboard Tools” in the first logon page to learn more.

Announcements/email

I use BlackBoard to send weekly (or more frequent) announcements to the class about lectures,
homework, assignments, exams, additional materials, etc. All messages from this course will be
sent to your UM-Flint mailer accounts. If you use other accounts (e.g. Gmail), make sure to
frequently check your UM-Flint accounts or, if possible, have your UM-Flint account forwarded
to your personal email account.
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 8

Syllabus Change Policy

This syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with reasonable notice. The
professor reserves the right to alter the syllabus if necessary. Students will be informed of
changes.

Make-up Exams

Make-up exams after the exam date will ONLY be given in extreme cases when verification is
provided to substantiate a medical emergency. All make-ups must be discussed with the
instructor one (1) week before the exam or within 24 hours of a missed exam. If granted a make-
up, it will be written no longer than one (1) week after the scheduled exam date and ten points
will be deducted from any exam taken following the assigned date and time.

Incomplete Grades

Missing work or incomplete assignments are not sufficient reasons for a grade of
Incomplete. Incomplete grades are given only in very rare circumstances. According to
University policy, only a student whose work is incomplete in a minor way at the end of the
term, or who is unavoidably absent from the final exam for a reason considered excusable by
instructor, may qualify for a grade of “I.” Generally, a student must have completed ¾ of the
class syllabus, including all exams, homework, and assignments up to that time, have a passing
grade of C or better, and have a personal tragedy occur within the final three weeks of the
semester which prevents course completion, to obtain an incomplete.

Academic Honor Policy

For certain components of the course, students will be invited to discuss assignments, issues, and
questions with each other. However, homework, quizzes, tests, and lab activities, must represent
students' unique, individual work.

All course participants are expected to observe the standards of academic integrity set forth in
the Student Rights and Responsibilities section of the UM-Flint Catalog. These standards are
crucial because intellectual integrity is the most fundamental values of an academic community.
Conduct that departs from these standards will result in severe penalties.

Academic dishonesty, including all forms of plagiarism or cheating will not be tolerated.
Penalties for academic dishonesty range from receiving a failing grade for a particular
assignment or exam to receiving a failing grade for the entire course.

More specifically, if you know someone else in the class, please do not make arrangements to
take quizzes together or complete assignments together (e.g. using the same variables). If it is
determined that these arrangements are occurring, appropriate measures will be taken for each
student involved.

Details on this policy can be found in the University Catalog

at http://catalog.umflint.edu/content.php?catoid=12&navoid=815#Student_rights
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 9

Courtesy in Communication

Courtesy in communication is necessary to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn
without distractions. Please be courteous and respectful in all course communications, including
but not limited to, emails, discussion board/wiki/blog posts and replies, chat messages, text
messages, and voicemails,

Discussions can stimulate strong feelings and heated debate. This is a college classroom; all
discussions must be scholarly. Failure to abide by these principles can result in academic
penalties ranging from a lowered grade, to dismissal, to failing the course.

Scholarly comments are:

 Respectful of diverse opinions and open to follow-up questions and/or disagreement;

 related to the class and course material;
 advance the discussion about issues related to the course and/or course material rather
than personal beliefs;
 are delivered in normal tones and a non-aggressive manner.

Unacceptable behaviors:

(a) Personal attacks. This includes attacks on a person’s verbiage, grammar, demeanor, or
political beliefs

(b) Interrupting your instructor or other students.

(c) Using the discussion to argue for political positions and/or beliefs. If political discussions
arise, they must be discussed as scholarly as possible

(d) Using raised tones, yelling, engaging in arguments with other students, having a rude tone
and being verbally aggressive

(e) Ignoring your instructor’s authority to protect the integrity of the classroom.

Anyone who violates these guidelines will be asked to cease and desist and may lose points
related to the discussion and/or be asked to drop the course.

