Course Information for University of Minnesota, Stat 5303
12:50pm-01:40pm MWF, ClaOff 143, St. Paul
LAB 2, 12:50pm-1:40pm T, ClaOff 135
LAB 3 1:55pm-2:45pm T, ClaOff 135
Spring Semester, 2005

General Information

The instructor is S. Weisberg, 146H ClaOff, 625-8777. Office Hrs.: W 9-10 & M 3:30-4:30 (except for Jan. 24, 31). I can be reached via email at sandy@stat.umn.edu, and will generally answer email promptly. I will be in Minneapolis (362 Ford Hall, 5-8355) on TuTh. The lab instructor and paper grader is Fujin Lu, lu@stat.umn.edu. Her office hours are Tu 3-4, in 133 ClaOff.

Texts and computing

The required textbook is: George W. Cobb (1998). Introduction to Design and Analysis of Experiments. Emeryville, CA: Key College Publishing, paperback.

We will do computing using the package JMP. A student version of JMP, called JMP-In, is available in the bookstore, but you do NOT required to buy it. You can do all computing on a lab machine in 135 ClaOff. JMP-In is a commercial product; you may not make a copy of it unless you buy the package. The JMP-In package comes with a textbook called JMP Start Statistics, which you might find useful, particularly if the thought of doing statistical computing makes you feel ill.

Class homepage

http://www.stat.umn.edu/~sandy/courses/5303. The homepage will include copies of most/all handouts, and all data sets that will be used in homework and in the class, and other useful information. I will also have a class email list that I will use to communicate with you.

Homework

Homework problems will be due in-class on Fridays beginning January 28; a subset of the problems will be graded and returned in lab. Late homework may not be graded. Working together on the homework is acceptable, perhaps even encouraged. It is very difficult to learn the material and pass this course without doing the homework. We plan to make solutions for all problems available in the Copy Center in the St. Paul Student Center.

Part of the grade for homework is for organization and presentation of ideas. In particular, do not simply include a slug of unannotated computer output; that will obtain little credit. Include only the relevant output and comment about what the output tells you. The goal is like a report to coworkers; you don't have to teach us what you've done, but you do need to tell us what you've done, why you did it, and what it means. We can't read your mind.

Exam schedule

Exam Date
First Exam Friday, March 4, in class
Second Exam Friday, April 8, in class
Final Exam Friday, May 13, 8-10AM
The final exam is scheduled a full week after the end of classes.

Project

All graduate students are required to complete a project. This project will consist of two parts: (1) a very brief description of your research area and (2) a description of an experiment that you are doing as part of your research, and how this course is relevant to your work. Up to six of you can present your project orally, rather than written, with one each Monday beginning March 28. This would require a 10 minute presentation of your research area and your experiment, and 15 minutes of class discussion about your experiment. Those who do the presentation will find it to be the highlight of the course, possibly the highlight of the year. The six slots for oral presentation will be allocated first come first served. All others must submit a written project (five pages or less), due on the last Monday of classes, May 2.

If you need help with the project, see me during office hours. Undergraduates interested in honors credit need to complete a project.

Grading

Item Points
First Exam 20
Second Exam 20
Final Exam 30
Project 10
Homework 20
The total number of points possible is 100 for graduates or honors undergraduates and 90 for other undergraduates. Graduates and undergraduates will be graded using different standards.

Labs

Sections will be held in the PC lab in room 135 ClaOff. Sections will include worked examples, question and answer time, return of homework, and instruction in JMP-In.

Course outline

The course will follow the textbook.

S Weisberg
2005-01-18