Syllabus

Science Prerequisites for Health Professionals

MATH 1050: Applied Statistics (Fall 2022)

Credits - 4

Description

This four-credit-hour, one-semester online course is designed to offer the same major subject and content areas as a traditional statistics course, but differs in that an emphasis is placed on application. Students will explore data sets and challenges from several disciplines, including health professions, education, sports science, and business, to make the course relevant to their specific needs and interests. The course provides a practical application of the statistical component of SPSS and introduces higher level statistics concepts and topics.

Prerequisite(s)

None

For general course information, such as registration, questions regarding financial aid, etc. please contact an OWL Enrollment Consultant at 1-855-325-0894 or prehealthadmissions@une.edu. Most of your questions may be answered in our FAQs at https://online.une.edu/science-prerequisites/faq/

Materials

Textbook

  • Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics 5th Edition (North American Edition)
    Andy Field, Sage, 2018; ISBN-10: 1526436566
  • The textbook and SPSS are sometimes offered as a bundle, but this bundle does not include the version of SPSS you will need for this course!

SPSS Software

You will need to purchase the SPSS Statistics Standard GradPack 25 software to complete this course.  SPSS Statistics Standard GradPack 25 is available in Windows and Mac versions, as either 6-month or 12-month rentals. If you are a macOS Big Sur user, you will need to utilize the Standard GradPack 27.

  • You may purchase the SPSS Statistics Standard GradPack 25 software from IBM’s official SPSS distributors at this link: https://www.ibm.com/us-en/marketplace/spss-statistics-gradpack/details#product-header-top
  • Be sure to purchase the Standard GradPack 25.  The Base GradPack 25 does not include important functions you will need to complete this course!  (The Premium GradPack 25 will also allow you to complete the course, but is more expensive than the Standard GradPack 25, and includes some extra functions and tools not needed for this course.)

Scientific Calculator

You will need access to a scientific calculator for this course. Any calculator that has an exponent and square root key suffices. Using cell phones or online calculators is not recommended. If you need to purchase a calculator you need to make sure it is “scientific”. There are many inexpensive options available that will suffice for this class as most calculations will be done using SPSS.

Textbooks, software, and calculators need to be purchased separately and are not part of your registration fee.

Mandatory UNE-approved webcam and whiteboard* – To be used during proctored exams

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Program Objectives:

  1. Communicate scientific concepts and information clearly.
  2. Illustrate fundamental laws, theories, and principles of scientific disciplines.
  3. Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to scientific problems.

Course Goals and Objectives:

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

  1. Define terminology of basic statistics including Descriptive and Inferential statistics and calculate measures of central tendency and position as well as confidence intervals.
  2. Present data summarizations by constructing charts and graphs
  3. Apply the methods of hypothesis testing for one sample and two samples
  4. Determine evidence of bias through identifying outliers and violations of assumptions
  5. Perform ANOVA and ANCOVA tests
  6. Perform single and multiple correlation and regression analysis between variables
  7. Conduct chi-square tests
  8. Discuss normality and homoscedasticity/homogeneity of variance
  9. Identify partial correlation, biserial & point-biserial correlation
  10. Study different types of factorial designs and analyze main effect and interaction effects of variables
  11. Interpret factorial repeated measures designs then combine independent designs and repeated – measures to study a mixed design
  12. Analyze three or more variables using loglinear analysis
  13. Calculate expected frequencies and build a contingency table
  14. Predict categorical outcomes from categorical and continuous predictors
  15. Study binary and multinomial logistic regression and interpret them with odd ratios

SELF PACED DESIGN

On the course start date, students will have access to orientation. This must be completed to be able to gain access to the first module in the course. Students must complete the first module to gain access to the next one. We recommend that students spend about 15 hours per week to complete a course in 16 weeks. When trying to complete the course in less than 16 weeks, we typically see students do this successfully within 12-14 weeks. Instructors will be timely in grading and feedback, but it will not be instant.

