MAT 112: Basic Statistics

Welcome to the home page of Dr. Xiao Xiao’s Basic Statistics course at Utica University. You can find all the information for this course on this page. Please check this page frequently for announcements and assignments.

Important Links

• WileyPLUS
• StatKey

Important Dates

• Add/Drop deadline: 8/29/25
• Fall break: 10/13/25 - 10/14/25
• Withdraw deadline: 11/3/25
• Thanksgiving break: 11/26/25 - 11/28/25
• SOOT: 11/28/25 - 12/5/25
• Final exam: 12/8/25 - 12/12/25

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Prof. Xiao Xiao
• Email: [email protected]
• Office: White Hall 255
• Office hour: Monday 1-3pm, Wednesday 1-2pm or by appointment.

Homework

An Important Course Policy

I pride myself on having a good environment for working and learning. It is very important to me that we all treat each other with care and respect, in equal measure. I know that I ask students to take risks in class almost every day, and this can be challenging for many. I ask that you help me keep our classroom a supportive place for each of the people in it. Each of us deserves the space to bring our full, authentic selves to class and be comfortable. (Adapted from T.J. Hitchman.)

General Course Information and Policies

• Course name: MAT 112 Basic Statistics

• Course credit hours: 3 credit

• Course Prerequisite: MAT 100, or satisfactory performance in the math placement test administered by the math department.

• Class time and location: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:30am - 10:20am Hubbard Hall 209

• Textbook: Statistics: Unlocking the Power of Data by Lock, Lock, Lock, Lock, and Lock, Third Edition (2021).

• Online homework system: We will use the WileyPLUS online homework system designed for our textbook. You do not need to purchase the hard copy of the textbook and you will have the access to an electronic version of it after you have signed up the WileyPLUS access. The ISBN for the WileyPLUS standalone access card 9781119682202. If you have enrolled in the book bundle program, then you will automatically have access to it. Otherwise, you can purchase the access directly from the publisher. Note that it is very unlikely that any used textbook will come with the WileyPLUS access. You can click here for an instruction to self-enroll. Please use your Utica University official name and email address to register. Do not use nickname or your personal email address.

• Technology: A basic calculator on any smart phone will work. We will also be using StatKey, an application designed for this course that comes with the textbook. Please bring a laptop (or a tablet) with you to class.

• Course description: Statistics is the branch of mathematics devoted to the study of collecting, organizing and interpreting data. Increasingly it is recognized that any educated person, regardless of the field of study, shall be acquainted with statistical reasoning. It is a goal of this class to make you more familiar with how statistical reasoning plays a roll in our lives. We will be studying both descriptive and inferential statistics throughout the course. We will find out how to organize data in a meaningful way, and how to make decisions based on data. Students who take this course should finish with:
  • A solid conceptual understanding of the key concepts of statistical inference: estimation with intervals and testing for significance.
  • The ability to do straightforward data analysis, including summarizing data, visualizing data, and inference using either traditional methods or modern re-sampling methods.
  • Experience using technology to perform a variety of different statistical procedures.
  • An understanding of the importance of data collection, the ability to recognize limitations in data collection methods, and an awareness of the role that data collection plays in determining the scope of inference.
  • The knowledge of which statistical methods to use in which situations and the abililty to interpret the results effectively and in context.
  • An awareness of the power of data.

• Class organization: This course will likely be different from any other math course you have taken before. As an instructor, I will not be lecturing most of the time although I love lecturing very much. Scientific research shows that most people do not learn mathematics by listening, instead, they learn by doing it! I am sure you have said to yourself before “It looked so easy when the professor was doing it, but now I am confused when I have to do it by myself.” Why? Because the knowledge belongs to your professor and does not belong to you. You do not learn the knowledge simply by hearing it once or twice from somebody else. In order for you to have a more thorough understanding of the knowledge, we will use a pedagogical practice called inquiry-based learning. Most of the time during the class, students will be working in groups and sharing solutions that they have produced by themselves and not by other people or textbooks.

• Attendance is mandatory. Attending class meetings will have a direct impact on your learning as well as your grade. If you miss class for any reason, you are responsible for getting the information from a classmate, and checking the course web page for any handouts and assignments. You will not be able to make up the quiz for the day if you were not in class unless you have met the makeup policy below.

