MATH  3339,    Spring 2023

Tue, Thu 1-2:30,    Room: F 154

1.    Instructor:  Demetrio Labate
Instructor Office:  694 PGH
Office Hours: Tue, Thu 12-1, or by appointment
Phone Number:  (713) 743-3492
E-mail address:  dlabate@math.uh.edu
Homepage:  http://www.math.uh.edu/~dlabate
        Teaching Assistant: 
Tutoring Hours:
E-mail address: 
2.     Goals and Objectives:
The course is an introduction to statistics. Students are introduced to the notions of graphical and descriptive methods in statistics, probability models, random variables and distributions, sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, regression, analysis of variance, exploratory and diagnostic methods, statistical computing. Students will also be introduced to R, a powerful free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. I will assume no prior knowledge of R.
3.     Textbook: Textbook is not required.
If you want a textbook for reference, self-study and if want to have access to additional examples and exercises, you can use "Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences", 8th or 9th Edition, by Jay Devore, Brooks/Cole.
Lecture Notes: All material needed for the course will be presented in class and made available here (the file will be updated during the semester):
Lecture Notes

The materials provided by the instructor in this course are for the use of the students enrolled in the course only. Course materials may not be further disseminated without instructor permission. This includes sharing content to commercial course material suppliers such as Course Hero or Chegg. Students are prohibited from sharing materials derived from the instructor’s content including lecture notes, problems and exams
Resources for Set theory. Here are some background notes on set theory: brief note, longer article (by Daniel Ashlock at University of Guelph).
R resources. You can run R without the need of installing the package using R Studio Cloud. Alternatively you will have to 1) download R from the Comprehensive R Archive Network CRAN and 2) install Rstudio. Rstudio includes a console, a syntax-highlighting editor that supports direct code execution, and a variety of robust tools for plotting, viewing history, debugging and managing your workspace. Here are some manuals, a tutorial on drawing plots and a few simple examples of R scripts.
Here a summary table on confidence interval and hypothesis testing: tables
5. Homework, tests, exams and grading:
The only way to understand and master the material presented in class is by working out the homework problems on your own. You are strongly encouraged to work out the homework problems that are assigned regularly and carefully. Copying the homework or watching someone else doing the work for you will bring you minimal benefit. There will be (almost) weekly homework assignments posted at the link below. At the end of the semester, your worst HW score will be dropped. The homework will count 30% towards the final grade.

Homework submission and evaluation policy: Every week (unless there is a test) I will administer a short quiz (5-10 min) based on the homework and I will usually not collect the homework (I will tell you in advance if I do). The quiz score will be your homework score.
Quiz policy: The quiz will be adminitered on the homework due date at the end of the lecture, typically between 2:10-2:20am. In case you will be forced to miss class on the quiz day, you can submit your homework as a replacement. Unless you could not have predicted you had to miss class, I will only accept the homework submisison as a quiz replacement based on prior arrangements such as students on travel for justified reasons, medical interventions or students with disabilities. I might request proof that your absence was justified. If you submit the homework, it must be a PDF attachment of size less than 5MB and it must be sent to my email adress on the due date no later than 2:30pm In all other cases you will receive a 0 score if you miss the quiz.

HOMEWORK PROBLEMS:
(The list below will be updated during the semester. Solutions will be posted after quiz collection)
Tests. There will be three tests in class counting 40% towards the final grade (tentatively) on Tue FEB 14, Tue MARCH 28, Thu APR 20 . The worst of your 3 tests will be half-dropped; that is, the 3 tests counts 40% towards the final grade, where the best two tests will count 16% each, the worst one will count 8%.
Final exam. The final exam counts 30% towards the final grade. This is scheduled on Tue MAY 9, 2pm.
Makeup test. Makeup tests will be allowed only for justified and unavoidable absences (e.g., a car accident, a medical or family emergency). In this case, if possible, previous authorization should be obtained from the Instructor. In all other cases, you will receive a zero score for a missed test. All arrangements for make-ups must be made via email.
 
    Grading:
The grade will be determined according to a set point scale: 90%-100%: A, 80%-89%: B, 70%-79%: C, 60-69% D; F is less than 60% (+ and - will also be used).
 
5. Topics and estimated lectures allocated to each topics:
 
 
 Chapter  Sections   Covered so far Lectures   Topics
1 1-4
 1 Overview
2 1-5
6-7 Probability
3 1-6 5 Discrete Random Variables
4 1-4 5 Continuous Random Variables
5 1-5
4 Joint Probability Distributions
6 1
1 Point Estimation
7 1-4
 6
 Confidence Intervals
8 1-4
 4
 Hypothesis Testing
9 1-2
 3
 Inference
12 1-3 3 Regression Analysis

  6. Additional Information:
 
 
COVID-19 Information: Students are encouraged to visit the University’s COVID-19 website for important information including diagnosis and symptom protocols, testing, vaccine information, and post-exposure guidance. Please check the website throughout the semester for updates. Consult the Undergraduate Excused Absence Policy for information regarding excused absences due to medical reasons

Please, regularly consult COVID-19 Updates and Resources by the Provost Office for the most updated information.
Here is the current University protocols about COVID reporting and exposure.

