Escuela Graduada

Facultad de Administración de Empresas

Universidad de Puerto Rico

Recinto de Río Piedras

A. Course Syllabus

B. Statistical Thinking and Data Analysis

C. MECU 6551

D. Credit Hours: 3

E. Prerequisites, Co-requisites, and Other Requirements

ADMI 5500 and ADMI 5600 or authorization of the Director. Students should have a computer with internet access, an operational email account, as well as access to a printer with sufficient paper. Students must have access to a printer so that they can print lecture notes and other course materials including exam papers. Alternatively, you can use a tablet to follow along during lectures or in writing exams, and for marking them up with notes. Students should be familiar with surfing the internet and should have the ability to view video files using YouTube and similar pages. The BRAVE Browser is recommended for YouTube viewing without ads. Students should also be able to view PDFs. They should also be able to produce PDF’s by scanning documents and then combining them into a single document using a scanner, online software like ilovepdf.com, or smartphone applications like iScanner. Although we will occasionally interpret STATA or SAS software statistical output, students are not expected to learn this software. Students should, however, be comfortable using the MS Office program Excel. The student should have the ability to access email daily as notifications in their email.

Workload: About 10 hours per week

Final Exam: TBA

F. Course Description

Nota: Este curso se imparte en Inglés.

Note: This course will be taught = in English.

An introduction to the basic principles of statistics and procedures used for data analysis in business and economics. Topics to be covered include: displaying and summarizing data, discrete and continuous distributions, sampling distributions, classical and Bayesian estimation, inference for means, and proportions, examining relationships between variables both numerical and categorical. It is a goal of the courseto present topics in a manner that emphasizes and illustrates the statistical analysis arising from applicationsincluding those in business and economics. Upon completion of this course, students can proceed in various directions: to further intensive study of statistics, to one or more additional courses in statistics, to the use of statistical methods in various fields of study, and to being a consumer of statistical information in daily life. It is the objective to serve all of these diverse directions. The course is designed to include basic topics deemed crucial for problem formulation and understanding of the foundations of statistical thinking and reasoning. The concepts of statistical analysis will be stressed. The course will place an emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills.

G. Course Objectives

Upon successful course completion, a student will be able to:

• Apply statistical techniques in the context of everyday life and further studies in their

chosen discipline.

• Understand different sampling strategies.

• Use descriptive statistics and graphical methods to summarize data accurately.

• Use inferential statistics to make valid judgments based on the d= ata available.

• Select the appropriate statistics tools to analyze a particular problem.

• Develop a balanced skepticism toward statistical studies and their results based on

reasonable consideration of the techniques employed.

H. Content and Schedule

The course will follow the book.Powerpoints will be made available at the bottom of this outline as the course progresses.

I. Instructional Strategies

This course utilizes direct and interactive instructional strategies. The technology used in this course does not intend to replace the value of “pen on paper” homework. Students are encouraged to set aside hours a week to attend classes, to review lectures, to review additional course materials and to complete Homework, Practice Assignments and Online Quizzes. YouTube video clips.

OUTLINE OF CONTENT

Online Resources:

Lecture notes, lecture videos, Homework, Practice Assignments with Solutions, Quizzes, and old Exams with Solutions are provided online for self-study. It is recommended that students reserve time alone to complete online Homework, Practice Assignments and Online Quizzes. Having said that, study groups are very much encouraged to review course materials before and after independent study. Students can arrange to meet in small groups to review the lecture notes and self-study materials, however independent study is critical since students should be preparing to write the Tests and the Final Exam. Students can attempt Online Quizzes an unlimited number of times before the end of the semester however are encouraged to attempt the Online Quizzes in preparation for each Test. The total number of Online Quizzes that will count towards your final grade is 8, with the added criteria that students must complete at least one Quiz from each of the eight topics of the course (namely, D&S, GDS,

NOR, RLS, PROB, BIN, SDS, INF).

COURSE OVERVIEW

Each week there may be a mixture of activities including readings, Homework, Practice

Assignments and Quizzes utilizing the following resources:

1. Lecture Notes: It is recommended that students download and print lecture notes. The notes contain many blank sections for the students to solve problems within the document itself. Also, students may want to add notes of their own and this will be possible on the printed pages. This can also be done with a tablet.

J. Available and Required Learning Resources and Services

1. Students can purchase a version of:

Newbold, P., Carlson, WL., & Thorne. B. (2019). Statistics for Business and Economics.

