Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Back to Syllabus Search | Browse by Department
Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Statistical Inference (Online)

MATH 1040-31I

Course: MATH 1040-31I
Credits: 4
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: MATH
CRN: 31623

Course Description

An introduction to the basic concepts and methods of statistical data analysis. Students will summarize and interpret data, evaluate important assumptions, and draw appropriate conclusions based on sample data sets from a variety of disciplines. Topics include descriptive statistics, statistical graphs, probability, discrete and continuous probability distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests with one and two samples, correlation and regression, chi-square tests and one-way ANOVA.

Required Texts

Text: Elementary Statistics, 8th edition by Larson, published by Pearson. Do not buy a hardcopy of this book! An electronic copy is available in the Inclusive Access/Pearson portion of this Canvas page. Furthermore, do not pay anything to Pearson for access to the book or their online homework, quizzes, or supplementary material. The total cost of these materials will be billed directly to your SUU student account by the SUU Bookstore.

Software: This course is based on spreadsheet software. Many of your quizzes will require the use of a spreadsheet. I suggest using either Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc. The latter is free and available for download (Mac, Windows, Linux) at www.libreoffice.org
There is also a free (but deprecated) cloud-based version of Microsoft Office 365 on your MySUU portal page. Apple (Mac/Ipad) has their own spreadsheet software, called Numbers. Unfortunately, Numbers is not compatible with Excel/Calc and uses its own proprietary file format which is not readable without a Mac or Ipad. Since I don't have a Mac or Ipad, I suggest that Mac users download and use LibreOffice Calc for their spreadsheet needs in this course.

Learning Outcomes

As a core general education course, this class will give students opportunities to develop skills with respect to several SUU Essential Learning Outcomes, including Quantitative Literacy, Problem Solving, and Communication (see https://www.suu.edu/academics/provost/pdf/elo-definitions.pdf (Links to an external site.)). In addition, the Department of Mathematics has defined five broad learning outcomes as listed below. Students will be expected to master specific aspects of the first four learning outcomes as related to Math 1040.

  • Use standard mathematical techniques to solve computational problems
  • Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental mathematical concepts and results in the core content areas
  • Use content knowledge to solve applied and real-world mathematical problems
  • Communicate mathematics effectively using proper notation and terminology
  • Use logical reasoning to construct clear and concise mathematical proofs

Course Requirements

AI: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT, BingAI, Claude, et al, may be used on h/w assignments in this class, but with some caveats:

    • AI is not infallible..
    • You are not allowed to use AI during the final exam, which is proctored by the instructor.
    • You are not allowed to use AI for quizzes. Although these are not directly proctored, they can be examined for signs of AI usage, which if proven will result in a grade of "F" for the course (see SUU Policy 6.33 Academic Integrity).
    • This means that at most 1/3 of your grade can be assisted by AI, so if you use AI to do your homework, you are not learning statistics and will likely fail your quizzes, final, and hence the entire course.

Homework and Quizzes: With only several exceptions, homework is found in the Inclusive Access Course Materials link, and should be completed prior to the due dates. The several exceptions are Canvas-based homework in the Assignments tab, which should be marked as non-Pearson.     Don't fall behind---you won't be able to catch up!    You should be able to do homework with minimal outside help or reference. Do all you can on a problem before seeking outside help, since struggling through a problem on your own is sometimes the best way to learn something difficult. I won't accept late homework, but on the other hand I will drop everyone's four lowest raw homework scores to account for the inevitable "dog ate my homework" scenarios. Quizzes are offered almost every week. They are not in the Inclusive Access link, but are in the Quizzes section of this Canvas shell. No late or make-up quizzes will be given unless arrangements are made beforehand. I will drop some low quiz scores as well: only your best 10 quiz scores will be used to compute your grade. Canvas claims it can drop the low h/w and quiz scores, but I am not confident about that. In fact, I will export the entire Gradebook and use Excel to drop low scores at the end of the semester. So your Canvas percentage grade is very likely to be different from your actual grade percentage.

Final Exam: The final exam will be proctored by me via Zoom during Finals Week. Use the same Zoom channel listed above to access the final. The date/time will be chosen based on student input, see Announcements.

Grading: Pearson MyLab awards lots of raw points for homework assignments. Canvas will show those raw points in the Gradebook. However, your grade will be determined as follows. Raw points for homework (after I drop your lowest four assignment scores) will be added up and changed to a percentage. I will turn that percentage into a number between 0 and 100 (for example, 83.2% will become 83.2). Such a number represents course points, rather than raw points. There are 300 possible course points, comprising 100 from your homework, 100 from your best ten quizzes, 100 from the final exam, and possibly some extra credit course points. I will add up your course points and divide by 300 to get a percentage for your grade. The usual college grading scale will apply (93%=A, 90%=A-, 87%=B+, 83%=B, 80%=B-, etc.)

Course Outline

Pearson MyLab provides frequent homework assignments, covering most sections from the textbook.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

I won't accept late homework, but on the other hand I will drop everyone's four lowest raw homework scores to account for the inevitable "dog ate my homework" scenarios. Similarly, I drop the lowest three weekly quiz scores. In consequence, no late or make-up quizzes will be given unless arrangements are made beforehand.

Attendance Policy

is not that critical in an asynchronous online environment. You might spend 8 hours in one session per week, or spread the time out into smaller manageable sized time periods. However, Canvas does keep track of how much time you spend. 

Course Fees

The total cost of these materials will be billed directly to your SUU student account by the SUU Bookstore.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: A recent (within the last two years) Math ACT of at least 23, or Accuplacer Elementary Algebra score of 100, or ALEKS PPL score of 50, or a grade of C or better in Math 1010 within the last two years.

Supplemental material: I have posted lots of extra study material in the Modules section of Canvas. In particular there are some instructive videos that you ought to watch. There are also PDF documents that try to help you understand some of the more difficult ideas. Finally, I have included lots of spreadsheet examples that I do with students in my face-to-face sections. Many quiz questions are based on such spreadsheet examples, so you should review them.

There will be Zoom recordings of lectures and spreadsheet demonstrations, posted regularly to Media Gallery on this Canvas shell.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.