Requirements for Project 1

Below is a checklist if items that must be addressed for Project 1.

Think of a quantitative investigation that someone might contract out to have done. Then go and perform this investigation and produce a report on it as though you were handing the report to the person paying for your services. The purpose of the report is to make recommendations based on your findings, so be sure to make the recommendations throughout the paper. Also include a statement on who has hired you and why. Below are the items that the report must contain.
A description of the sampling technique that was made and how the technique was applied. You must use either simple random sampling, stratified sampling, or cluster sampling. Discuss any bias that might have occurred due to your sampling technique. Note that bias involves a misrepresentation of the population so that the sample data will not represent the population data. Any findings of potential bias should provide a convincing argument why you think that your sample is more likely to have a higher or lower mean. The variable must be quantitative and the sample size must be greater than 30. Be careful not to use the word "random" without fully explaining what you mean. Also note that simple random sample sampling is usually impossible to use.
All relevant charts: must include a histogram, stem and leaf, and box and whiskers; and may include pie, and line plot, etc. All charts and statistics must be done using a spreadsheet program and not a calculator.
Project Spreadsheet Resources
An interpretation of each of the charts in the context your study. Discuss what each chart says and does not say about the population. Compare and contrast the charts and state what audience each chart might be best for.
A list of the summary statistics and an interpretation of each. This includes the mean, variance, Standard Deviation, and several other statistics that have been mentioned in the class. Pay special attention to the standard deviation, as it is the newly learned statistic for this project. Project without at least a full paragraph devoted to the standard deviation cannot receive an "A" grade. In particular, is the Empirical Rule appropriate or must you resort to Chebyshev's Theorem? What does the rule or theorem say about your population? Discuss how to use a z-score for your study. Make sure you interpret all statistics in this project in the context of the survey rather than just list the definitions.
A synopsis of the importance of your findings. Include recommendations that you will give to interested parties based on the mean, standard deviation, IQR, each of the charts, etc. In your recommendations, include the specific values. For example, if your study was on the age that students first learned the quadratic formula and the mean was 15.3, do not just say "The mean could be used to understand when people learn the quadratic formula." Instead, you would write, "Students are learning the quadratic formula on average just after they turn 15. Based on this, high schools should be leery about moving chemistry, which requires this knowledge, to the freshmen year." Be sure to state who the interested parties are. This should be incorporated throughout the paper not just at the beginning and end.
A discussion of how further studies could be done in order to delve deeper into the topic.

You can see examples of feedback that was given to students on their draft of Project 1 by clicking on Feedback on Project 1 Drafts.

Grading will be based on completeness, mathematical accuracy, proper use of statistical terminology, and your ability to communicate the results. All charts and statistics must be computer generated. The paper should be typed, double spaced, and have 12 point font. Note that for a scientific paper you should avoid the use of the pronouns "I", "me", "we", and "us". Refer to yourselves as "the researchers" or "the authors". This is a paper not a series of answers to questions. The paper should be written in essay form and must provide proper citations of all sources used. The Writing Center is an excellent source to get assistance on your writing and the MSC and the online tutoring center are great places to go for statistics assistance.

Rubric for the Math 201 Project

You will receive the following grade if your project is as described:

High "A": The project goes above an beyond what was asked of you. You have clearly and accurately addressed each of the bulleted points described in the project instructions and have also included additional statistical analyses relating to the topic. Your paper contains no errors (both grammatical and interpretive). The paper clearly demonstrates your mastery of all of the statistical concepts related to the project. All relevant computer charts and readouts are included in the paper. The paper is well written and includes an introduction and conclusion. The client that you are writing for will be impressed by your recommendations that are provided throughout the paper. These recommendations will truly help change the way the client runs the business, school, agency, etc.

Low "A": You have clearly and accurately addressed each of the bulleted points described in the project instructions. You paper contains few errors (both grammatical and interpretive) with the errors all minor. The paper clearly demonstrates that you understand all of the statistical concepts related to the project. All relevant computer charts and readouts are included in the paper. The paper is well written and includes an introduction and conclusion. The client that you are writing for will find your recommendations useful.

High "B": You have clearly and accurately addressed each of the bulleted points described in the project instructions. Your paper contains few errors (both grammatical and interpretive) with at most one moderate error. The paper clearly demonstrates that you understand most of the statistical concepts related to the project. Most relevant computer charts and readouts are included in the paper. The paper includes an introduction and conclusion, but proofreading the paper would have helped make it more readable. The client will find the recommendations useful, but will have further questions about your recommendations because at least one or two items is confusing or left out.

Low "B": You have clearly and accurately addressed most of the bulleted points described in the project instructions. Your paper contains some errors (both grammatical and interpretive) including some moderate errors. The paper clearly demonstrates that you understand most of the statistical concepts related to the project, but also shows that your are confused about (or have left out) one of two of the key concepts. Most relevant computer charts and readouts are included in the paper. The paper may be in need of better organization. Your client will be happy with some recommendations, but will have several further questions due to your incorrect, confusing or omitted discussion in one or two key areas.

High "C": You have a muddled idea of the bulleted points described in the project instructions and have left out a few of them. Your paper contains many errors (both grammatical and interpretive) including at least one major error. The paper clearly demonstrates that your are confused about (or have left out) at least two of the key concepts. Some of the relevant charts and readouts may be left out and interpretations may be missing. The paper is in need of better organization. Your client will be left feeling unsatisfied due to unclear and incomplete discussions. You probably did not tie in the statistics and charts well to your clients needs.

Low "C": You have a muddled idea of the bulleted points described in the project instructions and have left out a few of them. Your paper contains many errors (both grammatical and interpretive) including at least one major error. The paper clearly demonstrates that your are confused about (or have left out) many of the key concepts. Some of the relevant charts and readouts may be left out and interpretations may be missing. The paper looks like you were in too much of a hurry to explain your research and read the bulleted list if items to be included. Your client will find little value in this project and will probably have to hire another consultant to conduct the survey again.

Below a "C": You have clearly demonstrated that you do not understand the concepts learned in class. You probably made no real effort to address all of the items in the list. You need to think about spending much more time working on future projects and get help from your instructor or your tutor. Your client will withhold any payment due to your incompetent work and will tell anybody who asks never to hire you as a consultant.

Student Learning Outcomes Addressed in this Project:

1. Design and implement an unbiased study that will produce sound statistical results.

2. Generate and interpret statistics and graphs from data that arise from surveys and experiments.