THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

¡BIENVENIDOS (WELCOME)!

 

note: From the top of http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/schedule.html, you can access this syllabus if you misplace yours, want to explore its links, or see any updates to it.  Syllabus is subject to modification by the instructor to meet course needs, especially if there are disruptions such as an H1N1 epidemic or unexpected big changes in class size, resources, etc.

 

Course Number: STAT 1380-005 (CRN#12746)  

Course Title: Basics of Descriptive and Inferential Statistics  

Credit Hours: 3

Term: Fall 2010

Prerequisite:  adequate score on a placement examination or MATH 0311.

Course Fee:  none

 

Course Meetings & Location:  LART 323, MW 1:30-2:50, except Sept. 6.  There will likely be a “lab day” in November when we all meet at UGLC 202.  Note: Our assigned LART room is more than twice as long as we generally will need, so to optimize class communication and community, please don’t sit in the back half of the room during whole class discussion or lecture. In the event of a major disruption (e.g., H1N1 epidemic, etc.), be prepared to maintain course progress via alternative means (e.g., phone, Elluminate, Internet, a Blackboard course shell, etc.). Also, be sure to check your email addresses (especially your UTEP one) regularly.

 

Instructor:    Dr. Larry Lesser (rhymes with ‘professor’, spelled like “<”). I began

teaching university courses (especially stats!) in 1988 (and have been Assoc. Prof. at UTEP since 2004), and I’ve also worked as a state agency statistician and full-time high school math teacher. 

Office Location:  Bell Hall 213

Contact Info:             Phone:   (915) 747-6845

                        Email  Lesser (at) utep.edu (please include 1380 in the subject line)

Homepage:  http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/

Fax: (915) 747-6502 (note: this is a math department fax, so be sure to

have my name clearly on it; be aware that staff are not available to relay faxes to me outside the math dept’s hours of M-F 8-12, 1-5

            Emergency Contact: (915) 747-5761 (during math dept office hours)

Office hours:  Mon 5:45-6:15, Wed 3-3:45, and by appointment; additional office hours

or changes will be announced/posted later; students are also welcome to try stopping by anytime for short questions; to  or to send me an email request an appointment for longer questions, please email me several possible times that would work for you and I will reply with which option works in my schedule

 

Textbook(s), Materials:

Required textbook: Jessica Utts’ Seeing Through Statistics (3rd ed.; 2005) Duxbury Press. Subject to change based on timing, resources and interest, here’s the main material we plan to (un)cover:  chapters 1-11 then 16, including supplementary probability material from   http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/EXCEL_Day_OFFICE_2007_version.doc on topics such as simulation, sample space, counting rules, the binomial distribution, and the geometric distribution.   You are expected to read each chapter and do the selected HW problems for that chapter (see below) before the class meeting we discuss that chapter (so that you are able to understand more and offer more) and to bring your book to each class.  I will assess your keeping up with exercises by either by collecting the written homework (with advance notice) or by giving a quiz on the same topic (which may not have advance notice).

Ch. 1 (1, 3-5, 7,9,10,15,17,19); Ch. 2 (6,7,11,14,15), Ch. 3 (1-9,13,16,18-20,24,25a,26a), Ch. 4 (1,2,4-6,9,11,12,15,17,21,24,26), Ch. 5 (1-3,5,8-10,12,17,19,20,22,25a,27),

Ch. 6 (just read), Ch. 7 (1-7, 9,12-16,19,21,25,28), Ch. 8 (2-5,7,8,11,13,17,19,21,22,25), Ch. 9 (1,2,5,7,8b,9,14), Ch. 10(1,2,4,5,7-10,11a,12,13), Ch.11 (1-6,8-10,12,14,17,19), Ch.16 (1-3,6-12,17,18,20d,25), Ch. 20 (3,4,5ab,6,14,17), Ch. 22 (11-17).

