RADS 6553 Statistics

Course Details

Course Number: 6553 Summer I 2012

Location: Bridwell Hall

Classroom Number: online

Days & Times:

online course.

For online courses I am generally in the office Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST to answer questions by email or phone. When I am teaching face-to-face I will return messages and emails generally within 24 hours. If you need to make an appointment to talk with me outside of these hours call or email to establish a time.

Course Attachments

Textbooks

MSU Faculty Member

Dr. James Johnston
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Course Objectives

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

Collect, organize, and appropriately test data.
Use SPSS for the calculation of common statistical tests.
Correctly interpret and report statistical results in APA format.

Course Expectations

The purpose of this course is to familiarize graduate students with the calculation and interpretation of common statistical tests and the use of SPSS as a tool in their research projects. The student will be guided through a series of lessons in SPSS that will both familiarize the student with the software and teach appropriate statistical testing and interpretation of results. The course will culminate with a project that will showcase all that has been learned in the course.

Grading Standards

Grading / Evaluation:

Completion of this course is based on satisfactory performance on the following:

          Unit One assignment                = 15%
            Unit Two assignment                = 15%
            Unit Three assignment            = 15 %
            Unit Four assignment                = 15%
            Unit Five assignment               = 15%

Final Project = 25%

A letter grade will then be assigned according to the following scale:

    90% and above       = A
    80% - 89%              = B
    70% - 79%                          = C
    60% - 69%              = D
    59% and below       = F

Submission Format Policy

Assignments / Activities:

The assignments and final project comprise the grade for this course. All assignments are to be submitted as instructed in each unit. Points will be deducted for improper format. Proper APA format must be used where appropriate. Plagiarism will be graded harshly. Assignments must be received prior to the deadline. Late assignments are automatically dropped one letter grade per week past the due date and will NOT be accepted 3 weeks beyond the deadline. All assignments must be received by the last regular class day of the semester. A zero will be recorded for assignments not submitted or meeting the final deadline.

Course Calendar / Deadlines

See course unit pages for full description of readings and assignments.

Students should plan on 8-10 hours per week to complete all readings and assignments.

UNIT	ASSIGNMENT	DEADLINE/DUE DATE
Lesson 1 – 10 prior to starting course lesson (familiarization with software)
Unit One	Lessons 19 and 21	June 22
Unit Two	Lesson 22 and 24	June 29
Unit Three	Lessons 25 and 26	July 6
Unit Four	Lesson 31	July 13
Unit Five	Lesson 40 and 41	July 20
Final Project		July 27

Note: You may not submit a paper for a grade in this class that already has been (or will be) submitted for a grade in another course, unless you obtain the explicit written permission of me and the other instructor involved in advance.

Plagiarism Policy Plagiarism is the use of someone else's thoughts, words, ideas, or lines of argument in your own work without appropriate documentation (a parenthetical citation at the end and a listing in "Works Cited")-whether you use that material in a quote, paraphrase, or summary. It is a theft of intellectual property and will not be tolerated, whether intentional or not.

Student Honor Creed

As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else do so."

As students at MSU, we recognize that any great society must be composed of empowered, responsible citizens. We also recognize universities play an important role in helping mold these responsible citizens. We believe students themselves play an important part in developing responsible citizenship by maintaining a community where integrity and honorable character are the norm, not the exception. Thus, We, the Students of Midwestern State University, resolve to uphold the honor of the University by affirming our commitment to complete academic honesty. We resolve not only to be honest but also to hold our peers accountable for complete honesty in all university matters. We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any unauthorized material in examinations, or to present, as one's own, work or ideas which are not entirely one's own. We recognize that any instructor has the right to expect that all student work is honest, original work. We accept and acknowledge that responsibility for lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and other forms of academic dishonesty fundamentally rests within each individual student. We expect of ourselves academic integrity, personal professionalism, and ethical character. We appreciate steps taken by University officials to protect the honor of the University against any who would disgrace the MSU student body by violating the spirit of this creed. Written and adopted by the 2002-2003 MSU Student Senate.

Students with Disabilities The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Support Services in Room 168 of the Clark Student Center, 397-4140.

Safe Zones Statement The professor considers this classroom to be a place where you will be treated with respect as a human being - regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political beliefs, age, or ability. Additionally, diversity of thought is appreciated and encouraged, provided you can agree to disagree. It is the professor's expectation that ALL students consider the classroom a safe environment.

