MIS 24056 Fall 2009 Shanker

There will be 6 quizzes, 3 examinations, 1 project, and several in-class assignments. 

The in-class assignments will require the use of Clickers, and access to a laptop with JMP, the statistical software. As it it unlikely that all students will have a laptop, you will be assigned to groups. The only requirement then will be that each group has an access to a laptop.

The Project will be assigned in class. Students will work in groups to complete their projects, though individual student scores will depend not only on the group score for the project, but also peer evaluation.

All quizzes and examinations will be taken online, and are best taken using a standards-compliant web browser like Mozilla Firefox. Examinations and quizzes will consist of multiple choice, true or false, fill-in-the blanks, short-answer, matching, and calculation type questions. All online testing material can be found at the course web site on Vista WebCT, and can be taken from anywhere (home, work, school, BSA computer labs, in the airport, from a hammock sipping Mango juice, etc.) the student has access to the Web. All tests are open-book, open notes, but before taking any test, the student will be asked to indicate his/her agreement to an Academic Honesty Statement. This statement will certify that the student agrees to abide by university rules on cheating, and any failure to do so will result in a failing grade. Thus, for example, while you are allowed to use books and notes for the tests, it is cheating if you ask other students to help you while taking the tests. This statement is available online at your course website. Do this first before doing anything else.

Quizzes: There are 6 quizzes for this class. Each quiz is worth 10 points. The amount of time allotted for each quiz may vary, but will typically be around 25 minutes. You will have two attempts to take each quiz. The average result of the two attempts will be your score for that quiz. If you are happy with your first attempt, there is no need to take the second attempt.  Results for the quizzes will be known immediately. Only the best 5 quizzes will be considered for your grade. Thus, the maximum points from quizzes is 50.

Examinations: There will be 3 examinations. Each examination is worth 50 points. Each exam (including the final) will take approximately 75 minutes. All examinations are cumulative. You will have only one attempt to take each examination. Results for the examination will be known only after the examination closes for all students. From the first two examinations, Exams 1, and 2, only the best examination score will be considered. Exam 3 (Final Exam) is required for all students. Students will receive a score of 0 for any missed examination. Thus, the maximum score from examinations is 100.

Projects: The project will be assigned in class. This project will be done in groups, and will involve the student in all aspects of statistical data analysis. The area of interest will be chosen by the group. The project will be graded at each milestone, and the final score for the project for the group will be a cumulative total of the scores at each milestone. Individual student scores for the project will depend on the final project score for the group, and peer evaluation. The project is worth 50 points.

In-Class Assignments and Tests: As this class is built on data exploration and interactivity, frequently, you will asked short questions in class. The frequency, time, and format of these questions will depend on the subject matter. You will require the use of Clickers, and in some cases, the use of a laptop to run statistical analysis, before you can answer these questions. As such, ensure that each group has a working laptop with JMP installed, and that you all have your clickers handy. In-class assignments and tests are worth a maximum of 50 points.

Attendance: While no attendance is taken, you are nevertheless  responsible for all content, including projects and assignments, presented in class. Any  missed assignments cannot be made up.

Dates and Timings: Approximate test (quizzes, and examinations) dates are posted at your course website, and also given below. Tests can be taken at any time during which they are available. As a warning, please do not wait until the last minute to take your tests. As you must realize in dealing with technology, several things can and will go wrong. The only condition under which I will extend the due dates is if the Vista server goes down on the last available day. Any problems with your computer will not change the due date. As such, it is your responsibility to ensure that you complete the tasks in a timely fashion. You will get zero (0) points for all missed tests. Please ensure that your tests have been graded correctly, and notify the instructor immediately of any concerns. Specifically, you will have one week after the test scores are posted to notify the instructor of any errors. Projects will be assigned in class. Due dates for project milestones will also be specified in class.

Extra Credit: Periodically, you may be given additional homework / quizzes in class or online, each of which will count as extra credit towards your final grade. As missed quizzes / examinations cannot be made up, it is in your best interest to attend class regularly. Please check your electronic calendar regularly for any announcements about quizzes, etc.

Academic dishonesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, cases, online quizzes) so as to get undeserved credit. The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense. It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University. Students must indicate their acceptance to this policy before they are allowed to take any quiz or exam. As soon as you log into your Vista course website, please take the Academic Honesty Statement quiz first. You will not have access to any other quiz or exam until you do so.

Class Materials

JMP statistical software. This is required software. All students will be required to sign a statement agreeing to a charge of $12.50 that will debited from your bursar’s account for the cost of the software. As comparison, purchasing the software directly from SAS will cost several hundred dollars per student. This software can then be used in other classes until end of Spring 2010. As this software is required for in-class tests, projects, quizzes, and examinations, you will not get access or credit for any testing until you agree to the purchase of this software. Sign the statement first. I will bring the document indicating your agreement with this to class.

Clickers. The university has adopted  clickers from Turning Point. I will be using this in class for both assessment and learning. If you don’t have one already, there are several options to purchase this.

a.       Go to https://store.turningtechnologies.com/index.cfm for the Kent State Store. When prompted for school code, type SUQ5

b.      A new clicker that you can use in all your classes cost $40. You can also buy used clickers at the bookstore for $33.75. When you are ready to sell it, the bookstore will be buying back used XR's from students for $22.50. Note that is a one-time cost, and the clicker can be used in any class that uses that system for however long you remain at Kent.

c.       If you have a web-enabled device, like a laptop, or a smart phone, you can instead buy a responseware license for $16 / year, or $32 / 4 years. This allows you to use the technology using your preferred device like an iPhone or laptop. It is important that before you buy this option, you ensure that you are able to connect to the Internet in the classrooms where you have classes. Most rooms at Kent have an acceptable WiFi connection, but please ensure your device can use them, or your cell phone plans allow data access. Note that not all instructors may support this web-enabled approach. Please check with your other classes to determine your most cost effective solution.

d.    Register your clicker on the Vista homepage.

Book. There are no required books for this class. I will be using “Introduction to the Practice of Statistics,” by David Moore and George McCabe, as the guide for the materials in class. The current version is 6, but both the 5^th and 4^th editions are equally suitable. This is not a required book, and most students have done well in my classes without a book. But, if you do want to get a book, here are some cost-effective options:

a.       If you want the latest version, it might be cheaper to rent it for the semester, rather than buy it. See http://www.chegg.com/details/introduction-to-the-practice-of-statistics/1429216220/.

b.      If you want to get the 5^th or the 4^th edition, it is probably cheaper to buy it. See http://product.half.ebay.com/Introduction-to-the-Practice-of-Statistics_W0QQprZ44675633QQtgZinfo

c.       Ultimately, whether you want to buy a book, and which edition you want, is up to you. The book is not required.

d.    If you want to borrow a book for a few days, I will be happy to lend you mine.

Laptops. I will be making extensive use of JMP in class, and many of the assessments will also require the use of JMP. In class, as such, I will require each group to have access to at least one laptop. I am attaching a brief survey http://CTLSilhouette.wsu.edu/surveys/ZS94616 that requests input from you on your access and availability of bringing a laptop to class. To access the survey, click on the above link. When it requests a “respondent ID,” enter your Kent ID, your username that you use to log into Flashline.Please do this only if you have NOT already done it.

Lecture Notes. I will post lectures notes for each class on the Vista website. Please download them before class. After class, I will also post a multimedia lecture of that day's class. You can review them at any point.