Dear Student:

Have you heard others say, “You’re taking statistics? That’s the hardest course I ever took!” They say that, because they probably spent the entire course confused and struggling. They were probably lectured to and never had the chance to experience the subject. You will not have that problem. Let’s find out why.

There is a Chinese Proverb that describes our feelings about the field of statistics:

I HEAR, AND I FORGET

I SEE, AND I REMEMBER

I DO, AND I UNDERSTAND

Statistics is a “do” field. In order to learn it, you must “do” it. The original authors (Barbara Illowsky and Susan Dean) have structured this book so that you will have hands-on experiences. They will enable you to truly understand the concepts instead of merely going through the requirements for the course. The successful student will strive to understand the homework assignments, rather than viewing them as something to get through.

What will make this course different from a Statistics course as it was taught years ago? First, we have eliminated some of the drudgery of tedious calculations. You will be using computers or graphing calculators so that you do not need to struggle with the most tedious algebraic manipulations. There are some calculations and formulas that you will use to get a feel for how things are calculated, but the most involved calculations will be left to your TI-83/84 calculator or Minitab.

Here are some hints for success in your class:

Good luck and don’t give up!

Sincerely,
Tom Grube

P.S. I'm able to provide you with a free text because Barbara Illowsky and Susan Dean have written the text, which I am adapting/editing for this online class, and making it available free of charge. It is because of their hard work and generosity that you don't need to spend $100-$150 for a textbook for this course. Consider clicking on an "email the authors" link and dropping them a quick note to thank them.

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This work is licensed by Tom Grube under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 3.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.

Last edited by Ed Woodward on Jan 18, 2012 8:00 am -0600.