MATHS 222: Statistical Studies (1)

Syllabus

1.         Prerequisite:    MATHS 221 or permission of the department chairperson.

2.         Course Description:    Continuation of MATHS 221 focusing on a few additional topics.  A major component of this course is the design, implementation, analysis, and presentation of statistical projects.  Technology is an integral part of the course, including statistical software and graphing calculators.

3.         Course Objectives:      The purpose of MATHS 222 is to further the statistical knowledge of students who plan to teach grades 6 through 12.   Emphasis is placed on comprehension and interpretation, as well as the preparation and presentation of a statistical project.

Students will:

· Study several additional topic not covered in MATHS 221, i.e. categorical data analysis and nonparametric methods;

· Design, implement, and analyze a statistical project;

· Present, both orally and in writing, the design, results, and analyses of their project;

· Identify statistical projects which are appropriate for use with middle and high school students.

4.         Course Rationale:       Recent recommendations by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Indiana Department of Education call for increased attention in the K‑12 mathematics curriculum in the content areas of data analysis, statistics, and probability.  As a result, recent recommendations by the Mathematical Association of America and the Indiana Professional Standards Board call for increased attention in these content areas for preservice mathematics teacher education majors.  In this course, preservice mathematics teachers will have the opportunity to gain additional content knowledge in statistics and to apply their content knowledge in designing, conducting, and presenting the results of a statistical project.  This experience will prepare them to incorporate project‑based learning of data analysis, statistics, and probability in the middle and high school mathematics classroom.

5.         Course Content: The following topics will be covered: categorical data analysis, nonparametric methods, and a review of the aspects of performing a statistical study. Students will be required to design, implement, analyze, and present a statistical project.  These projects may be completed individually or in small groups of 2, 3, or 4 students.

6.         Course Format: During the first five weeks of the semester, the course will meet twice a week to cover the topics and design the projects.  During the remainder of the course, students will implement, analyze, and present their statistical projects.

7.         Evaluation of Student Performance:  Students are evaluated on content material and on their ability to communicate this material to others orally and/or in writing. The course grades are determined primarily by student performance on the entire process of the statistical project.   A test may be given over the new topics. The evaluation and weight of these various components are at the discretion of the individual instruction.

8.         Evaluation of the Course:  The instruction of the course is evaluated by departmental student evaluations and peer evaluations.  The course is reviewed and revised periodically by the Departmental Undergraduate Programs Committee.

[Pierce, October 2005]