Stat 582

Homework 7

You are a faculty member in the statistics department of a major research university in the United States. The statistics department chair has been approached by the chair of a major science department with concerns about the statistics that the students in her department are being taught at the 300 level. Her principal concern is that when the students are required to apply their statistics in 400 level classes of the science major, and in their senior projects, they do a poor job. She expresses the concerns of her faculty as "The students get lots of fomulae but they have no idea how to apply them. Much of the discussion in the classes does not seem relevant."

Your own departmental head agrees that the traditional approach is not working. In discussions with the science department chair he has agreed that a new approach should be taken. He has persuaded her that a new three quarter sequence, each quarter 3 credits, should be designed to replace the previous one quarter course in which the standard statistical foundations and procedures are presented; i.e., normal distribution, t-test, regression and analysis of variance (one quarter 5 credits).

You are a new faculty member in the statistics department. Impressed with your youthful vigor and out-going manner your department head has asked you to design the new three quarter statistics sequence (though not necessarily teach it all).

Present a syllabus and description of teaching methods for the three credit course applied to a department of your choice. Discuss its philosophical and educational foundations. The department may be of any science.

Your report is due in class on February 16, and will be discussed in the homework session on February 21.