MA  3339,    Fall 2020

Tue, Thu, 10-11:30,    Room: online (Teams)

This course is being offered in the Synchronous Online format.
Synchronous online class meetings will take place according to the class schedule. There is no face-to-face component to this course. In between synchronous class meetings, there may also be asynchronous activities to complete (e.g., discussion forums and assignments). This course will have a final exam per the University schedule. The exam will be delivered in the synchronous online format, and the specified date and time are indicated below. Quizzes and tests will also be delivered in the synchronous online format.



1.    Instructor:  Demetrio Labate
(Instructor Office:  694 PGH)
Office Hours (Teams): Mon 1-2, Wed 11-12 or by appointment
Phone Number:  (713) 743-3492
E-mail address:  dlabate@math.uh.edu
Homepage:  http://www.math.uh.edu/~dlabate
2. Goals and Objectives:
The course is an introduction to statistics. Students are introduced to the notions of graphical and descriptive methods in statistics, probability models, random variables and distributions, sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, regression, analysis of variance, exploratory and diagnostic methods, statistical computing. Students will also be introduced to R, a powerful free software environment for statistical computing and graphics.
3. Textbook: "Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences", 8th or 9th Edition, by Jay Devore, Brooks/Cole. Note: Textbook is not required. It is recommended as a reference if you want to study on your own or want to have access to additional examples and exercises. All material needed for the course will be presented in class or made available through my notes.

The materials provided by the instructor in this course are for the use of the students enrolled in the course only. Course materials may not be further disseminated without instructor permission. This includes sharing content to commercial course material suppliers such as Course Hero or Chegg. Students are prohibited from sharing materials derived from the instructor’s content including lecture notes, problems and exams
Set theory. Here are some background notes on set theory: brief note, longer article (by Daniel Ashlock at University of Guelph).
R resources. Here is the link to the Comprehensive R Archive Network CRAN to download R and here is the link to Rstudio. Rstudio includes a console, syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, and a variety of robust tools for plotting, viewing history, debugging and managing your workspace. Here are some manuals and here are some introductory examples of R scripts.
Here a summary table on confidence interval and hypothesis testing: tables
4. Lectures:
Lectures will be delivered using Microsoft Teams. My lecture notes will be made available on Teams before the lecture or right after the lecture.

Recording of Class: Students may not record all or part of class, livestream all or part of class, or make/distribute screen captures, without advanced written consent of the instructor. If you have or think you may have a disability such that you need to record class-related activities, please contact the Center for Students with DisABILITIES. If you have an accommodation to record class-related activities, those recordings may not be shared with any other student, whether in this course or not, or with any other person or on any other platform. Classes may be recorded by the instructor. Students may use instructor’s recordings for their own studying and notetaking. Instructor’s recordings are not authorized to be shared with anyone without the prior written approval of the instructor. Failure to comply with requirements regarding recordings will result in a disciplinary referral to the Dean of Students Office and may result in disciplinary action.
5. Homework, tests, exams and grading:
The only way to understand and master the material presented in class is by working out the homework problems on your own. You are strongly encouraged to work out the homework problems that are assigned regularly and carefully. Copying the homework or watching someone else doing the work for you will bring you minimal benefit. There will be (almost) weekly homework assignments posted at the link below. At the end of the semester, your worst HW score will be dropped. The homework will count 30% towards the final grade.

Homework submission and evaluation policy: Every week I will administer a short quiz (15 min) based on the homework and I might collect the homework. The quiz will be at the end of the lecture (about 11:15-11:30). No late submissions will be accepted. A late or missed Quiz/HW will receive a 0 score. Submitted Quiz/homework should be delivered in a "professional" form which allows a grader to read your solutions without unnecessary effort or ambiguity. In particular, your solution should either be handwritten (or typed) in a neat and legible form; if you submit scanned pages, they should be perfectly legible; submitted pages should be ordered with clear indication of which problem is being solved. Quizzes/Homework which does not satisfy these guidelines might receive a penalty in the score.

HOMEWORK PROBLEMS:
(The list below will be updated during the semester. Solutions will be posted after collection)

Tests. There will be three tests counting 40% towards the final grade set (tentatively) on THU SEP 17, TUE OCT 13, TUE NOV 17 . The worst of your 3 tests will be half-dropped; that is, the 3 tests counts 40% towards the final grade, where the best two tests will count 16% each, the worst one will count 8%.
Final exam. The final exam counts 30% towards the final grade. This is scheduled on TUE DEC 15 at 11 am

Tests #1 with solution:

Test 1 - version 1,   Test 1 - version 2,   Test 1 - version 3.

Tests #2 with solution:

Test 2 - version 1,   Test 2 - version 2.  

Tests #3 with solution:

Test 3 ,   Test 3 with solution .


FINAL EXAM - DUE AT 1:10 PM on 12/15 (th link will become available on 12/15 at 11 am)

Final Exam - Last Name A-L ,   Final Exam - Last Name M-Z.  