9th Edition. Pearson/Prentice-Hall. Global Edition. ISBN-10: 1292315032, ISBN-13: 978-

1292315034

There is a Spanish version of the course textbook, however, it is an earlier edition so the

end of chapter questions are different from those in the newer versions, or the Global Newbold, P., Carlson, WL., & Thorne. B. (2008). Estadística para administració= n y

economía. Sexta Edición. Pearson/Prentice-Hall. ISBN-10: 8483224= 038, ISBN-13: 978-

8483224038.

The course content should be the same, but I have not verified this= . I would recommend

this text in addition to the English version for the purpose of translation of the English

content if students are not confident in English. Purchase this book if you feel more comfortable reading in Spanish, however, be aware the lecture notes, and all course materials, including the Exam will be in English so you need to learn the English terminology as well.

2. Calculator & Excel: (Required) You are asked to have a calculator available during every

class. In addition, you should have access to MS Excel on your computer. In terms of

calculators, I recommend the Texas Instrument BA II PlusTM since it provides tremendous

ease in the immediate computation of two-variable statistics. There= are applications for the

TI BA II PlusTM available for smart pho= nes and tablets that facilitate these computations.

If you would like to use another calculator, ensure that it has the following symbols:

(1) STAT or SD; (2) or M+ = or DATA; (3) Sx or sn-1; and (4) nCr.

3. Other websites considered useful for reading and research in business statistics include:

• UPRRP Library Electronic Portal: http://biblioteca.uprrp.edu/

• ABI/INFORM Complete

• STAT-USA

• Centre for Research in Security Prices (CRSP)

• International Abstracts of Human Resources

• International Financial Statistics

K. Evaluation Strategies

Two midterms and Final Exam will be used to evaluate student performance.

3 exams 85% of grade

Assignments 15% of grade

L. Grading System

A: 90 – 100%; B: 80 – 89%; C: 70 – 79%; D: 60 – 69%; F: 59% or bow.

M. Bibliography

Newbold, P., Carlson, WL., & Thorne. B. (2019). Statistics for Business and Economics. 9th

Edition. Pearson/Prentice-Hall. Global Edition. ISBN-10: 1292315032, ISBN-13: 978-

1292315034.

Spanish Version

Newbold, P., Carlson, WL., & Thorne. B. (2008). Estadística para administración y economía.

Sexta Edición. Pearson/Prentice-Hall. ISBN-10: 8483224= 038, ISBN-13: 978-8483224038.

N. Policies and procedures

Some general policies/procedures:

1. During class, turn-off cellular phones, beepers, etc. Also, please abstain from “chatting” with other classmates during meetings and from using SMS or similar technologies. It is suggested that students should be prepared for each class with a print-out of the lecture materials supplied on the course website, or the lecture materials open on their screen or tablet.

2. If a midterm is missed for any reason, no rewrite will be given. The Final Exam will be taken with the added weight of the missed component.

3. Acts of plagiarism will not be tolerated and may result in a failing grade for tests. In

addition, the matter will be reported to the proper authorities in the university.

O. Políticas Insti= tucionales

Modificación razonable (Acomodo razonable)

Según la Ley de Servicios Educativos Integrales para Personas con Impedimentos, todo

estudiante que requiera acomodo razonable deberá notificarlo al profesor el primer día de clase.

Los estudiante= s que reciban servicios de Rehabilitación Vocacional deben comunicarse con el profesor al inicio del semestre para planificar el acomodo razonable y el equipo de

asistencia necesario conforme a las recomendaciones de la Oficina de Servicio a Estudiantes

con Impediment= os (OSEI) del Decanato de Estudiantes. También aquellos estudiantes con

necesidades especiales de algún tipo de asistencia o acomodo deben comunicarse con el (la)

profesor(a). Si un alumno tiene una discapacidad documentada (ya sea física, psicológica, de

aprendizaje o de otro tipo, que afecte su desempeño académico) y le gustaría solicitar

disposiciones académicas especiales, éste debe comunicarse con la Oficina de Servicio a

Estudiantes con Impedimentos (OSEI) del Decanato de Estudiantes, a fin de fijar una cita para

dar inicio a l= os servicios pertinentes.

Normativa sobre discrimen por sexo y género en modalidad de violencia sexual

La Universidad= de Puerto Rico prohíbe el discrimen por razón de sexo y género en todas sus

modalidades, incluyendo el hostigamiento sexual. Según la Política Institucional contra el

Hostigamiento Sexual en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Certificación Núm. 130, 2014-2015

de la Junta de Gobierno, si un estudiante está siendo o fue afectado por conductas relacionadas

a hostigamiento sexual, puede acudir ante la Oficina de Procuraduría Estudiantil, el Decanato

de Estudiantes o la Coordinadora de Cumplimiento con Título IX para orientación y/o

presentar una queja.

