SIUC Core Curriculum Course: PLB 301I

to introduce undergraduate students in biology and related fields to basic statistical terms, concepts, and mechanics
to acquaint students with the hand calculator and computer-generated output as tools for conducting and interpreting statistical analyses
to emphasize hypothesis testing, selection and use of the correct statistical techniques, and correct interpretation of results from such tests
to give students hands-on experience utilizing these concepts and techniques

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all lectures in this course. We will be covering a wide variety of material throughout the semester, and I will be working through example problems in class. Missing class and failing to work through problems in class and for homework are the quickest ways to fall behind. Past experience demonstrates that attendance and participation in class are positively associated with high scores on homework assignments and exams.
Students should make every effort to take exams. There are NO make-ups for exams missed.

Conduct

All students have the right to attend class in an environment that is conductive to learning. It is the responsibility of the instructor to maintain that environment in the classroom.
Talking during lectures and disruptive behavior are not acceptable.
Please turn off cell phones and pagers BEFORE entering the classroom.
Students are expected to adhere to the SIU code of conduct.

Exam Dates

Exam 1: February 6
Exam 2: March 5
Exam 3: April 2
Final Exam: Thursday, May 8, 10:10 am -12:50 pm

Assessment

1) Exams: There will be four exams in this course, each of which is worth 100 points. Exams will test the student's understanding of definitions, concepts, and their ability to work through problems and interpret results.

2) Project & Presentation: Students will work in pairs, and each pair will design a small project where they collect data, analyze the data appropriately, and interpret the results. They will then write up a short paper (minimum of 5 pages) that presents the study objectives, methodology used, results, and a short discussion of their findings. The paper will follow the format of a scientific manuscript (see paper guidelines for additional information). Each pair will also develop a short (10 minutes) Power Point presentation and present it orally to the class.

3) Homework: Homework problem sets will be given out in class. Students are expected to work individually and turn in their own work.

Allocation of Points Grading scale

Item	Points	A	89.5-100%
Exam 1	100	B	79.5-89.4%
Exam 2	100	C	69.5-79.4%
Exam 3	100	D	59.5-69.4%
Exam 4	100	F	< 59.5%
Project Report	50
Presentation	50
Homework Problem Sets	100
Total	600

Course Outline

Topic	Chapter
Introduction	1
Describing, Exploring, and Comparing Data	2
Probability	3
Discrete Probability Distributions	4
Normal Probability Distributions	5
Estimates and Sample Sizes with One Sample	6
Hypothesis Testing with One Sample	7
Inferences from Two Samples	8
Analysis of Variance	11
Regression and Correlation	9
Multinomial Experiments and Contingency Tables	10

If time permits, we may cover some sections on nonparametric statistics in Chapter 12.