Syllabus for MST-700

MANAGERIAL STATISTICS


COURSE DESCRIPTION

The success of modern business practices and evidenced-based decisions depends on sound statistical and analytical skills. Managerial Statistics lays the foundation for statistical thinking and imparts many valuable skills that are widely used in marketing, finance, economics, supply chain management and financial accounting. This course also expands spreadsheet skills and advances the type of computing expertise required for analyzing large amounts of complex data. This is a hands-on course with an emphasis on examining and interpreting data using various statistical tools rather than on the theory underlying these tools. Statistical tools that are covered are exploratory data analysis; regression modeling for simple and multiple predictors; hypothesis testing and confidence intervals for a mean, a proportion, and regression coefficients; and normal, binomial, and chi-square distributions. This course should provide a solid foundation for the further exploration of advanced data-mining tools.

Please Note: The Excel 2010 Data Analysis ToolPak with statistical add-in functions will be used throughout the course. All data analysis, written assignments, exams, and projects will utilize Excel as the primary evaluation tool. The Data Analysis ToolPak is a free download from Microsoft.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, students will be able to:

  1. Correctly analyze managerial business problems through their comprehension of data and data distributions using the following concepts:
  1. Descriptive statistics                                                        
  2. Probability analysis                                                          
  3. Binomial data distributions
  4. Normal data distributions
  5. Chi-square data distributions
  6. Confidence intervals and hypothesis testing
  7. Difference between two means analysis
  8. Correlation and regression analysis
  9. Multiple regression analysis

  1. Evaluate data, claims, and/or problem statements using Excel, the Excel statistical functions, and 2010 Data Analysis ToolPak.

  1. Perform and document a real-world statistical study.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the University’s textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

ISBN-13: 9780840062383

Optional Textbook

ISBN-13: 9780789747204

Other Resources

COURSE STRUCTURE

Managerial Statistics is a three-credit online course, consisting of seven modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for details.

Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete seven written assignments. The written assignments are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.

Synchronous Events

Synchronous events will be held during modules 4 and 7 of the semester;. To access the event, click the Collaboration Space link in the Edison Live! section of the course site a few minutes before the designated time. Use the following link for directions and helpful videos about how to use the Edison Live! tool in Moodle. Your mentor will work with the class to propose a time that works best and accommodates the majority.  

Midterm Assignment

You will complete a midterm assignment by the end of week 5. This assignment will assess your understanding of 10 concepts taught in Weeks 1 through 4 of the course.

Final Project

You will submit a final project due by the last day of the semester. It will be an original observational statistical study, non-trivial in nature, that fulfills certain requirements. (See the Final Project area of the course.)

By Week 5 of the course (see the course Calendar for details) you must submit a proposal 200 to 300 words in length describing your project.. This proposal must be approved by your mentor.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

A

=

93–100

B

=

83–87

A–

=

90–92

C

=

73–82

B+

=

88–89

F

=

Below 73

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.

Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:

Plagiarism

Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.

If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.

For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance and originality report checking, click the links provided below.

Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism

When to Quote and When to Paraphrase

Writing Assistance at Smarthinking

Originality Report Checking at Turnitin

Disciplinary Process for Plagiarism

Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.

If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.

If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.

Possible sanctions include:

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