• Makeup policy: You can only make up a quiz or an exam if all three conditions are met:
  • You have a legitimate reason (as determined by me) with documented proof. Visit of emergency rooms due to urgent health conditions is an example of legitimate reason. Attending non-academic events, such as someone’s wedding is an example of non-legitimate reason.
  • You have informed me well in advanced.
  • You can only make up the quiz or the exam after the scheduled date.

Your Role and My Role

• Professor Xiao’s role: I want you to succeed and I am here to help you succeed, but I cannot succeed for you! I have designed the structure of the course to help you learn. The class format will challenge you but it will be exhilarating and even fun at times. I will do what I think is the best to help you understand the material in the course.

• Student’s Role:

  • You are responsible for making sense of the concepts and processes in this course. Success in mathematics is less about “ability” and more about willingness to think and to work hard to make sense of things.
  • Attend every class meeting, participate whenever you can and work on the assignments outside of class.
  • Please respect the ideas and opinions of others.
  • If you are having trouble, please make an appointment to visit me.
  • Cell phones should be off or set to vibrate. Do not place a call or send a text during class, and do not answer a phone call without first leaving the room.

Intellectual Property

• My lectures and course materials, including powerpoint presentations, tests, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by U.S. copyright law and by Utica University policy. I am the exclusive owner of the copyright in those materials I create. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own use. You may also share those materials with another student who is registered and enrolled in this course.

• You may not reproduce, distribute or display (post/upload) lecture notes or recordings or course materials in any other way — whether or not a fee is charged — without my express written consent. You also may not allow others to do so. If you do so, you may be subject to student conduct proceedings under the Utica University Student Code of Conduct.

• Similarly, you own the copyright in your original work. If I am interested in posting your solution on the course web site, I will ask for your written permission.

Course Learning Goals

1. I can identify categorical and quantitative variables.
2. I can distinguish between a sample and a population.
3. I can distinguish between an observational study and a randomized experiment.
4. I can understand that not every association implies causation, and can identify potential confounding variables.
5. I can analyze one categorical variable using tables or graphs.
6. I can analyze two categorical variables using two-way table.
7. I can analyze one quantitative variable using dotplots and histograms, finding mean and median, and explaining outliers and skewness.
8. I can use technology to find summary statistics and compute z-scores, interpret 5-number summary, and use the range and standard deviation as measures of spread.
9. I can analyze one quantitative variable and one categorical using boxplots and comparative summary statistics.
10. I can use technology to find correlation and interpret a correlation.
11. I can use technology to find the regression line for two quantitative variables and make interpretation and predictions.
12. I can distinguish between a population parameter and a sample statistic.
13. I can construct a confidence interval for a parameter based on a sample statistic and a margin of error.
14. I can interpret (in context) what a confidence interval says about a population parameter.
15. I can use technology to create a bootstrap distribution and construct a 95% confidence interval based on a sample statistic and the standard error from bootstrap distribution.
16. I can construct a confidence interval based on the percentiles of a bootstrap distribution.
17. I can specify null and alternative hypotheses based on a question of interest, defining relevant parameters.
18. I can use technology to create a randomization distribution, find a p-value, and interpret the p-value.
19. I can make a formal decision in a hypothesis test by comparing a p-value to a given significance level and state the conclusion to a hypothesis test in context.
20. I can interpret Type I and Type II errors in hypothesis tests in context.
21. I can determine the decision for a two-tailed hypothesis test from an appropriately constructed confidence interval.
22. I can find area in a normal distribution.
23. I can compute a standardized test statistic and compute a p-value using a normal distribution.
24. I can compute a confidence interval using a normal distribution.
25. I can use a normal distribution to compute a confidence interval for a population proportion from standard error.
26. I can use a normal distribution to test a hypothesis about a population proportion from standard error.
27. I can use a t-distribution to compute a confidence interval for a population mean from standard error.
28. I can use a t-distribution to test a hypothesis about a population mean from standard error.
29. I can use a normal distribution to compute a confidence interval for a difference in proportions between two groups from standard error.
30. I can use a normal distribution to test a hypothesis about a difference in proportions between two groups from standard error.
31. I can use a t-distribution to compute a confidence interval for the difference in means between two groups from standard error.
32. I can use a t-distribution to test a hypothesis about a difference in means between two groups from standard error.
33. I can use a t-distribution to compute a confidence interval for a difference in means based on paired data.
34. I can use a t-distribution to test a hypothesis about a difference in means based on paired data.

You are strongly encouraged to download and print a copy of the learning goals to record your grade.

