Math 278, Fall 2007

Math 278, Sec 001, Fall 2007

"Discrete Probability and Statistics for Elementary Education Majors"

General Course Information:

Meeting time: The course meets TR 11-12:15 in Phy 152.

Instructor/Staff Information:

Professor: Suzanne Hruska	Grad. Assistant: Xiaoying Lin	MPS TIR: Karen Corlyn
Office: EMS E494	Office: EMS W410	Office: Enderis 358
Email: shruska@uwm.edu	Email: xlin@uwm.edu	Email: kcorlyn@uwm.edu
Office Phone: 229-4936	Office Phone: 229-5243	Office Phone: 229-5971
Office Hours: T 2-3:30 and by appt	Office Hours: M 2-3

Course Web Page: http://www.uwm.edu/~shruska/m278f07/
Textbook: A binder containing a draft of a textbook being written for this course (by UWM Prof. Stockbridge) is available for you to purchase at Ikon Express, in the UWM union, starting Tuesday 9/4. Give them my name (not the course number) when you go. You will be expected to bring your book to class each day, to use during in-class activities.
Overview: This course provides an examination of the principles of Probability and Statistics. The goal of the course is to enable you to determine the likelihood of various events occurring and to make inferences based on such likelihoods. This course aims to provide content knowledge in probability and statistics to elementary education majors who choose Mathematics as one of their focus areas.
Course Work / Grading Policy:
- Class Participation (10% of grade): Students are encouraged to actively participate in all aspects of the course. Much of class time will be spent on group activities and presentations. Asking and answering questions is expected, and part of your grade.
- Homework (15% of grade): Weekly homework will be assigned Thursdays, over that week's material, then collected for grading the next Thursday. Students will have the opportunity in class on Tuesday to ask questions on the HW due Thursday. Some HW will be exercises from the book, some HW will be completion of activities begun in class, and some HW will focus on the writing of mathematics. All HW is expected to be legible and comprehensible.
- Exams: There will be two mid-term exams and a final. Each of these 3 exams will be given in two parts. The first half will be a traditional individual exam. The second half will be a group problem and presentation.
  Mid-term Exam 1 (20 % of grade): Thursday, October 11.
  Mid-term Exam 2 (20 % of grade): Tuesday, November 20. (Thanksgiving week!)
- Final Exam (35 % of grade): The first part, the individual written part, of our comprehensive final exam will be given in our regular classroom during our last class, Tuesday, Dec. 11, and is worth 20% of your grade. The second part, the group problem session and presentation, will be held during our scheduled final exam period: Tues, Dec 18, 10 am to 12 noon, and is worth 15% of your grade. Attendence to the entire two hour session is mandatory.
- In Summary, the grade breakdown is: Exam 1 = 20%, Exam 2 = 20%, Weekly HW = 15%, Class Participation = 10%, Final = 20% + 35%.
Technology: We will, when appropriate, use graphing calculators. Our classroom is equipped with calculators for our use in class.
Expectations: A good rule of thumb is you should expect to spend 2 hours outside of class for every hour in class (that's 6 hours per week), reading the book, working on homework, or studying for exams.

It is your responsibility to make sure you understand the material BEFORE the day of the exam. There are only 15 students in this section, so if you don't understand something, PLEASE come to my office hours, or our TA Xiaoying's office hours, every week if you want (or if you can't make them, email to make an appointment).
The Writing Center: Since some of your assignments will be essay style write ups of mathematics, you should consider having your work checked at the Writing Center, see http://www.writingcenter.uwm.edu or call 229-4339 for hours/locations.
Curving: The class may be curved (up, never down). I will not set the curve until after the final, however after each exam, I will announce in class roughly what the cut-offs are for the letter grades for that exam---but only as a guideline.
Policy on missed exams: You will not be allowed to make-up any in-class exam unless you provide me with a University approved absence. Typically, this means a doctor's note on letterhead. If at all possible please let me know before missing an exam that you must.
Prereqs: In order to take this class, you must meet the prerequisites: successful completion of Math 176.
Other Important Dates: First class is Sept. 4. Last day to change to audit is Sept 17. Last day to drop with no "W" is Oct 1. The last drop date is Friday, October 26 (grades up through the first exam will be available before the drop date). There is no class on Thursday, Nov. 22. The last day of classes is Wednesday, Dec. 12.
University Policies:
- Room changes, course cancellations, etc. are posted on Department letterhead only.
- The University Policies on final exams, incomplete grades, religious holidays, discriminatory conduct, student misconduct, grade appeals, and students with disabilities can be found in full at: http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf