Introduction to Biostatistics - 550.230 Summer 2009 - The Johns Hopkins University
Instructor: Office: Office Hours: E-mail: Classroom: Lectures:
Ting Yang Whitehead 211D After class until 11:50 ting.yang@jhu.edu Shaffer 302 9:00 to 11:30 (M T W TH)
Textbook: Bernard Rosner, Fundamentals of Biostatistics (6th edition, 2006). Published by Duxbury Press, Belmont, CA. Course Objective: This course will introduce descriptive and inferential statistical methods, with specific application to the biological, life, and medical sciences. We will also introduce the use of computer software R to solve statistical problems. Computer: This course will make use of statistical analysis computer software called R to solve statistical analysis problems. This will be an integral part of the course, and many assignments will require the use of R. R is available in the computer lab on campus (e.g., Krieger Hall). You can also download it from: http://cran.r-project.org/ Portions of some class periods will be held in a computer lab (Shaffer 1) on campus. Starting from the second week, there will be a lab session every Wednesday (10:3011:30am). A specific announcement will be made each week. Unless otherwise stated, please still come to classroom on Wednesday to start class. Sections: During this summer session, lecture each day will end a little earlier than scheduled. At that point, students will be given an opportunity to freely ask questions of any nature about the material or homework after lecture. This will replace the typical “sections” that are held during the fall or spring semesters. Grading: There will be three quizzes, held every Tuesday at the beginning of class. They will be about 40 minutes in length and cover any material discussed in class since the previous quiz. There will also be a cumulative final exam given on Friday, August 1. It will run for 1 hour 15 minutes and cover all material in the course. In addition, there will be a homework assignment due each Monday. Final grades will be weighted as follows: Homework: Final Exam: Quizzes: 20% (5% each) 35% 45% (15% each)
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Your final grade for the course will be based on your course average, which is calculated based on the above percentages. It will be determined by the following scale. 93%-100% 83%-86% 73%-76% 60%-66% A B C D 90%-92% 80%-82% 70%-72% below 60% ABCF 87%-89% 77%-79% 67%-69% B+ C+ D+
Make up exams and quizzes will only be given if the student has an absolutely legitimate and verifiable excuse for missing the scheduled exam, and lets me know ahead of time. Attendance in class is highly recommended. Homework: Some general rules regarding homework: Homework will mostly consist of standard problems from the textbook and computer-based assignments. Often practice problems will also be given. These do not need to be turned in, but it is highly recommended that you attempt to do the problems for practice. Each homework assignment grade will be converted to a percent. The scores from all assignments will be averaged at the end of the course to arrive at your overall homework score for the course. Students are fully responsible for any homework assigned during a missed class. It is ok to work together on homework problems. This means you may discuss problems and ideas for solving them. HOWEVER, the work you turn in must be your own and written up completely independently of anyone else. To get full credit for a problem or partial credit for wrong answers, all work must be shown. Homework must be turned in at the beginning of class the day it is due. Late homework will not be accepted. Since homework is due the day before quizzes you might want to make a copy of it before you turn it in if you want to study from it. You will not get it back before the quiz. Course Material and Schedule: The plan is to cover material in Chapters 1 through 11 of the textbook (although some sections here and there may be skipped). We may wind up covering more or less than this, but this should give you a general idea of what chapters you should be reading. I will let you know of any additional topics we will be covering ahead of time. Weekly Schedule: • Assign homework problems everyday, • Homework due every Monday and hand out the answer key to homework, • Quiz every Tuesday and hand out the answer key to Quiz, • Lab every Wednesday (starting the second week), • Finish grading homework and quiz and go over quiz every Thursday.
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Ethics Statement: The strength of the university depends on academic and personal integrity. In this course, you must be honest and truthful. Ethical violations include cheating on exams, plagiarism, reuse of assignments, improper use of the Internet and electronic devices, unauthorized collaboration, alteration of graded assignments, forgery and falsification, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, and unfair competition. Report any violations you witness to the instructor. You may consult the associate dean of students and/or the chairman of the Ethics Board beforehand. See the guide on "Academic Ethics for Undergraduates" and the Ethics Board web site (http://ethics.jhu.edu) for more information.
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