Homework

Homework assignments come in two different formats.

• The first kind is online homework assignment at WileyPLUS. There will be one WebAssign homework for each section. To earn credit, you must earn more than 90% on each assignment. You have 10 attempts for each question and that should be plenty before you can answer the question correctly. Each assignment is worth 1 point.

• The second kind is completing problems in the course materials assigned every week. You will be working on these assignments during the class time and discuss them with your peers.

Group Participation

During the class, you will be actively working in a small group with your peer classmates. Here are a few tips on how to be a productive group member:

• Be helpful when your peer has a question. Also don’t hesitate to ask if you have a question. The best way to learn something is to teach it.
• It is common that the class time is not enough for you to complete all the activities, so it would be a good idea to get together with your group members between classes to work on them.
• Respect others’ idea. Give everyone a chance to share their opinion. Do not dominate a conversation.

Quizzes and Examinations

There will be a quiz every week on Friday except for the first week. There will be one cumulative final exam.

Evaluation

In this class, we will use a system known as standards-based grading. You will have multiple opportunities to demonstrate that you have met a goal. A goal is met if a student has successfully demonstrated it twice in quizzes or final exam. There is no partial credit. Once you have score a goal from a quiz, you should put a note in one of the boxes before the relevant goal on this print out. You should use clear labeling to indicate when you score that goal, for example, Q2 stands for Quiz 2. If you are unsuccessful on a quiz problem, prepare yourself to do better on the next quiz. Feel free to stop by my office and ask for practice problems. Quizzes are scheduled on Thursdays. The goals that will be tested on a quiz will be posted at this page on Thursdays. Doing problems and participating discussion in class, doing homework and exercises are all ways to help you prepare for the next quiz. All of goals appear on multiple quizzes so you have multiple chance to demonstrate that you have met the goals. Your final letter grade will be determined based on the following criteria.

Tentative Schedule

Tutoring Services

There are two kinds of (free) tutoring services offered by the university.

• The first kind is the tutoring service at the learning commons of library. Please visit the learning commons for detail schedules.

• The second kind is an online tutoring service provided by the university called ThinkingStorm. You can access the service here with your university username and password.

• There is a third (also free) option gaining popularity among students: using generative artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT or Gemini. Here are some examples (by no means exhaustive) of how AI can enhance your learning experience:

• Ask ChatGPT to create a practice problem for you. Be very specific about the types of problems you’re looking for.

• Ask ChatGPT for a hint if you’re stuck on a problem or to provide a complete step-by-step solution.

• Ask ChatGPT to evaluate your work and check if you’ve answered correctly.

However, there are ways in which using AI can be harmful and even detrimental to your learning:

• Asking ChatGPT to do your homework for you (your future employer might just hire ChatGPT instead of you).

• Using ChatGPT to get answers without truly understanding the material, which will hinder your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

• Warning: While ChatGPT can provide quick responses, there is no guarantee of the quality of the information. Accepting everything ChatGPT gives you without critical reflection is like taking advice from a stranger on the street.

If you have ideas on how ChatGPT or other generative AI can help you learn, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m happy to discuss it with you.

Academic Integrity

I have zero tolerance on dishonesty. Any forms of dishonesty such as copying homework or cheating on quizzes and examinations, will result in zero credit for that particular assignment, and will be reported to the Academic Standards Committee. The highest penalty a student can receive is “F for cheating” for the course. There might be additional sanctions by the Academic Standards Committee such as dismissal from the university. See Utica University official page for Academic Honesty for more details.

Special Accommodation

The stuff just below is the University approved language, and is a bit… “legalese’’. The point is, if you need accommodations to succeed in this course, talk to me and we can make sure you get what you need. And the social environment of this course is important to me, too. Let’s work together to make a welcoming and affirming space for everyone.

Any student who has need of special accommodations in this class due to a documented disability should speak with me as soon as possible, preferably within the first two weeks of class. You should also contact Judy Borner, Director of Learning Services in the Academic Support Services Center (315-792-3032 or [email protected] ) in order to determine eligibility for services and to receive an accommodation letter. We will work with you to help you in your efforts to master the course content in an effective and appropriate way. See Utica University official page for Office of Learning Services.

Disclaimer

It is the students’ responsibility to keep informed of all announcements, syllabus adjustments, or policy changes during the semester via this web page or via school emails. The author of this syllabus reserves the right to change it with notice at any time during the semester.