CRN#71217/71218Economics 5   

Course Syllabus

CRN: 71217/71218 sec. 831/832, Fall 2021

(This syllabus is also available as a Word document, which is printable and accessible by a screen reader:  ECON 5 Online Syllabus Spring 2021 Sections 831 and 832.docx

The Syllabus contains eleven sections. There is a lot of information, but it is important for you to read each section. To read a section click the heading for that section.  After opening each section, you can click on the Syllabus Navigation, , on the top right to jump between sections or revisit relevant sections.  In order for each section to provide complete information about a particular topic, you will find that some of the same information is repeated more than once in the syllabus, in different sections.

This syllabus specifies the course requirements and expectations.  Read it carefully.  If you have any questions regarding any aspect of this syllabus, post them on the Syllabus or General Course Q&A Discussion Forum on Canvas or send a message to the professor via the Canvas Inbox (you can use email before the Canvas course officially opens).  You are responsible for understanding these requirements and expectations.

 

  Course Communication

How to Contact Your Professor--David Rodriguez Pieper

• Before the official opening of the Canvas course:  email: dpieper@ccsf.edu or dpieper@mail.ccsf.edu
• Once the course has started, it is better to use the Canvas Inbox for all communications with the professor.  This will ensure that your message does not get caught in a spam filter. If the Canvas Inbox is not available for some reason, you may send an email to one of the addresses shown above.
• CCSF Phone: (415) 239-3365  I am not in the office very often to answer the phone even under normal circumstances.  Due to restrictions resulting from the pandemic, I will not be in the office at all during the Fall 2021 semester.  Voice mail is available but it will likely not be checked during Fall 2021, and there is no guaranteed response time for voice mail messages.  The Canvas Inbox, or email, is highly recommended if you need a timely response.
• Office Hours:
  • Office hours will be held on Sundays from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm and from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm, August 29 through December 12
    • No office hours on September 5, October 10 or November 28 due to college holidays.
    • Any other changes will be communicated in advance via Canvas Inbox
    • No appointments are necessary
    • All office hours will be by audio.  You can join from your computer or phone at the following link (Links to an external site.):
      • https://ccsf-edu.zoom.us/my/ccsf.econ5
• Office Location:  628 Batmale. To reach 628 Batmale go to the 6th floor and turn right out of the elevators to enter the main part of the building.  Turn left at your first chance and go through the door marked as the “ESL” Department.  Continue around to the back of the building to find office 628.  But since I am very rarely in the office, it is probably not wise to just show up unannounced hoping to find me there. Due to the pandemic I will not be in the office at all during Fall 2021 and the building will not be open.  Therefore, the Canvas Inbox is the recommended way to contact me outside of scheduled office hours.
• Campus Mailbox:  L165 Write box number on envelope and put in City College mail drop. Due to the pandemic, it is unlikely that I will be able to check this mail box during Fall 2021 so sending anything using this method is at your own risk. It is better to scan any documents and send them through the Canvas Inbox.  Written assignments should be scanned and uploaded to the appropriate Assignment or Quiz question in Canvas.
• I will respond to all course email within 48 hours Monday-Friday, exclusive of school holidays, during the official dates of the course (August 14 to December 17). Prior to the official beginning of the course (August 14) or after the official end (December 17) I will still likely respond quickly, but there is no guarantee.
• There is no guaranteed response time for messages sent during Summer, Winter or Spring breaks.
• You can visit my CCSF instructional website outside of Canvas.  However, this site will not be used after the course starts except in the case of an emergency when Canvas is not available.

Communication Plan

• I will respond to your messages within 48 hours during the school week (Monday-Friday) excluding holidays unless you are notified otherwise.  If you expect a reply and have not heard back from me within this timeframe, please send your message again.
• Although you can work on the online class at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it is not realistic to expect your professor to be online at all times.  I will try to respond quickly, but the response will not always be immediate. 
• In the vast majority of cases, if you submit your work on time, it will be reviewed and I will comment on it within three days after the due date unless you are informed otherwise.  There may be occasional situations where it takes a bit longer.  Canvas does a good job alerting me when I need to review your work, but if you haven't heard back within three days of the due date feel free to send me a reminder in case I missed it somehow.   Homework and exams submitted on time will be graded more promptly than those submitted late, as late submissions go to the end of my grading queue and there is no specific goal for how quickly late submissions will be graded.
• For most assignments and exams, if you complete the assignment at least three days before the due date  you will receive a grade and comments prior to the final due date, and this will give you a chance to modify your work to increase your score.  If you submit less than three days before the due date you may also have this opportunity depending on when I have a chance to review your work, but it is not guaranteed.  Please note that you will receive private comments on these assignments, and often they will contain hints to help you improve your score on a re-submission, so please read them carefully and let me know if you have any questions.
• I may try to contact you if I notice that you have not been keeping up with the class.  It is best to keep up as the semester goes quickly and because life happens!  But it is your responsibility to participate in the course, keep track of all deadlines and submit assignments on time.  Just because you do not hear from me personally does not mean that you are relieved from these obligations.
• Office hours:  See above under Professor Contact.  Since I am only teaching online classes this semester, all office hours will be done by phone.  You will be given a link to join using Zoom.  You may use either a computer or a phone to participate.  Due to the pandemic, in-person meetings will not be available during Fall 2021.