Contacting your Instructor All instructors in the Department have voicemail in their offices and MWSU e-mail addresses. Make sure you add your instructor's phone number and e-mail address to both email and cell phone lists of contacts.

Attendance Requirements

This is an online course and as such there are no mandatory sessions. However, the student should be vigilant in checking email and logging onto WebCT. Regular checks will insure that messages from the instructor are received in a timely manner. This course is on a schedule that will be strictly adhered to.

Other Policies

Conduct / Honesty / Honor System:

Creed: “As an MSU Student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, steal, or help anyone else to do so."

RADS 6553 adheres to the MSU Code of Conduct. In particular, academic dishonesty, however small, creates a breach in academic integrity. A student’s participation in this course comes with the expectation that his or her work will be completed in full observance of the MSU Code of Student Conduct. A student should consult the Student Handbook for answers to any questions about the code.

Students are encouraged to take full advantage of many resources available including Internet sites, handouts and module notebooks, other textbooks and journals, faculty, and peers. This interactive collegial learning environment is conducive for life-long learning.

Specific components of RADS 6553 are designed to represent the efforts of each student individually and are NOT to be shared. These components include the written assignments and final project submitted for a grade. When students submit their efforts for grading, they are attesting they abided by this rule.

Cheating includes, but is not limited to, (1) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; (2) dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or completing other assignments; or (3) the acquisition of tests or other academic materials belonging to the university faculty or staff without permission.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use of, by paraphrase or direct quotation without correct citation in the text and on the reference list, the published or unpublished works of another person. Students may NOT submit papers and assignments that they have previously submitted for this or other courses. The use of materials generated by agencies engaged in "selling" term papers is also plagiarism. Students are encouraged to review the tutorials and suggested websites for more information about plagiarism. Papers and other assignments may be submitted to an external agency for verification of originality and authenticity.

Academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated in this class. Whenever a student is unsure of whether a particular situation will be interpreted as academic dishonesty, he/she should ask the instructor for clarification. If students are guilty of academic dishonesty, a grade of zero (0) may be given for the quiz, assignment, etc. Cases may also be referred to the Dean of Students for possible dismissal from the university.

PLEASE NOTE

By enrolling in this course, the student expressly grants MSU a “limited right” in all intellectual property created by the student for the purpose of this course. The “limited right” shall include but shall not be limited to the right to reproduce the student’s work product in order to verify originality and authenticity, and for educational purposes. Specifically, faculty may submit student papers and assignments to an external agency to verify originality and authenticity, and to detect for plagiarism.

Administrative Process:

Unresolved issues related to this course should be first addressed between the student and the course instructor. If there is no resolution, students must follow this sequence:

Department Chair – Dr. Donna Wright (940-397-4615)

College Dean – Dr. James Johnston (940-397-4594)

Dean of Students – Dail Neely (940-397-6273)

Communication with Instructor:

Contact information for the instructor is listed at the beginning of this syllabus. Email is the preferred mode of communication. It is critical that students report all email changes immediately to the instructor. The instructor will respond or at least acknowledge email messages from students within a maximum of five (5) business days when MSU is in session. Beyond standard university holidays and breaks, the instructor will notify students of any extended periods of time when email contact is not practical (professional meetings, etc)

The instructor will be available to meet face-to-face with any interested students at a designated time and place that will be announced on WebCT after the start of classes. This meeting is optional and must be confirmed by email ahead of time with the instructor.

This course will include a GRADED Discussion Board on WebCT. As part of the final project the students will post their Plus/Delta reports and comment on those of classmates. Participation will be calculated as part of the final project grade.

Writing Proficiency Requirement All students seeking a Bachelor's degree from Midwestern State University must satisfy a writing proficiency requirement once they've 1) passed English 1113 and English 1123 and 2) earned 60 hours. You may meet this requirement by passing either the Writing Proficiency Exam or English 2113. Please keep in mind that, once you've earned over 90 hours, you lose the opportunity to take the $25 exam and have no option but to enroll in the three-credit hour course. If you have any questions about the exam, visit the Writing Proficiency Office website at http://academics.mwsu.edu/wpr, or call 397-4131.