Assignments

Course Format

Each week, this course will present you with:

  • Chapter(s) to read in the assigned textbook
  • Videos and/or interactive tutorials to help guide you through the course concepts and skills
  • Ungraded self-test questions from the textbook to gauge your mastery of the material
  • A set of graded homework questions testing your mastery of the course material

This is a challenging course, and regular contact with your professor is strongly encouraged.

This course is designed to take 16 weeks to complete.

Homework 

Each week (except for the Midterm and Final Exam weeks) includes a graded set of homework questions related to that week’s concepts and skills. Before you attempt the homework, we strongly encourage you to complete the self-test questions included in each week. Use these ungraded self-assessments to guide your study and practice.

Course Project

Regularly throughout the course you will complete a section of a large, research-based project. This project will ask you to step into the shoes of a research statistician who has been asked to analyze the data collected by a research team. Through the five parts of the project, you will gain first-hand experience using statistical analysis and reasoning to generate meaningful conclusions from large data sets.

Discussions

Posting to a course discussion can be exciting. You are interacting with your peers, sharing your thoughts, opinions, questions, and observations, and reading about others’ experiences as well. This is where you get to know your fellow classmates, build and maintain your connections, and even learn a thing or two! In this course, you will use the discussion boards to explore the topics, challenges, and ambiguities of statistical analysis and reasoning. Every two weeks you will choose two discussion topics to explore, and will post your responses on the online discussion board. On the following weeks you will return to the discussion board and read and respond to your classmates’ posts.

Exams 

There will be two proctored exams. The Midterm Exam (in week 8) will cover Chapters 1-6 and Chapters 8-10.  The Final Exam (in week 16) will cover material from the entire course.  You will have three hours to complete each exam. You may use your scientific calculator (not a calculator app on your phone or tablet) and a UNE authorized whiteboard. You must show your proctor that your whiteboard is clear at the beginning of your testing session, and you must erase your whiteboard in front of the proctor before disconnecting from your session. If you do not do this, your exam will not be credited. These exams are closed for review. You will not be able to review this exam at any time. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback. You will need to schedule each exam with our online proctoring system, ProctorU. You must purchase the official UNE External Webcam to take your proctored examinations. Remember to order your webcam at least three weeks prior to scheduling your first proctored exam.

For all exams, you must review the Proctored Examinations information and requirements in the Policies section of this syllabus.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Homework20%
Discussions10%
Midterm Exam (must be proctored)20%
Final Exam (must be proctored)25%
Course Project (in 5 parts)25%
TOTAL100%
Grade Grade Point Grade Point Average
A 94-100 4
A- 90-93 3.75
B+ 87-89 3.5
B 84-86 3
B- 80-83 2.75
C+ 77-79 2.5
C 74-76 2
C- 70-73 1.75
D 64-69 1
F 00-63 0

Schedule

Course Schedule

  Goals

 

Getting Started

 

  • Read Syllabus
  • Contact professor to discuss any questions regarding the syllabus
  • Read and complete the Orientation, including the “Scavenger Hunt” and “Academic Integrity Agreement.” (Until you complete these, you will not have access to the weekly course content.)
Week 1

Introduction & The SPINE of Statistics

  • Read the Textbook
    • Chapters 1 – 2
  • Complete Week 1 Introduction and Discussion
  • Complete Self-Assessments
  • Complete Week 1 Homework
Week 2

The Phoenix of Statistics & SPSS

  • Read the Textbook and Watch the Lectures
    • Chapter 3
    • Chapter 4
    • Descriptive Statistics mini-lecture
    • Graphs mini-lecture
    • Project: Part 1 mini-lecture
    • Oditi’s Lantern SPSS Tutorial Videos
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 1 Introduction and Discussion
  • Complete Week 2 Discussion
  • Complete Week 2 Self-Assessments
  • Complete Week 2 Homework
Week 3

