Math 1103-99 General Information 08-01-10

The general information below is intended for use prior to registration to help students choose whether an online or a traditional introductory statistics course is better for them and to choose wisely when purchasing the required materials for the course.  After the semester begins, grades and all additional content will be posted in D2L. Course documents are being revised for fall 2010.

Online or traditional statistics course?  In the past some students told me that they chose to take the online stats course because they thought it would be easier. They quickly found out that it is actually more difficult than a traditional course on campus in which they get face-to-face lectures, have the opportunity to interact directly with the instructor, do group work where they can sit down with other students, and have hands-on computer classes each week in which they learn to use MINITAB, a statistical software. If you have never taken an online class before, I recommend that you first take INTS 1102. If you struggle at all in math courses, this is not a course to take online. This section works well for students who are good independent learners and who are comfortable using computers in an online environment. You need to be good time managers and motivated to work with other students via discussion boards.

All technology is MAC compatible EXCEPT MINITAB. Students must have access to a PC on which they can install MINITAB software or use the campus computers. MINITAB will be used for approximately 25% of the course work. There are weekly homework assignments on MINITAB and several graded MINITAB assignments and one semester project using MINITAB for statistical analysis. Students who purchase the text package at the IHCC bookstore includes all required software (MyMathLab & MINITAB).

In addition to a scientific calculator capable of doing 2-variable statistics, the following materials are required: textbook, software MyMathLab, MINITAB, and a MINITAB manual/workbook. A student solution manual is helpful for online students so has been included in the text package. Be sure to purchase the correct text package intended for the online section. The campus sections use a different package. There is an option for students to purchase MyMathLab software individually at the bookstore or online for about $75. Within the software you will have access to an e-Book, an e-student solution manual and an e-MINITAB workbook, but you will also have purchase MINITAB software from e-academy.com for approximately $30 (a license for one semester only) or approximately $100 for a permanent license. The cost of the MyMathLab e-book & supplements and a MINITAB license together is between $105 and $205 depending on the kind of Minitab license desired. Purchase of the bookstore package runs around $170 for everything needed, and the text can be sold back at the end of the semester to recover part of the initial cost. After a buy-back, the costs of these two options are approximately equal. I recommend against purchasing a used or new text via other sources because it will not be packaged with any software. If you add the cost for the required software ($105-205) on top of the cost of the used book, it will be much more than either of the first two recommended options. I personally prefer the first option of the text package at the IHCC bookstore, because you can use any of these multiple texts and manuals without having to view them one at a time online. Also, if using the online MINITAB workbook, you will have to toggle between it and MINITAB to do the problems. It is much easier with hard copies of these materials.

Calculator: A scientific calculator that is capable of doing 2-variable statistics is required. I recommend and provide instructions for TI 30x IIB and TI 36X. A graphing calculator is optional. The textbook has instructions throughout for TI 83 or 84 plus (recommended) or TI 89. If you can't find your manual, find one online at the manufacturer's website or do a search by brand and model. There are tutorials and a graphing calculator manual to accompany our text available online in the software for TI 83 or 84 plus. The manual includes some instructions for TI-89, but I have not used one so I will be unable to provide assistance for that model. There are plenty of online resources so you can search for help if needed. If you do plan to purchase a new calculator, I suggest TI 30XII (less than $20) or TI-83 or 84 plus ($70-120). Calculators go on sale in mid to late August so watch the Sunday paper for advertised prices.

See the course syllabus, homework, and schedule (calendar) posted to get more specific information.