MAT 525, Mathematical Statistics

Key changes to the course structure due to the pandemic are provided at the top. The rest of the syllabus provides the usual policies.

● Lectures will be done online.

○ This will be done on Blackboard-Collaborate-Ultra (BBCU). The videos will then be posted on Blackboard. In addition, supplementary videos might be posted with additional details/examples.

○ Students will have the option to attend the lecture remotely-synchronously (live) or watch the recording asynchronously within 24 hours from the end of the lecture.

● Attendance Assessments:

○ If a student did not participate live (in person or via videoconference), the recording must be watched within 24 hours of the video being posted. Blackboard is able to track the access. The attendance will be counted based on this.

● Based on the recommendation from the academic integrity office, the assessments will be spread through the semester

○ Keeping up with the course on a regular basis will be the most important part of the assessment.

○ This includes regularly attending (or watching) the lecture (videos), accessing the course Blackboard page regularly, and completing the HW assigned after each lecture (typically due within 2-3 days).

General Information

Course Meetings: Mon-Thu 8:00 AM - 9:45 AM ONLINE SYNCHRONOUS, Jul 19, 2021-Aug 27, 2021 Instructor: Thomas John, Ph.D. email: [email protected], Office Hours (virtual): TBA.

Course Catalogue Description:

Estimation and confidence intervals. Normal distribution and central limit theorem. Testing hypotheses, chi-square, t, and F distributions. Least squares, regression, and correlation. Prereq: MAT 521 or graduate standing in mathematical sciences

Course Overview:

Course will cover key topics of mathematical statistics. At a high level, the goal of the course is to build the mathematical theories of the following: statistical estimation, properties and assessment of estimators, and statistical inference procedures. The key point estimation theory topics to be discussed are the maximum likelihood and the method of moments. Theory of properties and assessment will focus on unbiasedness, sufficiency, efficiency, consistency, and minimum variance. Statistical inference theory will deal with confidence intervals, hypotheses testing, regression, and analysis of variance.

Text:

Both texts below cover the topics with differing details. They will be used in parallel.

● Probability and Statistics, 4th Ed, DeGroot and Schervish, ISBN: 9780321500465

● Probability and Mathematical Statistics, Prof. Prasanna Sahoo, University of Louisville

○ See the PDF file (to be posted) on the course Blackboard page

Grading:

Your final grade will be based on two semester exams (15% each), a cumulative final exam (25%), quiz/HW/class participation (45%). Final letter grades will be given according to the following scale:

A (93-100); A- (90-92); B+ (87-89); B (83-86); B- (80-82);

C+ (77-79); C (73-76); C- (70-72); D (60-70); F (0-59)

Exam Dates:

● Semester Exam 1: Thursday, August 5

● Semester Exam 2: Thursday, August 19

● CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM: Thursday, August 26

Special Note on the Final Exam:

All students must take the cumulative final exam at the scheduled time on Thursday, August 26. There will be no exceptions.

(No) Makeup Policy:

There will be absolutely no make-ups for any reason. If you miss a quiz/test for a valid reason (which must be verified by a note from a physician or your dean's office), performance from the corresponding part of a test/final will be used as replacement.

Homework:

Homework will be assigned regularly and some of the problems may be asked to be turned in. You may discuss these problems with other students, but each of you is expected to write up your own solutions independently. The best way to learn this material is to do homework problems. Try as much as possible to do the homework on your own.

Quiz:

There might be quizzes given frequently. These quizzes will be problems very similar to the examples done in lecture and homework problems. The specifics will be announced in lecture ahead of time.

Attendance:

You are expected to attend every class and every exam. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain a copy of the lecture notes for that class from another student. You are also responsible for any announcements about changes to the course schedule, the exam schedule, or the course requirements that were made during that class.

Calculators:

You will need a calculator to do the computations that will arise throughout the course. Calculators are not to be shared during exams and quizzes. Also, calculators on cell phones cannot be used on quizzes/tests. Regardless of the calculator that is being used, calculators with symbolic manipulation capabilities cannot be used to do calculus (differentiation/integration) and sufficient steps must be shown for such work.

Statistical Software:

Students are expected to learn to use statistical software appropriately. There are several options available. The ITS Public Computer Labs have IBM SPSS Statistics, Minitab, R for Windows, and SAS. To see the software available at the clusters, see answers.syr.edu/display/itsservapp011/ITS+Computer+Labs. Since R is a free and very reputable software, I will be using it for illustration. Student is expected to learn to use it on their own using the rich resources available on the internet.

