STAT 220

Statistics 220 has existed as a Faculty of Mathematics course at the University of Waterloo over many decades.   Its more pronounced mathematical emphasis in the 1970s and early 1980s slowly changed to more applied content so that, by the later 1980s, the required text was Statistics by D. Freedman, R. Pisani and R. Purves.  This was changed in 1990 to Introduction to the Practice of Statistics by D.S. Moore and G.P. McCabe, which was retained as the recommended text through three (or more) editions to 2005.   The 1994 course curriculum represented in these Materials was recognizable by the later 1980s and it remained essentially unchanged over the period 1990 to 2005   These Materials were gradually developed over several decades and involved innumerable changes and refinements resultng from much discussion and the pedagogic ideas of many people.

From 1990 to 2005, Statistics 220 was taught in 36 fifty-minute lectures (3 per week for a 12-week term) and a weekly fifty-minute tutorial for students to seek individual help from the instructor or TA with assignments or other course-related matters.   During the term, as part of the lectures, 17 programs (25 minutes each) were shown from the 26-part video series Against All Odds: Inside Statistics.   The mathematical prerequisite for the course was Math 127, a one-term course of differential and integral calculus.

For many years, Stat 220 was offered on campus once per academic year in the Fall term.

Like most texts, these Course Materials go beyond what students can reasonably be expected to assimilate in a one-term course of around 30 hours of classes.   One of the instructor's tasks is to distinguish the core (examinable) material from ideas students can pursue for enrichment.   Students can assess their understanding of this distinction from their ability to do the assignment questions.

Mark summaries, as given below at the end of Part 0, were posted throughout the term for students who wished to assess their performance in STAT 220 against that of other class members.   After the final exam, a complete record of term marks, by ID number but no names, was posted so students could check that marks on their transcript were correct;   no mistakes in STAT 220 marks, term or final, were ever identified -- click here (marks.pdf   marks.ps) for an example of such a posting [2 sides].     Also, at the start of a term, students who wished to work with other class member(s) when studying the course material provided contact information which was tabulated by the instructor and made available to class members as a list -- click here (contact.pdf   contact.ps) for an example of two such lists [2 sides].   [These examples have been edited for privacy for this web context.]

Part 0.   STAT 220 ADMINISTRATIVE MATERIALS [172 sides + 7 blanks]

Part 1.   THE SUBJECT OF STATISTICS [18 sides]

Part 2.   DATA-BASED INVESTIGATING:   THE FDEAC CYCLE [116+4 sides + 2 blanks]

Part 3.   GRAPHICAL ATTRIBUTES:   PICTORIAL AND TABULAR METHODS OF DATA PRESENTATION

Part 4.   SIMPLE NUMERICAL ATTRIBUTES:   NUMERICAL DATA SUMMARIES AND THEIR USES

Part 5.   CONTINUOUS DISTRIBUTIONS:   AN INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY MODELLING [40 + 2 sides + 2 blanks]

Part 6.   MODELLING THE BEHAVIOUR OF SAMPLE AVERAGES:   INTERVAL ESTIMATING [39 + 2 sides + blank]

Part 7.   AN INTRODUCTION TO DISCRETE PROBABILITY

Part 8.   AN INTRODUCTION TO SURVEY SAMPLING [101 + 2 sides + 3 blanks]

Part 9.   RELATIONSHIPS IN STATISTICS:   ASSOCIATION AND CAUSATION [95 + 3 sides + 4 blanks]