Building Community

• The Discussion Forums give you a chance to interact with other students, so please take advantage of these.  Active participation in Discussion Forums will also be considered as potential extra credit for students who are on the border between two letter grades at the end of the semester.  There will also be some group assignments where you are required to work in a group to complete the assignment.  For other assignments, you are welcome, but not required, to work with other students.  However, you are required to complete the Midterm Exams and the Final Exam on your own with no outside assistance.  You will need to agree to comply with this as a condition of participating in this course.
• Pronto is an instant messaging and livestreaming tool that is integrated with Canvas. Use of Pronto is optional for this class, but you may find it to be a good, easy-to-use tool for informal communication with your classmates. There is a smartphone app you can install for Pronto if you choose. I do not guarantee to monitor all postings on Pronto, but I may participate if I feel it would be appropriate and helpful. For formal questions where you require an answer from the professor you should use the Canvas Discussion Forums for general content or course administration questions or the Canvas Inbox for questions that are specific to your private situation.

Instructor Announcements 

I will not be posting announcements on the Announcements page in Canvas.  Instead, we will be using the Canvas Inbox for all notifications.  You will receive notices about these messages in your CCSF email, so be sure to check it regularly.  Otherwise, you may miss important information that is crucial to your success in the course. 

You may want to install the Canvas Student App on your phone so that you can set up instant notification for Canvas Inbox announcements from the professor.

Q&A Forum and Module Discussion Forums

• A “Syllabus or General Course Q&A" Discussion Forum is located in Module 0. This forum is for you to ask for assistance of your classmates or the instructor.
• Module 0 also contains a Technical Support Q&A Discussion Forum. Use this forum for any technical questions related to Canvas, Hawkes, Khan Academy, etc.  Please see the Course Technology section below for more information on how to get technical support.
• There are also individual discussion forums set up for each module.  These are for YOU.  You can use them to post any questions you have about the course content.  It is better to post these questions in the discussion forum rather than through a private message to the professor.  Other students probably have the same question, and can benefit from seeing the answer.  Also, other students may have the answer and will be able to provide it faster than the professor.  Of course, you are welcome to send private messages to the professor if you have a question that is truly unique to you and you want to keep it private.  But for questions about the content of the course you are highly encouraged to use the public discussion forums instead.  You can also use these to post links of interest to the course that you wish to share.
• I will check answers on the Canvas discussion forums to make sure that they are correct, and if you provide an answer to another student you will get extra credit towards class participation.
• Answers to questions posted on Pronto will likely be reviewed for accuracy, but there is no guarantee.

 

How to Get Help

There are numerous ways to get assistance with the course content.  (For help on technical issues, see the Course Technology Section below.)

• Review the annotations and comments on your Canvas assignments and exams.  For File Upload assignments on Canvas the annotations can be tricky to find.  See the instructions.
• Post a question on the Q&A Discussion Forum for the appropriate module.  Other students can help you if they see it first, and your professor will also respond, and will monitor other students' answers to make sure they are correct.
• Call in to the virtual office hours.  Exact times will be determined after a Doodle poll conducted through the first week of class.  Virtual office hours will begin the second week of class.
• Free tutoring.  The CCSF Learning Assistance Center offers free tutoring for Statistics students.  Some semesters there is separate tutoring for Econ 5, and in other semesters the tutoring is combined with Math 80 and/or Psych 5.  Check the LAC website for more details.
• Free online tutoring is available to all CCSF students.  Just click the link on the menu on the left side of the Canvas course to get started.
• Hawkes Learning offers a Tutor option for each question in the Practice section, which will give you assistance on that problem.  There is also an Explain Error option available if you get the wrong answer.  If, after looking through these, you believe that Hawkes itself has the wrong answer, you should contact Hawkes Learning Support to report the error. Let me know as well because if you find an error in Hawkes you will get extra credit for the course.
• Interact with other students through Pronto.
• Send a private message to your professor through the Canvas Inbox.
• You can also use the Send to Instructor button on Hawkes if you have a question about a specific problem where it would be helpful for me to see the exact question and numbers you are asking about.  Hawkes will then send me a screen shot so I can see exactly what you are asking about. This is more useful than just asking a general question about a Hawkes problem because in Hawkes each student gets different numbers for each question and it is difficult for me to answer questions without knowing the specific numbers you encountered.
• You can watch the videos and do the practice assignments on Khan Academy and the Hawkes lessons as may times as you like for practice.  Use the Hint, Tutor and Solution buttons on these apps to get additional help.
• Read the textbook!  Even if you don't have a physical copy, your Hawkes account gives you full eBook access to read it online.
• If the Khan Academy videos don't quite make things clear, or aren't your style, there are many other videos available on YouTube that cover the same material.  I have not vetted these for accuracy, but most of the ones I have looked at are pretty good.  Just do a search on YouTube for the topic you are struggling with and you will see some other perspectives.  

  Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and methods of descriptive and inferential statistical analysis.  This includes the organization of data and descriptive statistics, introductory probability theory and probability distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing and linear regression.

Econ 5 counts for transfer credit to CSU and UC, but as a Math class, not as an Economics class.  The required work and difficulty will be similar to courses at CSU or UC.  You can get transfer credit to UC for only one of Econ 5, Psych 5, LALS 5 and Math 80, as these courses cover mostly the same material.

Econ 5 counts as a required course for the CCSF AA-T major in Economics and the AS-T major in Business Administration.   It also counts towards many other associate degrees for transfer at CCSF.  Please contact me or any member of the Economics faculty for more information about the AA-T major in Economics, which gives you guaranteed admission to a CSU campus as a Junior and improves your chances for admission to UC.

This course satisfies the Area A (Communication and Analytical Thinking) General Education Requirement for students pursuing an AA or AS from CCSF,  and also satisfies the CCSF Associates Degree Mathematics requirement.  It satisfies the quantitative reasoning requirements for graduation from the California State Universities (CSU GE B4) and from the University of California, satisfies IGETC Area 2 (Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning) and satisfies major-specific requirements in Economics, Business Administration, Nursing and other majors at the California State Universities. The course has C-ID designation at the state level as Math 110--Introduction to Statistics. This course is intended for students who plan to major in Economics, Business, Social Sciences, Political Science and related disciplines. It is not intended for students who plan to major in Math.

The fact that CSU and UC consider this to be a math class should give you some idea about the type of material we will be covering.  We will use examples from economics and business, but in order to apply the concepts to these subjects we will need to do quite a bit of math, and some of the formulas will get fairly complicated.  We will not use calculus in this class, but you need to be comfortable with algebra in order to do well.  

The official course description in the CCSF Catalog is: Application of statistical methods and interpretation of statistical findings to facilitate decision-making in Economics, Business, Political Science and other Social Sciences. Data sources, types and interpretation; descriptive statistics; probability theory; discrete and continuous probability distributions; sampling distributions; confidence intervals; hypothesis tests; nonparametric statistics; simple linear regression analysis; computer-based statistical analysis.

You may want to review the full Course Outline of Record for Econ 5.

Prerequisites/corequisites/advisories

The prerequisite for this course is Math 60 (formerly Math 860) or Math 92, with a grade of C or better, or demonstration of the equivalent skills. Most students are able to demonstrate these equivalent skills based on their high school record.  If you submit your high school record to the Matriculation Office and you are placed into Math 80+80S, or any higher level math course, then you will be cleared to take Econ 5.  You can also qualify for the prerequisite for Econ 5 by submitting a transcript showing a math class you passed at another college.  Send an unofficial copy of this transcript to your professor by email if you want to use this method to qualify.  You can also qualify by taking the prerequisite quiz for extra credit in Module 0.  All students are encouraged to take this quiz to earn extra credit, but students who have not verified the prerequisite by the first week of class will be required to take, and pass, the quiz, or else to verify the prerequisite using one of the other methods mentioned above.

If CCSF records show that you have not verified the prerequisite for this course, you will receive a separate email from me with more detailed instructions on how to take care of this.  You must resolve this by providing the necessary documentation during the first week of class, or you will be dropped from the class by the CCSF Admissions & Records department.  This is a requirement set by the state of California, and it not a decision that your professor or the college can override. So if you get a message saying you need to verify the prerequisite, pay close attention and follow the instructions so that you can remain in the class.

If you do not feel well prepared in algebra you may want to consider taking more math classes, such as Math 45, Math 46 or Math 60, first and then take Econ 5 at a later time, or else allocate extra time to spend with the tutors. 

No specific preparation in economics or business is required, but it might help you understand the examples and the homework problems.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

1. Describe data using numerical and graphical statistics.
2. Apply probability theory to analyze events with uncertain outcomes.
3. Make inferences about population characteristics based on sample data.

Class Meetings

This course is entirely online and does not have any required on-campus meetings.  (It does not have any optional on-campus meetings, either, for that matter.)  There are no synchronous online class meetings. You work on this course on your own schedule.

However, this does not mean that the course is entirely self-paced. You will be required to do work and submit assignments every week during the semester. You can work ahead on Hawkes and Khan Academy if you like, but you will need to submit assignments through Canvas every week and these, as well as the exams, cannot be done in advance except under special circumstances as arranged with your professor.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, working with classmates on group assignments, sharing resources, and viewing grades. 

We will also be making extensive use of Khan Academy and Hawkes Learning for this course. Please use Canvas as your point of entry into these external resources. That way you will be sure that you do assignments in the correct order and do not miss anything, and it will ensure that you get credit for the assignments completed on these external sites.