Excused Absence Policy: Regular class attendance, participation, and engagement in coursework are important contributors to student success. Absences may be excused as provided in the University of Houston Undergraduate Excused Absence Policy for reasons including: medical illness of student or close relative, death of a close family member, legal or government proceeding that a student is obligated to attend, recognized professional and educational activities where the student is presenting, and University-sponsored activity or athletic competition. Additional policies address absences related to military service, religious holy days, pregnancy and related conditions, and disability.
Makeup test. Makeup tests will be allowed only for justified and unavoidable absences according to the policies described above. In this case, if possible, previous authorization should be obtained from the Instructor. In all other cases, you will receive a zero score for a missed test. All arrangements for make-ups will be made via email.
    Grading:
Each student will receive a score based 30% on the homework/quizzes, 40% on the tests and 30% on the final. The grade will be determined according to a set point scale: 90%-100%: A, 80%-89%: B, 70%-79%: C, 60-69% D; F is less than 60% (+ and - will also be used).

NOTE about COMMUNICATION: I will communicate with you (class announcements and graded quizzes/tests) using your official UH email or by replying to your email address. If I or the TA do not respond to your email within two working days, please resend the email (it is possible that your email is not coming through). Please, be sure to use a subject line and to identify your name and course if do not use your offocoal UH email. It is your responsibility to ensure that I and your TA are aware of issues you may have with the course. If you have complaints about a grade on any evaluation, you need to communicate with me within 1 week since the graded quiz or test was sent to you. Failure to effectively initiate timely communication is not a valid basis for a grade grievance and cannot be used as such.

NOTE about INTERIM GRADING POLICY: Due to the unique and unprecedented challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the
University of Houston has implemented an Interim Undergraduate Grade Policy for undergraduate grades which applies to all undergraduate students in courses offered in all sessions during fall 2020. Under this policy, students have the option of converting final assigned letter grades to S (Satisfactory, applicable to any letter grade from A to D-) or NCR (No Credit Reported COVID-19, applicable to grades of F) on their transcripts. Please visit FAQs for additional information.


In response to the the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Houston has issued the following grading policy for Fall 2020. Updated information is available here  

6. Topics and estimated lectures allocated to each topics:
 
 
 Chapter  Sections   Covered so far Lectures   Topics
1 1-4
 1 Overview
2 1-5
6-7 Probability
3 1-6 5 Discrete Random Variables
4 1-4 5 Continuous Random Variables
5 1-5
4 Joint Probability Distributions
6 1
1 Point Estimation
7 1-4
 6
 Confidence Intervals
8 1-4
 4
 Hypothesis Testing
9 1-2
 3
 Inference
12 1-3 3 Regression Analysis

 

Resources for Online Learning: The University of Houston is committed to student success, and provides information to optimize the online learning experience through our Power-On website. Please visit this website for a comprehensive set of resources, tools, and tips including: obtaining access to the internet, AccessUH, and Blackboard; requesting a laptop through the Laptop Loaner Program; using your smartphone as a webcam; and downloading Microsoft Office 365 at no cost. For questions or assistance contact UHOnline@uh.edu.

UH Email: Email communications related to this course will be sent to your Exchange email account which each University of Houston student receives. The Exchange mail server can be accessed via Outlook, which provides a single location for organizing and managing day-to-day information, from email and calendars to contacts and task lists. Exchange email accounts can be accessed by logging into Office 365 with your Cougarnet credentials or through Acccess UH. They can also be configured on IOS and Android mobile devices. Additional assistance can be found at the Get Help page.

Syllabus Changes: Due to the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, please note that the instructor may need to make modifications to the course syllabus and may do so at any time. Notice of such changes will be announced as quickly as possible by email (to your official UH email account).

Academic Integrity: University of Houston students are expected to adhere to the Academic Honesty Policy as described in the UH Undergraduate Catalog. “Academic dishonesty” means employing a method or technique or engaging in conduct in an academic endeavor that contravenes the standards of ethical integrity expected at the University of Houston or by a course instructor to fulfill any and all academic requirements.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, the following: Plagiarism; Cheating and Unauthorized Group Work; Fabrication, Falsification, and Misrepresentation; Stealing and Abuse of Academic Materials; Complicity in Academic Dishonesty; Academic Misconduct.
Please, refer to UH Academic Honesty website and the UH Student Catalog for the definition of these terms and university’s policy on Academic Dishonesty. Anyone caught cheating will be reported to the department for further disciplinary actions, receive sanctions as explained on these documents, and will have an academic dishonesty record at the Provosts office. The sanctions for confirmed violations of this policy shall be commensurate with the nature of the offense and with the record of the student regarding any previous infractions. Sanctions may include, but are not limited to: a lowered grade, failure on the examination or assignment in question, failure in the course, probation, suspension, or expulsion from the University of Houston, or a combination of these. Students may not receive a W for courses in which they have been found in violation of the Academic Honesty Policy. If a W is received prior to a finding of policy violation, the student will become liable for the Academic Honesty penalty, including F grades.
Cases of using websites/apps like GroupMe and Chegg to facilitate cheating will be punished to the maximum degree possible. This includes grades of 0 on any assignments or exams and potentially a grade of F for the course.

Students with disabilities: Written requests issued by the Office of Disability Services will be honored.

Additional resources: Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) can help students who are having difficulties managing stress, adjusting to college, or feeling sad and hopeless. You can reach CAPS (www.uh.edu/caps) by calling 713-743-5454 during and after business hours for routine appointments or if you or someone you know is in crisis. No appointment is necessary for the "Let's Talk" program, a drop-in consultation service at convenient locations and hours around campus. http://www.uh.edu/caps/outreach/lets_talk.html