 

Required technology:

·        “low-tech” clicker (the ABCD Class Response Card): see “Participation”

·        calculator (that can do square roots) brought to each class. You’ll be allowed to use it on virtually all activities and assessments (but it really has to be a separate calculator, because you aren’t allowed to use devices such as a laptop or cell phone on tests).  You still have to write out enough work so I can follow your process. Example: to find the mean of {3, 4, 5, 5, 8}, don’t just say “5”, but write out (3 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 8)/5 = 5.  I will often demonstrate things with a TI-73/83/84 graphing calculator, but if you don’t already own one, you can certainly manage with a scientific calculator or even a simple calculator that can do basic arithmetic such as square roots.  Websites such as www.prenhall.com/esm/app/calc_v2/ help you get the most out of your calculator. As logistics and interest allow, I’ll expose you to how stats are computed with applets, graphing calculator, software (Excel or Minitab), etc., and resources for accessing/using these are at http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/ResearchResources.html

 

Course Objectives (Learning Outcomes):  Students will be able to….

apply arithmetic, algebraic, geometric, higher-order thinking, and statistical methods to modeling and solving real-world situations.

Numerical and graphical summaries of one-variable and two-variable datasets are interpreted, produced, and described verbally.  We assess the reasonableness of linear models to data sets.  We assess the reasonableness of a study's conclusions based on that study's qualities (e.g., was randomization used?).

represent & evaluate basic mathematical information verbally/numerically/graphically/symbolically

Numerical and graphical summaries of one-variable and two-variable datasets are interpreted, produced, and described verbally. 

expand mathematical reasoning skills & formal logic to develop convincing mathematical arguments.

Reasoning  used to apply probability rules and to critique statistical studies (and to assess whether a claim of significance is warranted).

use appropriate technology to enhance mathematical thinking and understanding and to solve mathematical problems and judge the reasonableness of the results.

technology incorporated such as spreadsheet software, internet applets/simulations, or graphing calculators.

interpret mathematical models (formulas/graphs/tables/schematics) and draw inferences from them.

Histograms, scatterplots, boxplots, tables, regression lines, etc. are interpreted.

recognize the limitations of mathematical and statistical models.

Studies done without random selection and/or random assignment are recognized as limited.  Pitfalls and limitations of experiments (e.g., ecological validity), observational studies (e.g., no random assignment), and surveys are discussed.  Formulas such as margin of error are recognized not to apply for a volunteer sample, for example.

develop the view that mathematics is an evolving discipline, interrelated with human culture, and understand its connections to other disciplines.

Because statistics can be applied to data from virtually all disciplines, it is natural to make clear interdisciplinary connections.  Statistics and its tools are much newer field than the mathematics in "other math core classes".  The connection to human culture comes into play with the human judgments that go into writing "the best" survey question, or deciding how to handle an outlier value, etc.

 

This course will expose you to typical intro topics but with particular emphasis on and grounding in conceptual understanding and statistical literacy in real life.  You deserve, need and will be offered more than a plug-and-chug, memorize-the-recipes experience!  You’ll be able to critically evaluate statistics commonly found in the media and in your major field. You’ll become acquainted with what is involved in the collection, interpretation, and communication of real-world data to explore questions of interest.

Also, future teachers will have the chance to gain background to handle probability and statistics questions on the TExES/ExCET (http://www.texes.ets.org/prepMaterials/), teach related TEKS (www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter111/index.html), and make appropriate connections to the NCTM Standards (http://standards.nctm.org/) and the GAISE PreK-12 Curriculum Framework (http://www.amstat.org/Education/gaise/).

 

Course Activities/Assignments:  Students will participate in in-class activities, demonstrations, discussions, readings, and assessments.    Assigned homework exercises from the textbook are listed previously on this syllabus where the textbook is stated.

 

Assessment of Course Objectives:  Assessments include written reflections, quizzes, exams, and a final project.

 

Course Schedule:       Census Day: Sept. 8

Test #1: currently set for Sept. 29, but subject to change

Deadline to Drop with a “W”:  October 29

Test #2: currently set for Nov. 15, but subject to change

Last Regular Class Meeting: Dec. 1

Final Exam Week Meeting: Dec. 8, 4-6:45pm

(as scheduled by UTEP registrar)

 

Grading Policy: after any rescaling needed for all components to be on the 0-100 scale, the grade is determined by the usual cutoffs of 90-80-70-60 based on these parts:

Tests (23% each) 

at least a week or two in advance, I’ll confirm the exact material covered, the date, and the major tables and unannotated formulas from the textbook that will be provided on each of the 2 tests; you must bring your own calculators (see p. 2 of the syllabus) and #2 pencils; the main emphasis of the exam is not on memorization or rote procedures, but on being able to recognize, apply,  critique, and interpret concepts in context (e.g., in newspaper articles or graphs), even if the questions have a multiple-choice format; it is recommended that you study with a partner your class notes, the textbook chapters, homework and quizzes.