You can visit my CCSF instructional website outside of Canvas.  However, this site will not be used after the course starts except in the case of an emergency if Canvas is not available. More likely, though, you will get an email message in the event of this type of emergency.

Textbooks

The textbook for this course is Discovering Business Statistics, by Quinton J. Nottingham and James S. Hawkes, published by Hawkes Learning Systems, Mt. Pleasant, SC, ©2013.

You also need an access code for Hawkes Learning Systems software. The software access code is required to complete the online homework for this class. This is not optional because a large portion of the course grade is based on this homework. 

The cheapest way to get access is to buy the access code directly from Hawkes Learning for $85.99. This includes free eBook access to the textbook.  You can get free temporary access to Hawkes during the first two weeks of class if you would have trouble paying right away.  Your grades will transfer over when you convert to a paid account.  But you will need to have a paid account in order to continue with the course after the first two weeks.  Once the course has started and Hawkes is linked to Canvas, the temporary account may be created automatically for you.  You still need to convert it to a permanent paid account before the temporary account expires.

Very Important:  When you register your access code on Hawkes, be sure to use your official CCSF email address (the one ending in @mail.ccsf.edu). This is necessary so that your grades from Hawkes will automatically load into Canvas.  If you do not do this right the first time, you will need to call Hawkes support to get your email address changed.

Also, when you register for Hawkes, be sure to register for the section number in which you are enrolled at CCSF.  Check your CCSF registration to find your section number. The section numbers this semester are either 831 or 832.  You can also identify the correct section on Hawkes using the five-digit CRN number.

If you already purchased Hawkes access for this course in a previous semester and then were not able to complete the course for some reason, you do not need to purchase it again.  Contact either Hawkes support or me and you can have your account transferred to this semester's course at no charge.  This may even happen automatically when the Canvas course is synced with Hawkes.  So try logging on to Hawkes first and if you see that you are in the course for this semester, then you are fine.  Your grades will even transfer over, but you should probably do the lessons again for review unless you have a really good memory!

It is highly recommended, but not required, to also get a printed copy of the textbook for reference to supplement the eBook. Sometimes it is just easier to find things in a printed copy. Used copies of the textbook are available for as little as $8.78, including shipping, if you shop online. A good place to search is Allbookstores.com.

If you want a new printed copy of the textbook, you can buy it from the CCSF Bookstore. The listed price includes the access code for the software and eBook access.  Because this is a more expensive option, it is only recommended if you really want a brand new copy of the textbook right away or if your financial aid requires you to purchase materials through the CCSF Bookstore.  The CCSF Bookstore also posts a price for used copies of the textbook, but this is not recommended.  The used copies do not include an access code for the online homework system and the price quoted by the bookstore is much higher than prices quoted at online used bookstores for the textbook alone.

You can also buy a new physical copy of the textbook, including the software access code and eBook access, directly from Hawkes by going to the Hawkes Yahoo Store or by calling them at 843.571.2825.  The list price is slightly cheaper than the CCSF Bookstore, but, when shipping charges are included, the cost will be similar, and if you buy at the bookstore you will get your copy faster.  However, if it is more convenient to have the materials shipped directly to your home buying from Hawkes might be a good option.

You do not need the CD that comes with the book, so don’t worry if you find a used copy without a CD. You do not need the Minitab software that is bundled with some versions of the textbook.

If you are having difficulty affording the textbook, there are copies available to borrow from the Associated Students Bookloan program. Unfortunately, the Bookloan program cannot help with the online homework access code.

There are also five copies of the textbook on course reserve at the library for short-term borrowing. For Fall 2020 the library made these copies available for two weeks at a time with contactless pick-up, but I have not heard any definite plans for Fall 2021.

Optional materials:

The Wall Street Journal has a special discount program for students. This is a good deal and it will allow you to tie the theoretical concepts we learn in class to what is going on in the real world.  It will also give you lots of good resources if you decide to do an extra credit paper (see below). 

Darrell Huff, How to Lie with Statistics, New York:  Norton, 1954. This entertaining book points out how people use statistics to mislead others.  It is not really a how-to manual.  It is an oldie-but-goodie and will give you additional insights to the topics of this course.  It is available at the main CCSF library (not on reserve) and at the San Francisco Public Library.  Used copies can be found online for under $5.

Grady Klein and Alan Dabney, The Cartoon Introduction to Statistics, New York:  Hill and Wang, 2013.  If you enjoy reading comic books, then you might find this to be an entertaining way to review some of the important concepts of the course.  Used copies can be found for as little as $7 online, or you can find it at the CCSF library (not on reserve) and many branches of the San Francisco Public Library.

Field Trips

There are no field trips planned for this course.

  Course Technology

Canvas

This is a fully online course, and the structure of the course will be maintained on Canvas.

Important announcements about the class, including changes to office hours, will be posted on Canvas and delivered to your Canvas Inbox. Reminders about these announcements will be forwarded to your official CCSF email account.  It is your responsibility to check this account regularly or to forward messages from this account to an email account that you do check regularly.

Some assignments will be completed directly on Canvas.  Others will be done on Hawkes Learning or Khan Academy.  You should access Hawkes or Khan Academy through the Canvas modules.  That will help you do the tasks in the correct order and make sure you don't miss anything.

 I can help with the course material and perhaps with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, Canvas Help is the place to call.  They can provide more informed assistance about Canvas technical problems and provide it more quickly than I would be able to do.

 

For 24/7 help with Canvas call: 1-844-592-2198.

 

Zoom Teleconferences

There are no regularly-scheduled Zoom meetings for this course other than optional office hours.

Virtual office hours will be conducted using Zoom.  During scheduled office hours you may join the discussion at https://ccsf-edu.zoom.us/my/ccsf.econ5 (Links to an external site.)

Hawkes Learning

See the Textbook section above for more details on Hawkes Learning.

• The Hawkes Learning Student Resources page gives lots of good information about how to use Hawkes Learning and how to be successful in courses using this platform.
• Technical questions about how to use Hawkes Learning should be directed to the Hawkes Learning Support Center.
• If you have technical problems with Hawkes they are likely to be able to help you much more quickly and effectively than I could.
• Their online chat service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I have always found them to be very helpful and quick to respond.
• Students having technical problems with Hawkes often contact me first and wait for a reply before contacting Hawkes support.  This causes unnecessary delay because I will usually just redirect you to Hawkes support anyway.  So go ahead and contact Hawkes directly with any technical issues and then keep me informed if you think the issue was significant enough that I should know about it.
• You should also contact the Hawkes Learning Support Center for any specific questions you have about lesson content or problems on Hawkes, for example if you feel that Hawkes is marking your answer wrong when it is really correct.
• Since Hawkes gives different problems to each student, it is impossible for me to check every answer for accuracy. Therefore, it is better to contact Hawkes directly for these questions.
• If there is any error or bug in Hawkes, both Hawkes and I want to know about it so it can be fixed. If you find such an error, be sure to report it to Hawkes.  If they confirm the error, they will send you a thank-you gift (and fix the error!).  Also send me a copy of your correspondence with Hawkes and I will give you extra credit in the class.
• If you are unclear or confused about a specific question in Hawkes, and the online tutorials and solutions don't explain it clearly to you, feel free to send me a message using the Hawkes "Send to Instructor" button.  That way I will be able to see the details of the question you are asking about.
• For general questions about course content, use the Module Discussion Forums in Canvas, rather than Hawkes.  Because we are using Canvas as the main structure for this course, the Chat and Discussion features are not enabled on Hawkes itself, so do not try to use them. Use Canvas instead.
• You will get automatic reminder messages from Hawkes whenever a deadline for a lesson is approaching or if a lesson is past due.  These messages may appear like personal email messages from me, but they are actually generated automatically by the system.  There is no need to respond to them, but just be sure to do the lessons on time for full credit, or, if you can't, at least do them late for partial credit!
• Access to Hawkes Learning is limited in certain countries outside of the US.  If you plan to travel outside of the US during the semester, contact Hawkes support well in advance to find out if you will have limited access during your trip.  They may be able to provide you with temporary access from these countries if you contact them in advance with details.

 

Khan Academy

You must set up an account at Khan Academy.  It's free! Follow the instructions.

Very important:  When you set up your name on Khan Academy they will ask for First Name and Last Name.  Put your Last Name, as shown on Canvas, in the FIRST NAME field and put your First Name, as shown on Canvas, in the LAST NAME field.

You can use Google or Facebook as your login, but make sure you set up your name as shown above.   If I can't find your name I won't be able to give you credit for assignments completed on Khan Academy.  If Google or Facebook sets up your name differently than what these instructions require, then you can fix it in Khan Academy by going to your Profile and editing it so your Real Name shows your last name followed by your first name.

I know this seems weird, but the reason is that Canvas sorts based on your Last Name and Khan Academy sorts by your First Name.  We can't do anything about Canvas, but we can fool Khan Academy by just switching the order.  That way you will be sure to get credit for your assignments done on Khan Academy.

If you already have a Khan Academy account that shows your name with first name first, then you can either create a new account using a different email address, or you can edit your profile so that your name shows in the correct order for this class.

After setting up your account you will be asked to choose a level (choose 1st Year University) and a Course (choose Math, click on See All, and choose Statistics and Probability).

Important!  Be Sure to Join our Class on Khan Academy

After creating your account, you need to join our class. Find the Join a Class section and use the Class Code of GJ6RYXFC.  You can copy and paste it from here into the appropriate field on Khan Academy, then click on "Join the class".

You need to join the class on Khan Academy before I can download your grades for assignments completed on Khan Academy, so do this first before starting any work.

Note that we will be using Canvas as our main course interface.  If you try to go through the course on Khan Academy itself you will be missing lots of items and will do tasks out of order.  Therefore, please go through the course on Canvas by using the Next button at the end of each task (or use the Modules page to see a big picture overview).  The link on each item in the modules will take you to Khan Academy when required.  The Khan Academy assignments are embedded into the Canvas modules and will link you to them directly.  

You can explore videos and assignments on Khan Academy in advance if you like, but you will need to go through each module of the course on Canvas to make sure you don't miss anything.

Important:  You need to be sure you are logged in at Khan Academy whenever you complete an assignment with points attached.  Khan Academy is a free system, and anyone can complete assignments for practice as a guest without officially logging in. If you use the same browser, depending on your settings, you should remain logged on in Khan Academy from one day to the next and you will not need to log on again every time you watch a video or do a new assignment.  But be sure to check that you are logged in before you do assignments on Khan Academy to make sure you get credit.  If you see the "Login" link in the upper right corner, it means you are not logged in.  If you see your name (last name first!), then you are logged in. It is not necessary to be logged in when watching videos, but it is very important that are logged in whenever you do an assignment on Khan Academy.

The Khan Academy assignments will show on Khan Academy also, with a due date at the end of the semester.  But do not use Khan Academy as your main interface to find the tasks for this class.  You are responsible for completing the assignments as show on Canvas, no matter what it might say on Khan Academy.

Khan Academy has lots of bells and whistles, such as Badges, Mastery, "leveling up", etc.  You can ignore all of these, or play along with them as you wish.  They won't be used as part of Econ 5 and will not affect your grade one way or the other.

There are no late penalties for any Khan Academy assignments, so as long as you complete them before I calculate final grades at the end of the semester you will get full credit. But you will have a hard time succeeding in the course unless you keep up with the Khan Academy videos and exercises each week.

There are lots of videos and assignments on Khan Academy, but each one is quite short and most are fairly easy.  It will take time to watch all of the videos but remember that in this online class you are not spending time commuting to campus and attending in-person lectures.  The Khan Academy videos and assignments are broken into small pieces to make them easier to digest and to allow you to squeeze them in whenever you have some time available to work on the course.

Some assignments on Khan Academy are labelled as "Quizzes" or "Unit Tests".  For the purposes of Econ 5, these are just regular homework assignments and are no different from the other Khan Academy practice exercises.

If you need technical support for Khan Academy:

• Start by going to the Khan Academy Support page. You can search for technical issues, check out the FAQs and get help from other users. 
• There is also button in the upper right corner that will allow you to Report a Problem.

 

Calculator

You probably want to use a calculator for this class as most people find it easier to use than a computer for routine calculations.  The calculator app on your phone will probably be fine.  You may find it useful to have a calculator that has automatic statistical formulas built in, but you will need to learn how to use these functions yourself based on your calculator manual.  We will not cover this in class since different calculators have different instructions and we would not be able to cover all of them.  But it is not required to have a statistical calculator for this class, since we will be learning how to calculate all the formulas by hand and using the statistical tables.  At a minimum, you need a calculator that can do square roots and calculate exponents (make sure it has a key labeled x^y, y^x or ^).  Ideally, your calculator should also have an e^x key. You can get by without this key if necessary, but your life will be a bit simpler if your calculator has this key.

Various Khan Academy videos demonstrate how to use different types of calculators for different types of problems. But you need to watch carefully because Khan does not always use the same calculator model from one video to the next.

Computer Access

Since this is an online course you will need to use a computer with internet access. There will be many videos to watch so you will want to have sufficient internet speed to allow you to watch streaming videos.  Technical requirements for Hawkes, Khan Academy and Canvas are very simple.  You simply need internet access and a browser.  More details on technical requirements are available for Hawkes and Canvas. You will find it much easier to do your assignments on a machine with a larger screen rather than on a phone. In addition to Hawkes and Canvas we will be watching videos and doing assignments on Khan Academy.  If you do not have the necessary computer equipment available, you can use the computer labs available at CCSF locations, such as the student computer lab in 301 Batmale.  Hours vary, and they may not be available at all during Fall 2021, so check with the labs. You may also want to investigate the CCSF Chromebook Loan Program.

You can use a phone or tablet to access many of the videos and assignments.  Make sure you are logged in through Canvas and logged into Hawkes or Khan Academy as required.  Most Khan Academy problems work fine on a phone, but there are some that do not work well.  You can get them to work on the phone if you are patient and creative, but they are much easier to navigate on a computer screen.  I have made notes in Canvas for each Khan Academy exercise that has these types of problems, advising you to use a computer to do that exercise.  There are relatively few of these and the vast majority work fine on a phone.

 

Phone, Camera or Scanner

Many assignments for this class will be far easier to complete on paper. It will make your life easier if you are able to print off the assignments, complete them on paper and then upload the result to Canvas. 

You will need a way to take a picture or scan of your work and upload it to Canvas for grading.  Any phone with a camera app will work, or you can also use a digital camera or scanner.

• It is much easier for me to grade your assignments if they are submitted in PDF format. This is not an absolute requirement, but it is to your advantage to make it as easy as possible for me to grade your assignments and provide you with feedback.
• Therefore, it is highly recommended that you use software that will convert your documents into a PDF format before you upload them to Canvas.
• Adobe Scan is a free app that you can install on your smartphone. It makes it very easy to create PDF files for any paper documents.
• There are often technical problems with HEIC format files on Canvas. It is better not to submit files in that format if at all possible.