Exploring Data with Graphs and Project: Part 1

  • Read the Textbook and Watch the Lecture
    • Chapter 5
    • Editing Graphs in SPSS mini-lecture
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 2 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 3 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 3 Homework
  • Complete the Project: Part 1
Week 4

The Beast of Bias

  • Read the Textbook and Watch the Lectures
    • Chapter 6
    • Confidence Intervals mini-lecture
    • Hypothesis Testing: Project Part 2 mini-lecture
    • Oditi’s Lantern Tutorial and Videos
  • Complete the Week 4 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 4 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 4 Homework
Week 5

Correlation

  • Read the Textbook and Watch Lectures
    • Chapter 8
    • Correlation mini-lecture
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 4 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 5 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 5 Homework
Week 6

The Linear Model and Regression

  • Read the Textbook, Watch the Lecture, and Complete the Interactive Tutorial
    • Chapter 9
    • SPSS Automatic Linear Modeling mini-lecture
    • Interactive Tutorial: The Linear Model
  • Complete the Week 6 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 6 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 6 Homework
Week 7

Comparing Two Means and Project: Part 2

  • Read the Textbook, Watch the Lecture, and Complete the Interactive Tutorial
    • Chapter 10
    • Interactive Tutorial: Categorical Predictors
    • t-Tests Using SPSS mini-lecture
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 6 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 7 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 7 Homework
  • Complete the Project: Part 2
Week 8

Midterm Exam

  • Complete the Week 8 Midterm Reflection
  • Study the previous Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Proctored Midterm Exam
Week 9

Comparing Several Independent Means

  • Read the Textbook, Watch the Video, and Complete the Interactive Tutorials
    • Chapter 12
    • Linear Regression mini-lecture
    • Interactive Tutorial: Categorical Predictors
    • Interactive Tutorial: Contrast Coding and Post Hoc Testing
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 8 Midterm Reflection
  • Complete the Week 9 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 9 Homework
Week 10

Comparing Means Adjusted for Other Predictors and Project: Part 3

  • Read the Textbook, Watch the Video, and Complete the Interactive Tutorial
    • Chapter 13
    • ANOVA Testing mini-lecture
    • Interactive Tutorial: Comparing Means Adjusted for Other Predictors (ANCOVA)
  • Complete the Week 10 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 10 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 10 Homework
  • Complete the Project: Part 3
Week 11

Factorial Designs

  • Read the Textbook and Complete the Interactive Tutorial
    • Chapter 14
    • Interactive Tutorial: Factorial Designs
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 10 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 11 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 11 Homework
Week 12

Repeated-Measures Designs

  • Read the Textbook and Complete the Interactive Tutorial
    • Chapter 15
    • Interactive Tutorial: Repeated Measures Designs
  • Complete the Week 12 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 12 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 12 Homework
Week 13

Mixed Designs and Project: Part 4

  • Read the Textbook and Complete the Interactive Tutorial
    • Chapter 16
    • Interactive Tutorial: Mixed Designs
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 12 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 13 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 13 Homework
  • Complete the Project: Part 4
Week 14

Categorical Outcomes 1: Chi-Square and Logilinear Analysis

  • Read the Textbook and Watch the Videos
    • Chapter 19
    • Watch the Logistic Regression Videos:
      • Statistics 101: Logistic Regression, An Introduction mini-lecture
      • SPSS Tutorials: Binary Logistic Regression mini-lecture
      • Binary Logistic Regression Using SPSS mini-lecture
    • Watch the Chi-Square Videos:
      • Chi-Square Test in SPSS + Interpretation mini-lecture
      • Interpreting the SPSS Output for a Chi Square Analysis mini-lecture
      • SPSS Tutorial – Chi Square Test, Including Interpretation mini-lecture
      • Chi Square Test in SPSS (Part 1) mini-lecture
      • Chi Square Test in SPSS (Part 2) mini-lecture
      • Chi Square Test in SPSS (Part 3) mini-lecture
      • Chi Square Test in SPSS (Part 4) mini-lecture
      • Chi Square Test of Independence in SPSS – In Depth mini-lecture
  • Complete the Week 14 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 14 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 14 Homework
Week 15

