Course Syllabus

 Course Description

The primary learning objective of K-300 is for you to learn about making decisions based on evidence. Your education in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs focuses on solving issues in the community, finding solutions to practical everyday problems, and making a difference in the world. The subject matter of this class includes research methods and statistics used in criminal justice, forensic science, health services management, and public affairs. These topics will contribute to helping IUN students develop the breadth of knowledge and thinking skills that characterize well-educated members of our society.

 Learning Outcomes 

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Understand and explain the difference between populations and samples and the function of inferential statistics in bridging the two.
2. Construct an appropriate frequency distribution or graph to represent data.
3. Calculate a measure of central tendency and variability to represent data.
4. Locate a score within a distribution and standardize any set of scores.
5. Calculate the probabilities associated with particular scores or particular samples.
6. State the null and alternative hypotheses for statistical tests.
7. Conduct inferential statistics using null hypothesis testing.
8. Conduct and understand one sample, independent samples, and related sample t-tests, as well as construct associated confidence intervals.
9. Conduct and understand one-way, repeated measures, and two-way ANOVAS, as well as post hoc tests.
10. Calculate Pearson correlation coefficients to measure the relationship between two interval or ratio level variables.
11. Calculate a regression of one interval or ratio level variable on another and test the significance of that regression analysis.
12. Calculate a chi square goodness of fit and chi square test of independence.
13. Understand the appropriate use of statistical tests.
14. Interpret the results of statistical tests.
15. Translate the results of said statistical test into real world meaning (i.e., how would you explain the results to your family).
16. Evaluate the decisions made by others based on available evidence.
17. Create an engaging power point presentation and present it to others.

 Course Requirements 

Required Text and Materials

• Gravetter, F.J., and Wallnau, L.B. (2017).  Statistics for the behavioral sciences, 10th Edition.  Cengage Learning. (ISBN: 978-1-305-50491-2)

Technical Requirements

You will need the following in order to participate in this course:

• Desktop or laptop computer
• Reliable Internet connection
• Webcam
• External microphone or headset with built-in microphone
• Access to Canvas using a supported web browser.

 Technical Support

For additional help with technical issues, consult:

• University Information Technology Services (UITS) (human support)
• IU Knowledge Base (IUKB) (documentation for IU applications and services)
• Canvas Student Guide
• IUware (download free software)

 Course Assessment & Grades

Course Assessment:

Homework Assignments

There will be 12 homework assignments which will cover material addressed in class and in the readings.  Each assignment will be weighted equally in the final course grade. 

Exams

There will be three exams given in class (in which you can you can use a formula sheet and note card) each weighted as heavily as four assignments.

• Exam I will cover Gravetter and Wallnau Chapters 1 through 7
• Exam II will cover Gravetter and Wallnau Chapters 8 through 11
• Exam III will cover Gravetter and Wallnau Chapters 12 through 17

Final Project

Students will be placed in teams. Each team will choose a research topic and question that is interesting to them. Students will answer their research question using one of the statistical tools covered in chapters 12 to 17 with data given to them by Dr. Wells. The final product will be a Power Point presentation consisting of Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections describing their project. The grade for this project will be worth the equivalent of four assignments.

The final course grade will be calculated with the following formula:  Final course grade = [Homework 1 + Homework 2 + Homework 3 + Homework 4 + Homework 5 + Homework 6 + Homework 7 + Homework 8 + Homework 9 + Homework 10 + Homework 11 +Homework 12 + 4(Exam I) + 4(Exam II) + 4(Exam III) + 4(Final Project)]/28.

Submitting Assignments

Homework must be submitted in class by the due date.  LATE OR EARLY HOMEWORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE.  

Final Projects will be presented during the last week of class.

How Will I Know How I’m Doing in This Course?

Assignments will be due on Wednesdays and will be returned to you with feedback the following Monday, so you will get your homework grades on a weekly basis. You can also check your grades in Canvas in the Gradebook.  In addition, this semester I will be using IU’s Student Engagement Roster (SER) to provide real-time feedback on your performance in this course. Periodically throughout the semester I will be entering data on factors such as your class attendance, participation, and success with coursework, among other things. This information will provide feedback on how you are faring in the course and offer you suggestions on how you might be able to improve your performance.   You will be able to access this information in One.IU.edu by typing in “Student Engagement Roster (student)” in the search box and accessing the appropriate application.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact me.

Late Work

LATE HOMEWORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE.