Prerequisites Stat 285 (Intermediate Probability and Statistics) and Math 251 (Calculus III: Calculus of Several Variables).

Course text Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (6th Edition) by Hogg, Craig and McKean. Published by Prentice Hall/Pearson.

Class caucus
Please join by following the link above, clicking on "Log in to the SFU Caucus Centre" and then adding Stat330 to your personal list of conferences. As you probably already know, SFU e-mail accounts have become a favourite target for SPAM-mers. Consequently, e-mail is no longer a reliable means of contacting people at SFU. Instead please get in touch with the TA, marker and me either directly during class or office hours, or through Caucus. Also, if you see a question posted on Caucus that you can answer, please do reply. Caucus is for helping eachother out.

Home groups
We will be breaking into groups of size 2-3 students for studying and homework assignments. For each assignment, a group will hand in just one set of solutions and the group as a whole will be graded. This means the group has to reach a consensus on the solutions, a process that is good for learning. Your first "assignment" due in class by Fri 18 May (or earlier) is to hand in a list of home-group members. The idea behind all of this is that homework and studying are cooperative, not competitive. Though it is to your advantage to work on as many problems as you can, it does not help to get stuck. If you get stuck, the first thing to do is to share your ideas about it with your home group. Often the group as a whole will be able to get farther than an individual. If not, the next thing to do is post to Caucus. Someone in another home-group may well be able to help out. When neither of these options gets you un-stuck, only then is it time to ask the TA or me. You will learn the most by trying to get as far as you can on your own. If you do have to ask the TA or me, we will be looking for signs that you have thought about the question first, and have made a sincere effort to try to solve it.

Notes
Students will be responsible for all material covered in class and tutorials, but attendance is not mandatory. With some exceptions, the material covered will be a subset of the text. People often ask if it is possible to pass by just showing up to write the final and studying the text, without attending class or tutorials. In principle, this should be possible. However, if you adopt this strategy, please be aware that there will be some material covered in class that is not in the text. Also, I wouldn't recommend this strategy in general. I think most people will find they do better by attending class because taking down notes seems to help with focussing on and assimilating the material. For this reason, we won't be posting class or tutorial notes online. If you miss a class or tutorial and want the notes, please make arrangements to get them from a class-mate, not from the TA or me.

Environment and Academic Integrity
The usual codes of conduct apply, such as avoiding disruptions in class, timely completion of assignments, academic honesty and, in general, respecting others. No cell-phones, blackberries, iPods, laptops, or other electronic devices other than calculators are permitted on desks during the exams. Like the rest of the University, the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science has a zero tolerance on cheating.

Grading and exams
I will be asking everyone to do their part in easing the TA workload by avoiding protracted grading disputes involving one or two marks. Please make every effort to be understandable in writing up your answers. In submitted assignments, markers will be looking for organized and logical solutions, not unexplained calculations.

1)Assignments will account for 15% of the grade. There will be about 4 group assignments, 3 of which will be submitted for marking (on time please; lates will not be accepted). Due to the early scheduling of our final exam, the fourth assignment will not be turned in. Experience shows that most people will do their fair share on group assignments. However, if a problem is brought to the attention of me or the TA, we reserve the right to ask a home-group to assess the efforts of each member towards the end of the course. These confidential evaluations will then be used to assign the homework grade of each member in proportion to his or her contribution, according to the home-group consensus. Finally, although lost assignments haven't been a problem in the past with smaller classes, you may wish to back up your work as a precaution before turning it in. The marker/TA and I are not responsible for lost assignments.

2) Midterms will account for 35% of the grade. There will be two. The first is tentatively set for Mon 11 Jun. There will be a second midterm later on, probably around mid-July. The purpose of these midterms is to help people keep on top of the material. If you do badly on a midterm, do not worry; we will use the final in its place. There will be no make-up midterms.

3) Final exam will account for 50% of the grade. SFU has scheduled the exam for Tue 7 August, from 12:00 noon to 3pm, location TBA. I expect everyone who signs up for the course to be available to sit the exam at the time that SFU has scheduled, except for those with an official exam conflict (another final exam scheduled at an overlapping time). If you have an exam clash and require permission to take the course, please see me immediately. Also, please be aware of the university policy requiring individuals who miss an exam due to illness to submit a doctor's note to the department chair through the departmental main office within 4 days of the exam, so that a make-up exam may be scheduled at the convenience of the department. If the departmental main office is closed, the registrar's office will also take the notes.

Disabilities and privacy issues
Students requiring accommodations for disability should contact the Centre for Students with Disabilities 604-291-3112 or csdo@sfu.ca.

The university has a policy on privacy under which students who desire so may have their homework and exams returned in some private way. If you are such a student you should speak to me immediately.

Office hours
Wei Qian (TA/marker) Th 11:30-12:20 AQ5037. Office hour TBA
J Graham, We or Fr after class 11:30-12:20, K10553. Or make an appointment in class.
Please respect office hours and scheduled class time by not dropping in on us outside these hours.