Quizzes/HW/One-page written reflections (23%): some of these will be with a partner, some will

be “solo”; details will be provided in advance; only the top n-2 scores will count

Project (31%) – project writeup will be due (and you must be prepared to give a short oral presentation) during the time UTEP has scheduled for our final exam week meeting. You will do this as a team of 2 or 3 with a single writeup submitted for the entire team.  If you have a pre-approved reason not to be able to present during this time, you need to arrange with me as soon as possible to turn in and present your project earlier.  Details about the Project are at the end of this syllabus.

 

Makeup Policy: Much of this course involves beyond-the-book group activities, experiences or discussions that are virtually impossible to recreate or “make up”.  Successful completion of this course is intended not only to imply you have demonstrated sufficient knowledge acquisition, but also that you have been exposed to key processes, modeling, and experiences (which are especially important for future teachers). Therefore, if you are now in a situation where you expect to have frequent absences, you might consider taking this class in another section or another semester.  With quizzes, I will count no more than the top n-2 out of the n we have, so if you miss one or two days where we have a quiz, you won’t get a 0 quiz score, it will simply not be a quiz you count.   If your absence is for a serious reason for which you hand or email me written documentation (e.g., a doctor’s note) within a week of a quiz, then there is still no “makeup”, but the quiz will not count against the number you are allowed to “drop”.

In general (out of fairness and logistics), late work will not be accepted, and may be subject to a penalty in the rare borderline cases that it is accepted at the instructor’s discretion.   A makeup exam is possible only if: (1) missing the scheduled class exam date was unavoidable for a serious reason that you relay to me (by email) within 24 hours or the earliest (medically) possible opportunity, even if the supporting documentation (e.g., a doctor’s note) takes up to a week to be relayed to me, and (2) you arrange with me to take the makeup exam at the earliest possible opportunity

 

Attendance Policy:  Attendance is required and taken each meeting using a sign-in sheet.

The instructor may count late arrival, early departure, or blatant nonparticipation as a half-absence or even a full absence, depending on what is missed. 

It’s your responsibility to….

(1) Sign the attendance sheet each day you attend before I pack up my materials.

(2) Let me know by email (Lesser (at) utep.edu) or voicemail (747-6845) or daytime math dept. fax (747-6502) at the earliest opportunity if you have a serious situation which may affect a test, major assessment deadline, or the final exam week meeting. If you need to miss 1 or 2 regular class meetings for any reason, you do NOT need to let me know or tell me why – just see #5 below.  If you will be missing a large number of regular class meetings in a row, even if no test is affected, then you should let me know.

(3) Give me a written note or email by the 15th day of the semester [Sept. 13] if you will have absence for religious holy days (which are excused, of course).  

(4) Give me an email or written documentation as soon as possible if you anticipate the possibility of missing large parts of class due to exceptional circumstances such as military service/training, childbirth, or competing on official UTEP athletic teams.

(5) Have a classmate give you copies of notes, handouts and announcements if you miss a class; write down 3 classmates’ contact information right here for this purpose:

 

classmate #1 name_____________________ phone_____________ email____________

 

classmate #2 name_____________________ phone_____________ email____________

 

classmate #3 name_____________________ phone_____________ email____________

 

As the UTEP Catalog says, “When in the judgment of the instructor, a student has been absent to such a degree as to impair his or her status relative to credit for the course, the instructor may drop the student from the class with a grade of “W” before the course drop deadline [Oct. 29] and with a grade of “F” after the course drop deadline.”  In practical terms, this means a student is subject to being dropped for more than 4 absences (unless there has been a reason I have approved). If you choose to withdraw, I ask you to submit the formal paperwork and send me an email to let me know rather than just stop attending class and assume you will be withdrawn automatically.  On a positive note, a strong record of attendance will be taken into account if your final average is a point below a letter grade cutoff.