You can also install the Canvas app on your phone or tablet and do many of the assignments from there. 

Hawkes Learning is a bit awkward to use if you access it through Canvas on a phone, so you will probably prefer to use a computer for those assignments. Unfortunately, there is no phone app for Hawkes Learning.

Most of Khan Academy, especially watching the videos, works great on the phone, and you can also complete nearly all of the Khan Academy assignments on a phone.  A few of them are a bit tricky to display and complete on a phone and are better done on a computer.  I have noted those in the Canvas instructions that link to the assignments.  You can still try them on the phone if you like and most of them will eventually work if you are creative about how you display the contents and scroll around.  But these particular assignments will be completed with much less hassle on a computer.

You can also install the Khan Academy app on your phone, but I would recommend accessing everything via Canvas instead.  If you go through the Khan Academy app directly the videos and exercises will be out of order and you may miss some and do others that you really didn't need to do for this course.  It will also be harder to prepare for exams because the content won't match exactly.

Printer

Many of the Canvas assignments in this course will be easier to complete if you print them out first and use the printed copy to do your work on paper and then scan or take a photo to load the answers into Canvas.  Therefore, it will be to your advantage to have access to a printer.  It is not absolutely required, however.  If you are unable to print the assignments you can just write your answers on a blank piece of paper and upload the answers.  If you do this, be sure to label each question number clearly so I can grade your answers.  You can also use computer software to record your answers and then convert the output to a PDF file to upload to Canvas.

Required Software: Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader and Updated Browser

• For some assignments you will need access to a computer with Excel installed.  Some assignments are also posted as Microsoft Word files and may not display or print correctly using other similar software.  Therefore, you should install Microsoft Office on your computer.  You can install this on your personal device for free as a CCSF student.  You are also welcome to use the computers at the CCSF computer labs, if they are open, which have Microsoft Office installed.
• Adobe Reader (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
  
  
• Update your browser (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

 

  Course Structure

Canvas, Khan Academy and Hawkes Learning

Canvas, the CCSF Learning Management System, will provide the main structure for the course.  Linking from Canvas, you will also do assignments on Khan Academy and Hawkes Learning.  You will need to do assignments on all three platforms in order to pass the class.  But once you set up your accounts on Khan Academy and Hawkes Learning and link them to this class, you should use Canvas as your interface to the course and Canvas will provide links to Khan Academy and Hawkes Learning as appropriate. 

Modules

The Canvas course is divided into 19 modules, numbered from Module 0 to Module 18.  

Module 0 is an introduction to the structure and administration of the course.  Module 1, which is also done in the first week, is where the course content actually begins.

New content is introduced in Modules 1 to 17.  Module 18 contains review assignments and the final exams.

With the exception of the first week, when you need to do both Module 0 and Module 1, there will be one module per week throughout the semester.  Technically, each module is scheduled to open on a Monday and assignments will be due that Friday (with adjustments made for college holidays).  However, actually, the modules will open the previous Friday, so you can get a head start over the weekend if you like.  You get an automatic three-day extension for assignments and exams (see Late Policy below), so you have the following weekend through Monday (adjusted based on college holidays) to catch up if you need to.  This automatic three-day extension is built into the due dates posted on Canvas and on Hawkes, so do not expect another three-day extension on top of that.

Although there is some variation, nearly all the modules will have a similar structure.  A typical Module will have the following components

• Overview: This page will provide an introduction to the topics covered in the module, a list of what you should expect to learn and a summary of the assignments and due dates.
• Q&A Discussion Forum:  The Discussion Forum provides a place for you to post questions or comments and to respond to other students' posts.  Be sure to Subscribe to each Discussion Forum so you will be notified of postings.
• Video Intro:   This brief video introduction provides an overview of the module and how it fits into the rest of the course. Some of these videos were recorded in previous semesters, so the dates mentioned may not apply to this semester. Be sure to refer to the Canvas modules for the correct dates, but the other information in the videos is still relevant.
• Content Pages:  Some modules have their own content pages for you to read before beginning the other parts of the module.
• Khan Academy Videos and Practice Assignments:  Most modules have a large number of short videos and practice assignments to complete on Khan Academy.  It is best to go through them in order using the Canvas module Next button.  These videos and assignments are embedded into Canvas, so just click on the appropriate link to begin.  Some videos have introductory remarks that you should read before and after you watch the video.  I know there are lots of videos to watch!  But each one is  very short--the vast majority are ten minutes or less.  If you took a lecture course you would be spending nearly five hours a week listening to lectures.  The videos let you do this at your own pace in short segments.  Plus, you can slow it down, speed it up, or rewind and watch again whenever you need to.  Similarly, each individual practice exercise on Khan Academy is usually short and fairly easy, usually only four questions.  They are designed to help you review the material you just learned, not to test you.  If you can't answer them easily you may want to watch the preceding videos again.  You can do each of these exercises as many times as you want to until you get all of the questions right, so there is no reason you can't earn the full points available.  There are no points earned for just watching the videos, but when you are doing an exercise with questions to answer make sure you are logged in to Khan Academy so that you will get credit for your work.
• Other Videos from YouTube:  For some topics the Khan Academy videos are not quite sufficient to cover all of the material you need to learn in this course.  Therefore, some modules also include other YouTube videos to fill in these gaps.  They are embedded in the Canvas modules, and you access them the same way you access the Khan Academy videos.  There are no practice assignments with points associated with any of these videos.
• Hawkes Learning: Nearly every module has Hawkes Learning Lessons to complete.  You should begin by reviewing the Learn section, then try out the Practice problems, taking advantage of the Explain Error and Tutor options when necessary, and then complete the Certify problems to prove you have achieved Mastery of the topics in that lesson.  Use the Hawkes Single Sign-On (available in every module) to access the Hawkes Learning platform.  Hawkes lessons also have videos you can watch as part of the Learn section (click on the Watch button in the upper left corner), but the Hawkes videos are neither as good nor as complete as the Khan Academy videos.  You can use them as a supplement if you like, but they do not provide a complete alternative to Khan Academy.
  Hawkes works on a mastery concept.  Each lesson is divided into three parts.
  
