CRN: 21557 • Fridays 11:10-12:35pm in MS211 • http://sdccd.instructure.edu/
Hi! I’m excited to have you in my Math 119 class this semester. Statistics is one of my favorite classes to teach because it is:
Before we meet this first week of school, I thought I’d tell you a little about myself…
I’m a giant nerd, obviously since I’m a math professor, but I also LOVE sci-fi and fantasy books: I just finished Seveneves by Neal Stephenson while I wait for the next books in the Kingkiller Chronicles and Gentlemen Bastard series - I highly recommend all three. My son Beckett will be 1 in just two weeks!
I still find time to play a ton of indoor soccer, run, hike, and practice yoga. I drive a Prius, own reusable straws (which I never remember to bring anywhere), and am a really unhealthy vegetarian (I’m obsessed with Easy Mac and hate salads). I’m also a shopaholic, especially when it comes to nail polish, board games, and succulents. If I could do anything I wanted, I’d still teach here, but I’d bring cat and baby with me.
If you made it this far, congrats. You now know way too much about me. <3, Kelly
My firstborn child: Bellatrix
Hybrid = 50% Online
This means you’ll be responsible for online material as well as homework each week (~4.5 hours) in addition to our class meeting.
You’ll see the format for a typical week below:
Math 119 - K Spoon
Spring 2020
How will we be graded? | |
| Knowledge Checks / Lecture Notes To ensure students come to class prepared, lecture notes may be checked for completeness and knowledge checks will be assigned through Canvas. |
10% | Classwork Worksheets will be graded for correctness while most activities will be graded based on attendance and participation. |
10% | Discussion Boards / Online Activities Each week, there will be a discussion board and/or online activity assigned through Canvas. |
10% | Project There will be a group project with both group and individual submissions due throughout the semester. |
10% | Exams There are 3 exams and an optional final exam (which will replace the lowest exam score) given during the semester. |
10%
My Statistical Experiences
One of the reasons I love teaching stats is that I have a ton of experience in the field. I know that some instructors teach statistics like a math class, but it’s really closer to a science (and at times an art) in how it is actually used.
As a student:
I received a B.A. in Mathematics from UCSD, mostly because I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I loved math. After a year off, I decided to go back to school for a Masters in Statistics at SDSU assuming that statistics was just applied math that someone would give me a job for. I was wrong, but I also loved statistics and after graduating with an M.S., I decided to apply for Ph.D. program in Computational Statistics that was a joint program with SDSU and Claremont Graduate University. I did 6 years of coursework and have someone stalled out on my dissertation because I can’t balance doing work for my students and my own student work!
As a practitioner:
Knowing that you can’t learn statistics completely out of a book, I worked for three years with a research study in the Department of Psychology at UCSD. During this time, I ran statistical analyses including mixed models, structural equation models, and factor analysis. I quit when I got an opportunity to work as a research assistant at SDSU working on assessing course designs – combining my passion for statistics and education! So I have four years of experience working as a Statistician and am an author on several papers.
As an instructor:
I have taught statistics at a ton of colleges in San Diego, including Grossmont, Cuyamaca, Miramar, SDSU. At SDSU, I taught both the Business Statistics (Stat 119) and the Statistical Principles and Practices (Stat 250) courses. I’ve taught statistics in classes from 5 to 150 students since 2010. I also go to a ton of conferences and workshops on teaching statistics every semester.
15%
10%
50%
15%
Required Materials
There is no textbook! Let’s not give $$ to publishers!
“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” - Mark Twain
Math 119 - K Spoon
Spring 2020
(Tentative) Schedule | ||
Week | Topic Covered | Lecture Notes |
1 | Collecting Data | 1 |
2 | Displaying & Describing Data (NO CLASS MEETING) | 2 |
3 | Displaying & Describing Data | 2 |
4 | Correlation & Regression | 3 |
5 | Exam 1 | 1-3 |
6 | Probability | 4 |
7 | Discrete Probability Distributions | 5 |
8 | Continuous Probability Distributions | 5 |
9 | Exam 2 | 4-5 |
10 | Sampling Distributions & Confidence Intervals | 6 |
Spring Break | ||
11 | Hypothesis Testing | 6 |
12 | Single Mean | 7 |
13 | Exam 3 | 6-7 |
14 | Two Sample | 8 |
15 | Chi-Square & ANOVA | 9 |
16 | Project Presentations | N/A |
Optional Final Exam (6/1) Final Project due 6/3 | ||
What do I do if I miss class?
If you miss class without contacting me, you’ll receive a zero for whatever happened on that day - classwork or exam.
If you know you’ll be missing class, email me letting me know the dates you will be missing as soon as you know.
If you end up missing class last minute, let me know what happened.
If you miss a discussion board, just do it late. If you read this, email me with the subject line Easter Egg and your name before class for a bonus pt.
WARNING: You can be dropped from the course after missing 1 week worth of class. This can be:
Math 119 - K Spoon
Spring 2020
Resources for Students | |
Statistics is tough, where can I get help?
Note: These tutors are Mesa students and since Statistics is taught very differently depending on instructor, you may find that a tutor doesn’t know a method or something we covered in class. Don’t give up after one bad Experience. My old students who work as tutors are:
| Life is tough, where can I get help? Here’s a link of all the resources on campus for students. Did you know that Mesa has services to help with?
And we have some new spaces on campus!
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Student Visiting Hours
You can stop by my office (MS 215L) anytime, but these are the hours I have set aside to help you!
MW: 9:30-11am in MS211
2-3pm in MS215L
TTh: by appointment
F: 9:30-11am in MS211
Math 119 - K Spoon
Spring 2020