 

Academic Integrity Policy: It’s UTEP’s policy (and mine) for all suspected violations to be referred to the Dean of Students for investigation and disposition (See Section 1.3.1 of the Handbook for Operating Procedures; http://academics.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=23785) Cheating, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest activities are serious acts which erode the university’s purpose and integrity and cheapen the learning experience for us all. Don’t resubmit work completed for other classes without specific acknowledgment and permission from me.  It is expected that work you submit represents your own effort (or your own group’s effort, if it is a group project), will not involve copying from or accessing unauthorized resources or people (e.g., from a previous year’s class).  You must cite references that you do consult, using APA style with complete citations even for websites and people you consult.

For Group Work:  Within a group, members are allowed to divide up subsets of the project for which individuals will take the initial responsibility for coordinating efforts, but it is assumed that by the time a group turns in a writeup that all members have read, discussed, contributed to, and understand what is being turned in.  Group members may even discuss general ideas and strategies with members of other groups, but NOT share parts of actual written work.  At a minimum, to be safe, put away all written notes and writing materials and recording devices before having any intergroup conversations.  And if you still see a “gray area,” play it safe and ask the instructor!

 

Civility Statement: You are expected to follow basic standards of courtesy (e.g., “Student Conduct” and “Disruptive Acts Policy” in the UTEP Catalog) and may be dismissed from class for blatant or sustained disruptive behavior. Your comments during classroom discussions need to focus constructively and respectfully on the intellectual merit of a position, not critiquing the person expressing it.  You should avoid side conversations when one person (me, or another student) is talking to the whole class. Also, do not engage in phone, email or text conversations during class. Laptops should not be open unless they are being used to take notes during lectures or work on course projects during group work time.  (In other words, off-task activities such as texting, Facebook, YouTube, or emailing are unacceptable because they distract and disrupt class participation.)  If you truly are expecting an urgent call on your cell phone or pager, please let me know and sit near the door to minimize disruption (and have your phone on “vibrate” instead of anything loud), and have it handy so you don’t have to dig through a backpack for it). Otherwise, please keep your phone/pager off during class.  Feel free to give your family member or child care provider the phone number for an academic office or lab (e.g., LACIT 405: 747-5375) near our classroom so you can rest assured that staff can quickly let you know if there is a true emergency.

 

Disability Statement: If you have or believe you have a disability requiring accommodations, you may wish to self-identify by contacting the Disabled Student Services Office (DSSO; 747-5148; East Union Building 106; dss@utep.edu; www.utep.edu/dsso/) to show documentation or register for testing and services.  DSSO will ask you to discuss needed accommodations with me within the first 2 weeks of the semester or as soon as disability is known, and at least 5 working days before an exam.  You are responsible to make sure I receive any DSSO instructions and accommodation letters.  DSSO provides note taking, sign language, interpreter, reader and/or scribe services, priority registration, adaptive technology, diagnostic testing for learning disabilities, assistance with learning strategies/tutoring, alternative testing location and format, and advocacy. 

 

Military Statement: Give me an email or written documentation as soon as possible if you anticipate the possibility of missing large parts of class due to military service.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

Catalog Description: “A course in statistical literacy.  Emphasis will be on standard

descriptive measures of location, spread, and association.  Regression, probability and sampling, and binomial distribution.  Interpretation of data which occur in daily life (polls, weather forecasting, surveys, quality control, etc.) will be stressed.”