Online Etiquette:

Please review online etiquette rules: https://answers.syr.edu/display/AC/Netiquette+for+Students

Academic Integrity:

Syracuse University’s Academic Integrity Policy reflects the high value that we, as a university community, place on honesty in academic work. The policy defines our expectations for academic honesty and holds students accountable for the integrity of all work they submit. Students should understand that it is their responsibility to learn about course-specific expectations, as well as about university-wide academic integrity expectations. The policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources, the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, and the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verification of participation in class activities. The policy also prohibits students from submitting the same work in more than one class without receiving written authorization in advance from both instructors. Under the policy, students found in violation are subject to grade sanctions determined by the course instructor and non-grade sanctions determined by the School or College where the course is offered as described in the Violation and Sanction Classification Rubric. Syracuse University students are required to read an online summary of the University’s academic integrity expectations and provide an electronic signature agreeing to abide by them twice a year during pre-term check- in on MySlice.

The Violation and Sanction Classification Rubric establishes recommended guidelines for the determination of grade penalties by faculty and instructors, while also giving them discretion to select the grade penalty they believe most suitable, including course failure, regardless of violation level. Any established violation in this course may result in course failure regardless of violation level.

All academic integrity expectations that apply to in-person quizzes, homework and exams also apply to online quizzes and exams. In this course, all work submitted for quizzes and exams must be yours alone. Discussing quiz or exam questions with anyone during the quiz or exam period violates academic integrity expectations for this course.

“Using websites that charge fees or require uploading of course material to obtain exam solutions or assignments completed by others and present the work as your own violates academic integrity expectations in this course.”

Related link: http://class.syr.edu/academic-integrity/policy/

All violations will be reported to the Academic Integrity Office (AIO).

Also see https://provost.syr.edu/important-syllabus-reminders/

Student Mental Health:

Mental health and overall well-being are significant predictors of academic success. As such it is essential that during your college experience you develop the skills and resources effectively to navigate stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Please familiarize yourself with the range of resources the Barnes Center provides (https://ese.syr.edu/bewell/) and seek out support for mental health concerns as needed. Counseling services are available 24/7, 365 days, at 315-443-8000.

Use of Class Materials and Recordings:

Original class materials (handouts, assignments, tests, etc.) and recordings of class sessions are the intellectual property of the course instructor. You may download these materials for your use in this class. However, you may not provide these materials to other parties (e.g., web sites, social media, and other students) without permission. Doing so is a violation of intellectual property law and of the student code of conduct.

Discrimination or Harassment:

Federal and state law, and University policy prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sex or gender (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking, sexual exploitation, and retaliation). If a student has been harassed or assaulted, they can obtain confidential counseling support, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, from the Sexual and Relationship Violence Response Team at the Counseling Center (315-443-8000, Barnes Center at The Arch, 150 Sims Drive, Syracuse, New York 13244). Incidents of sexual violence or harassment can be reported non-confidentially to the University’s Title IX Officer (Sheila Johnson Willis, 315-443-0211, [email protected], 005 Steele Hall). Reports to law enforcement can be made to the University’s Department of Public Safety (315-443-2224, 005 Sims Hall), the Syracuse Police Department (511 South State Street, Syracuse, New York, 911 in case of emergency or 315-435-3016 to speak with the Abused Persons Unit), or the State Police (844-845-7269). I will seek to keep information you share with me private to the greatest extent possible, but as a professor I have mandatory reporting responsibilities to share information regarding sexual misconduct, harassment, and crimes I learn about with the University’s Title IX Officer to help make our campus a safer place for all.

Religious Observances Policy:

Syracuse University’s Religious Observances Policy recognizes the diversity of faiths represented in the campus community and protects the rights of students, faculty, and staff to observe religious holy days according to their tradition. Under the policy, students are provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirements that may be missed due to are religious observance provided they notify their instructors before the end of the second week of classes. An online notification process is available through MySlice (Student Services → Enrollment → My Religious Observances) from the first day of class until the end of the second week of classes.

Students with Disabilities:

Syracuse University values diversity and inclusion; we are committed to a climate of mutual respect and full participation. There may be aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion and full participation in this course. I invite any student to meet with me to discuss strategies and/or accommodations (academic adjustments) that may be essential to your success and to collaborate with the Center for Disability Resources (CDR) in this process.

If you would like to discuss disability-accommodations or register with CDR, please visit their website at https://disabilityservices.syr.edu. Please call (315) 443-4498 or email [email protected] for more detailed information.

CDR is responsible for coordinating disability-related academic accommodations and will work with the student to develop an access plan. Since academic accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact CDR as soon as possible to begin this process. Making arrangements with CDR takes time. Please do not wait until just before the first exam.

Learning Objectives:

After taking this course, students will be able to:

● understand basic ideas of statistical inference;

● calculate, estimate, and manipulate probabilities and random variable distributions commonly used;

● conduct, with and without the aid of technology, probability model determinations and assessments;

● choose appropriate mathematical models to solve statistical problems;

● understand theoretical basis of fundamental inferential procedures;

● apply statistical software and interpret their output for real data analysis.