Disability Accommodations

UM-Flint provides a wide range of services to students with qualifying disabilities to allow them
to participate in the mainstream of college life. In addition to others, services may include:

 Course materials in alternative formats

 Sign language and oral interpreters
 Special testing arrangements
 Access to adaptive equipment and technology
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 10

Students with disabilities (learning, physical or psychological) needing academic

accommodation should:

1. Register with and provide documentation to Accessibility Services

2. Bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what
type. This should be done during the first week of class.

For more information about services available to students with disabilities, contact Accessibility
Services (264 UCEN) at (810) 762-3456.

https://www.umflint.edu/caps/accessibility-services

Students in the Military

Students serving in the military while attending the university may, at some point, be deployed.
Students should contact the Office of the Registrar to determine best options for either
completing the semester or withdrawing. Students who are unable to complete the semester may
choose to withdraw. Military orders with dates of deployment should be provided by the student.
Tuition and fees will be adjusted accordingly. Students who are receiving federal funds in
addition to any military benefits should contact the Office of Financial Aid and the Veterans’
Resource Center. For more information and guidance, please feel free to contact the Student
Veterans Resource Center in 131 University Pavilion or by phone at 810-424-5589.

Campus Support Services

Counseling and Psychological Services: 810-762-3456
https://www.umflint.edu/caps/counseling-and-psychological-services-caps
Intercultural Center, 115 UCEN: 810-762-3045 https://www.umflint.edu/icc
LGBTQ Center, 213 UCEN: 810-766-6606 https://www.umflint.edu/lgbt
Marian E. Wright Writing Center, 3rd Floor Thompson Library: 810-766-6602
https://www.umflint.edu/writingcenter
Veteran’s Support Services: https://www.umflint.edu/caps/veterans
Women’s Educational Center, 213 UCEN: 810-237-6648 https://www.umflint.edu/wec
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 11

Calendar
WEEK BEGIN WORK TOPICS EXAMS
DUE
1 4-Sep 9-Sep Chapter 1 Data and Statistics
2 10-Sep 16-Sep Chapter 2 Descriptive Statistics:
Displays
Chapter 3 Descriptive Statistics:
Numerical Measures
3 17-Sep 23-Sep Chapter 4 Introduction to Probability
4 24-Sep 30-Sep Chapter 5 Discrete Probability Exam 1 Thurs Sep
Distributions 27 - Sat Sep 29
Chapter 6 Continuous Probability
Distributions
5 1-Oct 7-Oct Chapter 7 Sampling and Sampling
Distributions
6 8-Oct 14-Oct Chapter 8 Interval Estimation
Fall Study Break Mon Oct 15 - Tues
Oct 16
7 17-Oct 21-Oct Chapter 9 Hypothesis Tests Exam 2 Thurs Oct
18 - Sat Oct 20
8 22-Oct 28-Oct Chapter 10 Inference About Means and
Proportions with Two Populations
9 29-Oct 4-Nov Chapter 11 Inferences About
Population Variances
10 5-Nov 11-Nov Chapter 12 Comparing Multiple
Proportions, Test of Independence and
Goodness of Fit
11 12-Nov 18-Nov Chapter 13 Experimental Design and Exam 3 Thurs
Analysis of Variance Nov 15 - Sat Nov
17
12 19-Nov 25-Nov Chapter 14 Simple Linear Regression
Thanksgiving Recess Wed Nov 21 -
Sun Nov 25
13 26-Nov 2-Dec Chapter 14 Simple Linear Regression
(continued)
Chapter 15 Multiple Regression
14 3-Dec 9-Dec Hypothesis Testing Applications and
Activities
15 10-Dec 16-Dec Classes End Mon Dec 10. Study Day Final Exam Thurs
Tues Dec 11. Dec 13 - Sun Dec
16
SCM 211-W2 Fall 2018 Syllabus 12

Exam Schedule
All exams will be on BB.
EXAM SCHEDULE
Unit 1 Exam
Thurs Sep 27 - Sat Sep 29
Chapters 1-4
Unit 2 Exam
Thurs Oct 18 - Sat Oct 20
Chapters 5-8
Unit 3 Exam
Thurs Nov 15 - Sat Nov 17
Chapters 9-12
Final Exam
Thurs Dec 13 - Sun Dec 16
Comprehensive