Integridad académica

La Universidad de Puerto Rico promueve los más altos estándares de integridad académica y

científica. El Artículo 6.2 del Reglamento General de Estudiantes de la UPR (Certificación

Núm. 13, 2009-2010, de la Junta de Síndicos) establece que “la deshonestidad académica

incluye, pero no se limita a: acciones fraudulentas, la obtención de notas o grados académicos

valiéndose de falsas o fraudulentas simulaciones, copiar total o parcialmente la labor

académica de otra persona, plagiar total o parcialmente el trabajo de otra persona, copiar total

o parcialmente las respuestas de otra persona a las preguntas de un examen,

haciendo o consiguiendo que otro tome en su nombre cualquier prueba o examen oral o escrito, así como la ayuda o facilitación para que otra persona

incurra en la referida conducta”. Cualquiera de estas acciones estará sujeta a sanciones disciplinarias en conformidad con el procedimiento

disciplinario establecido en el Reglamento General de Estudiantes de la UPR vigente. Para

velar por la integridad y seguridad de los datos de los usuarios, todo curso híbrido y a distancia

deberá ofrecerse mediante la plataforma institucional de gestión de aprendizaje, la cual utiliza

protocolos seguros de conexión y autenticación. El sistema autentica la identidad del usuario

utilizando el = nombre de usuario y contraseña asignados en su cuenta institucional. El usuario

es responsable= de mantener segura, proteger, y no compartir su contraseña con otras personas.

Plan de contingencia en caso de una emergencia

En caso de surgir una emergencia o interrupción de clases, su profesor/a se comunicará vía

correo electrónico institucional para coordinar la continuidad del ofrecimiento del curso.

Cert. 112 2014-2015 de Junta de Gobierno – Prontuarios – Conforme con la Certificación

112 (2014-15) de la Junta de Gobierno, el 25% de las horas contacto de este curso podrán ser

ofrecidas, a discreción del profesor haciendo uso de la tecnología o de otras experiencias de

aprendizaje de igual calidad académica.

Enlaces de Certificaciones

Ley 220: Ley de acuerdos academicos para atletas universitarios: (https://senado.uprrp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Ley-220-de-2024.pdf) Garantiza acuerdos academicos para estudiantes atletas acreditados, permitiendoles solicitar ajustes razonables a su carga academica durante periodos de entrenamiento o competencia avalados por la LAI.

Certificacion 107 (2021-2022) Junta de Gobierno: Politica institucional para atender situaciones de discrimen por sexo o genero. Incluye disposiciones sobre hostigamiento sexual, violencia sexual, violencia domestica, violencia en cita y acecho. Sustituye la Certificacion 130 (2014-2015) de la Junta de Gobierno. o POLiTICA Y PROCEDIMIENTO PARA EL MANEJO DE SITUACIONES DE DISCRIMEN POR SEXO O GeNERO EN LA UNIVERSIDAD DE PUERTO RICO: La Politica y procedimientos para el manejo de situaciones de discrimen por sexo o genero en la Universidad de Puerto Rico, Certificacion 107 (2021- 2022) de la Junta de Gobierno, asegura que la Universidad de Puerto Rico, como institucion de educacion superior y centro laboral, protege los derechos y ofrece un ambiente seguro a todas las personas que interactuan en ella, ya sea a estudiantes, empleados, contratistas o visitantes. La misma tiene como fin promover un ambiente de respeto a la diversidad y los derechos de los integrantes de la comunidad universitaria y establece un protocolo para el manejo de situaciones relacionadas con las siguientes conductas prohibidas: discrimen por razon de sexo, genero, embarazo, hostigamiento sexual, violencia sexual, violencia domestica, violencia en cita y acecho, en el ambiente de trabajo y estudio.

https://academicos.uprrp.edu/blog/2018/12/19/aprobacion-cert-39-2018-19-inclusion-

normativa-discrimen-por-sexo-y-genero-en-modalidad-de-violencia-sexual/

https://academicos.uprrp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Guia-Cambio-prontuario-P-H-

enlinea-Dic-2020-Cert33-rev-4-dic-2020-enlace.pdf

https://academicos.uprrp.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Guia-creacion-o-revision-del-

prontuario-Dic-2020-Cert33-rev-4-dic-2020-enlace.pdf

***Powerpoint Lectures and assignments*= **