Categorical Outcomes 2: Logistic Regression

  • Read the Textbook and Complete the Interactive Tutorial
    • Chapter 20
    • Interactive Tutorial: Categorical Outcomes
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 14 Discussion
  • Complete the Week 15 Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Week 15 Homework
Week 16

Proctored Final Exam and Project Part 5

  • Complete the Week 16 Capstone Reflection
  • Study the Previous Weeks’ Self-Assessments
  • Complete the Proctored Final Exam
  • Complete the Project: Part 5
  • Respond to Two Classmates in the Week 16 Capstone Reflection
End of course
  • Please complete the course evaluation, which is located at the bottom of the Week 16 Learning Module.

 

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Science Prerequisites page

Instructor and Support Contact Information

Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.

Further Assistance

Your student service advisor monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Brightspace, and more.

Student Lounge

The Student Lounge Discussion Board is a designated support forum in which students may engage with each other and grapple with course content. Feel free to post questions, seek clarification, and support each other, but be mindful of UNE's Academic Integrity Policy.

Your instructor will monitor this forum. However, if you are seeking specific and timely answers to questions about course content or your personal grades, please contact your instructor via course messages. For questions about course materials, program policy, and how to navigate and proceed through the course, please contact your Student Service Advisor through the Student Portal.

Policies

Proctored Examinations

The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.

Upon enrollment into the course, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU's services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded the ProctorU Chrome or Firefox extension and are using the most current version of Chrome or Firefox. They must also be sure their testing site's connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU's "Test It Out" utility.

Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on "exams". After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU's web site, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.

Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited.

Proctored exams are not available for review at any time. You will not be able to see the questions, nor the answers you've given, after completing the exams. Please contact your instructor for specific feedback.

Course Discussions

Discussion board assignments cover interesting current events or materials related to this course that contribute to a deeper understanding of key concepts and allow you to interact with your classmates and the instructor. Each assignment may require you to conduct internet research, read additional materials (a short journal or magazine article), visit a specific webpage, AND/OR view a short video prior to writing a response following the specific guidelines in the assignment.

To earn full credit: you will need to post a response to the discussion topic, respond to the original posts of at least two other students, and then contribute meaningfully to an ongoing discussion. You will need to post your initial response before you will see any posts from your classmates. Please keep in mind that only this initial response is included in your assignment grade, so make sure you have followed all of the guidelines and written a complete response prior to submitting the post. For special cases where one or two students are accelerating faster through the course, the instructor will participate in the discussion so that everyone has the opportunity to interact.

Please see Brightspace for a full description, along with specific guidelines, for each assignment. Discussion board assignments should be completed, along with all other assignments in the course, in the order that they appear. Due to the course design, you may be unable to take a proctored exam if you do not complete all assignments that appear prior to that exam.

Please also refer to the Grading Policy/Grade Breakdown section of the syllabus to learn the percentage of your grade that each discussion board assignment is worth.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Length

A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus. This is, however a self-paced course and you can complete the course in less time.

  1. Courses in the SPHP program are equivalent to one-semester courses designed to be completed in 16 weeks
  2. Enrollment in the course begins the day your section opens which is listed in the Academic Calendar found on the Student Success Portal.
  3. Course start and end dates are in respect to Eastern Time.

Withdrawal and Refund Policies

Please visit the enrollment page to review the withdrawal and refund policies.

Grade Policy

Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. View the incomplete grade policy..

Transcripts

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.

To view your unofficial UNE student transcript:

  1. Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
  2. Select Student Services
  3. Select Student Records
  4. Select Academic Transcript

To request your official UNE student transcript:

Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.

  1. Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
  2. Select Student Services
  3. Select Student Records
  4. Select Request Printed/Official Transcript
  5. Follow the prompts

After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be printed in the Registrar's Office.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.