Vaccinations: Data suggests that vaccination remains the best intervention for reliable protection against COVID-19. Students are asked to familiarize themselves with pertinent vaccine information, consult with their health care provider. The University strongly encourages all students, faculty and staff to be vaccinated.

Excused Absence Policy Regular class attendance, participation, and engagement in coursework are important contributors to student success. Absences may be excused as provided in the University of Houston Undergraduate Excused Absence Policy for reasons including: medical illness of student or close relative, death of a close family member, legal or government proceeding that a student is obligated to attend, recognized professional and educational activities where the student is presenting, and University-sponsored activity or athletic competition. Under these policies, students with excused absences will be provided with an opportunity to make up any quiz, exam or other work that contributes to the course grade or a satisfactory alternative. Please, when it is possible, inform the instructor in advance so that appropriate arrangements can be made for the make up evaluation. Please read the Consult the Undergraduate Excused Absence Policy for details regarding reasons for excused absences, the approval process, and extended absences. Additional policies address absences related to military service, religious holy days, pregnancy and related conditions, and disability.

Reasonable Academic Adjustments/Auxiliary Aids: The University of Houston complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, pertaining to the provision of reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids for disabled students. In accordance with Section 504 and ADA guidelines, UH strives to provide reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids to students who request and require them. If you believe that you have a disability requiring an academic adjustments/auxiliary aid, please contact the Justin Dart Jr. Student Accessibility Center (formerly the Justin Dart, Jr. Center for Students with DisABILITIES).

Recording of Class: Students may not record all or part of class, livestream all or part of class, or make/distribute screen captures, without advanced written consent of the instructor. If you have or think you may have a disability such that you need to record class-related activities, please contact the Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center. If you have an accommodation to record class-related activities, those recordings may not be shared with any other student, whether in this course or not, or with any other person or on any other platform. Classes may be recorded by the instructor. Students may use instructor’s recordings for their own studying and notetaking. Instructor’s recordings are not authorized to be shared with anyone without the prior written approval of the instructor. Failure to comply with requirements regarding recordings will result in a disciplinary referral to the Dean of Students Office and may result in disciplinary action.

Resources for Online Learning: The University of Houston is committed to student success, and provides information to optimize the online learning experience through our Power-On website. Please visit this website for a comprehensive set of resources, tools, and tips including: obtaining access to the internet, AccessUH, and Blackboard; requesting a laptop through the Laptop Loaner Program; using your smartphone as a webcam; and downloading Microsoft Office 365 at no cost. For questions or assistance contact UHOnline@uh.edu.

UH Email: Please check and use your Cougarnet email for communications related to this course. To access this email, login to your Microsoft 365 account with your Cougarnet credentials.

Academic Honesty Policy: High ethical standards are critical to the integrity of any institution, and bear directly on the ultimate value of conferred degrees. All UH community members are expected to contribute to an atmosphere of the highest possible ethical standards. Maintaining such an atmosphere requires that any instances of academic dishonesty be recognized and addressed. The UH Academic Honesty Policy is designed to handle those instances with fairness to all parties involved: the students, the instructors, and the University itself. All students and faculty of the University of Houston are responsible for being familiar with this policy.

Title IX/Sexual Misconduct: Per the UHS Sexual Misconduct Policy, your instructor is a “responsible employee” for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations and state law and must report incidents of sexual misconduct (sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual contact, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual intimidation, intimate partner violence, or stalking) about which they become aware to the Title IX office. Please know there are places on campus where you can make a report in confidence. You can find more information about resources on the Title IX website at https://uh.edu/equal-opportunity/title-ix-sexual-misconduct/resources/.

Security Escorts and Cougar Ride: UHPD continually works with the University community to make the campus a safe place to learn, work, and live. Our Security escort service is designed for the community members who have safety concerns and would like to have a Security Officer walk with them, for their safety, as they make their way across campus. Based on availability either a UHPD Security Officer or Police Officer will escort students, faculty, and staff to locations beginning and ending on campus. If you feel that you need a Security Officer to walk with you for your safety please call 713-743-3333. Arrangements may be made for special needs. Parking and Transportation Services also offers a late-night, on-demand shuttle service called Cougar Ride that provides rides to and from all on-campus shuttle stops, as well as the MD Anderson Library, Cougar Village/Moody Towers and the UH Technology Bridge. Rides can be requested through the UH Go app. Days and hours of operation can be found at https://uh.edu/af-university-services/parking/cougar-ride/.

Syllabus Changes: Please note that the instructor may need to make modifications to the course syllabus. Notice of such changes will be announced as quickly as possible through your official cougarnet email.