 

Professionalism Statement: Beyond the previously mentioned Civility Statement, students in this course are required to exhibit professionalism that goes beyond avoiding negative behaviors.  This includes making a good faith effort in preparation for and participation in individual and collaborative class activities.  A classroom culture must be actively supported that understands that “wrong answers” are usually correct answers to a different question or valuable learning opportunities to address a common misconception. Also, be open to local opportunities for professional growth or service.  For example, future teachers may consider helping/attending the GEPCTM conference (Oct. 23, with a kick-off on Sept. 15; see GEPCTM page), encouraging K-12 students to enter an ASA Project or Poster (due April 1),  joining (at cheaper student rates!) professional organizations -- local (GEPCTM), state (TCTM), or national (NCTM, TODOS, or ASA), or celebrating the first ever World Statistics Day on October 20!  Finally, start to be aware of statistics in the mass media around you, in places such as: http://www.elpasotimes.com/, http://www.cnn.com, http://www.gallup.com/home.aspx, http://www.causeweb.org/wiki/chance/index.php/Main_Page, http://www.usatoday.com/snapshot/news/snapndex.htm, etc.

 

Participation: Part of your daily class participation involves answering questions posed by the instructor.  These questions are ongoing assessment designed to give feedback to you as well as to the instructor.  Some questions will be answered “simultaneously and anonymously” using the Ed Prather ABCD Class Response Card.  This card is made of paper and is much less expensive than having to buy a “clicker”!  Each student is responsible for coming to each class with the ABCD Card, which they obtain by printing a color copy (I think Copy Mine in the Library’s basement can do it for you for $0.35) from http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/ABCDclassResponseCard.pdf  (or, print out a black-and-white copy and color in the rectangles using the same color scheme).  To be sure you get credit for your written work, you need to use your full name since there are usually students in the room who have identical or similar first or last names.

 

Confidentiality: UTEP policy requires that inquiries about confidential information such as grades cannot be done over the phone, but must be from your miners.utep.edu account and accompanied by your 800 number.  If you want to know your course grade between our last meeting and when UTEP puts grades online, you will have a chance during the last week of class to give me a “secret code word” that I will post your course grade by at the bottom of my homepage. 

 

English Language Learner(ELL) Awareness:  Many of you are/were ELLs or may soon teach them.  I will model strategies that help ELLs (and others, too!) and incorporate awareness of ELL issues and resources in probability/statistics (e.g., Section 7 of my paper in the Statistics Education Research Journal, resources at http://www.tsusmell.org/, and  http://isi.cbs.nl/glossary/index.htm. The English Language Proficiency Standards require language acquisition and academic success in all content areas for students at all levels (beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high) in all domains (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Finally, consider that the grade level readability of any subject’s textbook is from a statistical model based on average number of syllables per word, average number of words per sentence, etc.  (e.g., look up “readability” in MS Word Help)   Note:  Development of this class was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Education-funded grant Project LEAP-UP: Learning, Encouraging, and Planning to Uplift Performance.

 

Equity Awareness: Development of this class was supported in part by Project ACE (ACtion for Equity), funded by the Women’s Education Equity Act of the U.S. Dept. of Education, and many statistics examples we discuss involve or apply to to gender equity.  Related resources at http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/equity.html.

 

Other Resources: 

Website for our textbook:  www.duxbury.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0534394027&discipline_number=17

Applets/virtual manipulatives:

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/  (click “probability” or “statistics”)

http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/index.htm (e.g., 5.4, 5.5, 6.6, 7.4, 7.5)

http://illuminations.nctm.org/WebResourceList.aspx?Ref=2&Std=4&Grd=0

                http://bcs.whfreeman.com/ips4e/ then click “Statistical Applets”

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/topic_t_5.html

Calculation pages:   http://statpages.org/

Classroom connections:

http://www.amstat.org/education/stn/  (e.g., browse issue #64)

http://www.rsscse.org.uk/ts/

http://www.causeweb.org

http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/STATResources.html  

UTEP Library: Also, I’ve put some statistics books with other conceptual intuition or real-world connections on reserve at the circulation desk under “Lesser” or “Stat 1380.”  And on the second floor, free walk-in tutoring is available for this course (http://academics.utep.edu/tlc; Library 218; 747-5366) as well as help with writing papers (Library 227; 747-5112; Writing Center (Library 227, 747-5112, http://academics.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=47508).  Also, see http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/mathtips.html.

