MAT 1230 Syllabus

Math 1230 Introductory Statistics I

Text: Stats: Data and Models, 4th Edition
          By: DeVeaux, Velleman, and Block

Course Coordinator: Jesse Frey, SAC 375
                              Office Phone: (610) 519- 7350
                              Email: jesse.frey@villanova.edu

Here is a listing of chapters to cover and approximate times to spend on each chapter.  For more detailed suggestions or help with any aspect of the course, please contact the course coordinator.

Chapters 11 to 12 (2 weeks): Gathering Data. These chapters don't come first in the textbook, but they seem like a natural starting point for this course.  You may also choose to cover these chapters later.

Chapters 3 to 4 (1.5 weeks): Graphical Displays and Summary Statistics. The discussion here should be Minitab-driven, and not all topics need to be covered. Essential topics include the sample standard deviation, box plots, and histograms.  Other topics can be included or excluded as time allows.

Chapter 5 (1 week): The Normal Distribution.

Chapters 6 to 7 (1 week): Descriptive Statistics for Two Variables. The discussion here should be Minitab-driven. This material is important, but statistical inference for regression isn't covered in Math 1230. Thus, if you are behind schedule, you might drop this material or leave it for later in the course.

Chapter 15 (0.5 weeks): Random Variables.  Introduce the idea so that it can be used later on. 

Chapter 16 (1 week): The Binomial Distribution.  The other distributions need not be covered.

Chapter 17 (1 week): The Central Limit Theorem.

Chapters 18 to 22 (4 weeks): Statistical Inference for One Proportion, One Mean, Two Proportions, and Two Means.  These chapters constitute the core material for the course.  Please omit earlier topics as needed to ensure that you can cover these chapters.