 

---------------------- Project Information -----------------------------

 

Project Writeup should be 12-point Times New Roman double-spaced, APA style, checked for spelling/grammar. Aim for 5-10 pages, not counting bibliography or appendices.  Section headings should be clearly marked, assembled in the required order, and stapled (not put into a folder or sleeve, or attached by a paper clip or rolled-up corners) with an identification coverpage on top (that includes your full name, section, date, and a title that makes clear which option you chose and what your topic/theme was). 

 

Oral presentation is a required part of the project, but is assessed in such a way so that it can only help your grade if your final average falls a point short of a letter grade cutoff.  You may find it helpful to check out the “tips for oral presentations” webpage. The exact amount of time each team will have depends on how many teams there are, of course, but you’ll probably have no more than 5 minutes for your presentation with 1 minute for discussion/questions/transition.  For the presentation part, you’ll have access to the technology in the room (but make sure things are working and “ready to go” so that you don’t use up part of your time just “setting up”) and any additional manipulatives or materials you bring.  Each team member must have a major non-silent role in the presentation. The very first thing to do is tell us your names. Obviously, 5 minutes is enough only for highlights, not every detail in the written writeup you’re turning in to me.  For Lesson Plan presentations, briefly “set the stage” (by telling us the intended grade level, prerequisite/previous knowledge or experience, and the trajectory of the larger lesson/unit you are excerpting from) and then go ahead and give us the chance to experience interactively a representative highlight of the lesson!  For Data Collection/Analysis projects, you should focus by telling us your choice of topic you investigated, what results you found, and then what you learned (and anything you might do differently the next time) from the project.

 

Project Options: Your team (of 2 or 3) will choose ONE of the following two options:

 

(1) Lesson plan (“teacher-ready”) for a high-quality mostly original (I don’t need to see any more bar graphs with M&M candies) TEKS-based lesson utilizing nontrivial collection, analysis, or display of data (some of which must be quantitative) to explore a question of interest.  The main focus of the lesson must include some statistics concepts that are in our textbook (but not with identical examples or context, of course) – it can’t simply be arithmetic.  For example, a lesson on fraction arithmetic itself is not acceptable, but it could work if the fraction arithmetic is part of an activity that uses pie charts or probabilities. You should target the highest grade level you one day could find yourself teaching (i.e., pick a grade between 4th and 8th). The project writeup you turn in will not be one long narrative essay, but will be a sequence of items (in the following order), each with a clear heading, and many of which can be addressed with just a sentence or two.  [use the online version of this syllabus to use the embedded links, etc.]  You’re not required to clear your topic with me, but you’re welcome to stop by for feedback. 

 

Title (should be a meaningful title of the lesson that makes clear the main point)

Class Time:  Number and length of Class Periods for this Lesson/Unit

Grade:  the grade level or course that is targeted
Objectives:  What students should be able to do or demonstrate by the time the lesson is done

Bloom’s taxonomy:  Which of the six levels of [this version of] Bloom’s taxonomy are in this lesson and

where in the lesson do they occur?

Misconceptions: Specific statistics content misconceptions (e.g., false beliefs like “the mean must be one

of the data values”, some of the “difficulties and disasters” in Utts chapters 4,5,9,11, or an  intuition pitfall of chapter 17,18) that your students might have and how you will address it

TEKS: Explain what aspects or parts of your lesson connect to which Mathematics TEKS; cite the TEKS

section # and a concise description of relevant part(s)-- don’t just paste in entire chunks of the standards (one example: “The part of the lesson that makes a line graph from the data meets TEKS 5.13(A))”; if it also connects to TEKS in other subject areas, feel free to note that as well

NCTM Standards: Explain what aspect of your lesson connects to what part(s) of the NCTM Standards

(be brief, but be specific; as with the TEKS, don’t just paste in entire chunks of the standards; cite the specific bullet(s) under all relevant headings for the student expectations for the grade band you are targeting); you can get free trial access to this entire document

GAISE: what parts of your lesson connect (and how) to the PreK-12 GAISE Guidelines? in particular,

describe which of the 4 Process Components from Framework Table 1 are involved in your lesson and describe any parts of your lesson that may be aimed to go beyond “Level A”

ELPS: How your lesson will include accommodations for learners at each level (beginning, intermediate,

advanced, advanced high) with respect to listening, speaking, reading and writing, as described in Texas’ English Language Proficiency Standards; how are you introducing any new vocabulary?

Other accommodations: adaptations for students with diverse learning styles or learning disabilities

Prerequisites:  experiences/knowledge/reading/vocabulary that students need to have already done or had
Materials: any needed manipulatives/technology/A-V, etc.
Outline of actual instructional activities (if this is a multi-day unit, break it down day-by-day; describe  it in

a way that is ready for a teacher to use):  Opening activity; Classwork or Homework assignment; Closing activity; Extra activity/extension, if time remains

Assessment (How you will know if objectives were accomplished; include an actual assessment item you

would use and a rubric for grading/scoring

References (while the lesson must be mostly your own ideas, if part of it includes your adaptation of

a particular published source or idea from a colleague, you must cite it fully in APA style)

 

(2) Data collection and analysis involving at least 2 categorical and at least 2 measurement variables on a topic of interest (e.g., equity) and looking at 2 “interactions” among your variables. The “data collection proposal” sheet must be fully approved by me BEFORE you collect any data or you may get no credit (see www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/1380proposal.html). This rule is to make sure that no one attempts to do something with an inappropriate topic/design or unrealistic scope, as well as models the process that researchers have to go through before they can begin a study.  The sooner you submit your proposal form, the sooner I’ll give you ungraded feedback (usually at or by the very next class), and the more time you’ll have to do your project (or make adjustments to your proposal and resubmit it, if required).  I recommend you start thinking about it now and turn in your proposal form on or by October 18.  There should be appropriate use of technology.  You will do this as a team of 2 or 3 with a single writeup submitted for the entire team.   Feel free to bounce more sophisticated ideas off of me, but the most common project here will be a survey of adults (be sure to ask a large enough sample, so that even if some refuse to participate, you’ll still have at least 50 people in the survey).  You must stay within these 4 rules:

a)       Data must be collected openly and recorded in such a way that respondents cannot be identified or linked to their answers if someone were to read your report or stumble upon your files.

b)       All individuals must be informed.   For example, if you do a written questionnaire or telephone survey, you should start with something like, “Good afternoon -- my name is _______ and I’m a student in Dr. Lesser’s Stat 1380 class at UTEP.   Are you willing to take a 1-minute survey as part of my class project?  The survey will not be published, your participation and responses will be confidential, and your name or other identifying information will not be recorded.  Your participation is completely voluntary and you are free to withdraw at any time.  Do you have any questions?  Are you willing to participate?”

c)       In selecting people for your survey, you must avoid settings where you work and avoid choosing:  co-workers, relatives, significant others, close friends, minors (people under the age of 18), prisoners, and individuals who cannot read/understand informed consent.

d)       Your topic must avoid issues which could reasonably be expected to be highly personal, controversial or sensitive, such as sexual behavior, drug usage, or underage drinking.  But while you CANNOT ask about someone’s sensitive personal behavior (e.g., “How much beer do you drink?”), you might be able to ask about the topic from a society or current events perspective (e.g., “Do you think the drinking age in Juárez should be raised, lowered, or kept the same?”).

 

The writeup must include the following items IN THIS ORDER each with a clear heading:

The first part after the coverpage is titled “Background” and describes the general question of interest and why it is significant or important to you.  Explain what population you chose (and why).

The next part of the report should have the heading “Method” and describe what random sampling procedure was used (or why one was not or could not be used and what specific things you did to help make the sample as representative as possible of the population of interest).

The next part of the report should be titled “Results” and should include the results of your survey, with appropriate numerical and graphical summaries included. (Graphs must be appropriately drawn, sized, with axes labeled.)

The next part is titled “Discussion”, in which you make any interpretations or conclusions you can from your data, discuss any limitations of your data or method, discuss any difficulties or judgment calls you encountered and how you handled them, discuss what you might do differently next time. 

The next part is titled “References” where you acknowledge (in APA form) help you obtained from any web or print references or people to do this project. (If you had none, then omit this part.)

The final part is the “Appendix” which can include additional numerical or graphical summaries of your data, but should not include information that could identify anyone who was surveyed. The final page of the Appendix must be the proposal form that I signed and returned before you collected data.