  1. Learn
  
  The Learn module gives you both text and video instruction on the content contained in that lesson.  You can review it as many times as you like, or you can skip it if you feel like you learned the content sufficiently from the Khan Academy and other videos and the textbook.  I would recommend that you at least skim the text content in Learn to make sure you caught everything and then watch the videos if you would like to see some more examples.  The text in Learn is, in many cases, identical to what is in the textbook.  So if you read the Learn section you do not really need to read the textbook itself.  Instead you can use the textbook as a reference.
  
  2. Practice
  
  The Practice section gives you a chance to practice the problems with no risk.  You can try to solve the problems, and if you are unsure you can see step-by-step instructions. You can review the practice problems as many times as you like.  You can choose to practice problems of a certain difficulty level, or you can follow the recommended approach of using the Pre-Certify practice problems, which will be very similar to the ones you will find in the Certify section.
  
  3. Certify
  
  When you are ready, you move on to the Certify section. On the Certify problems you are allowed a certain number of errors (strikes), and if you exceed that number of errors you will need to go back to practice some more and then try the Certify again.  Once you complete the Certify level with less than the allowable number of errors (the Mastery level) you will earn full points for that lesson. There is no limit to how many times you can do the Certify section of a lesson.  You keep trying until you pass, and then you get full credit as long as you complete it by the due date.  You can then do the Certify additional times to help you study for the exams, if you like.  If you attempt to Certify twice without passing you will be required to do the Practice section again before you get another attempt to Certify.
  
  
• Canvas Class Participation Assignments: Each module has one or more class participation assignments to be completed on Canvas.  In most cases, you will print these files out and complete them on paper and then scan them back into Canvas for grading. You can also just write your answers on a separate paper and then scan it in if you like. Some of these are group assignments and some require postings to Discussion Forums and/or responses to other students' postings.  Others will be completed as a Quiz on Canvas rather than on paper.  Be sure to read the instructions carefully. There is no limit to the number of times you can submit these assignments prior to the due date. If you submit prior to the due date it is likely that I will grade your response and give you hints so you can submit it again for a higher grade if necessary. After the due date for the assignment has passed you will have access to the answers once you submit your response and you will not be able to submit again.  You need to participate in the class every week by completing these assignments.
• Be sure to review the annotations and comments on your Canvas assignments and exams.  For File Upload assignments on Canvas the annotations can be tricky to find.  See the instructions.
• Module Summary:  This page will summarize what you learned and did in the module and provides an introduction to what is coming next.
• Optional Resources:  This section of the module includes opportunities to earn extra credit on Hawkes and Khan Academy and sometimes on Canvas.  Although it varies, most, but not all, modules will have some sort of extra credit opportunity.  In addition, other interesting videos and articles will be posted here that are not required as a core part of the course, but which may be of interest if you want to expand your learning.
• The "A" Modules:  Most modules will have an Answer Key Module following the main module.  This answer key module will not be available until after the Canvas Class Participation assignments are due and you will not be able to access them until you have submitted your own answer for that assignment.  The answer keys will allow you to check your work.  Note that in statistics it is not unusual for there to be more than one correct answer, so you may receive full credit for an answer when it is graded even if it does not match the Answer Key exactly.

 

  Course Logistics

Attendance

This is a fully online course with no required on-campus meetings.  (In fact, there are not even any optional on-campus meetings)  However, you are expected to participate fully online every week throughout the semester.

Important Dates

• Class Begins: August 14, 2021
• Class Ends: December 17, 2021, but assignments will be accepted for credit (with late penalties, if applicable) through January 1, 2022 at 9:00 am.
• Work submitted after this time may count, if it happens to be before I calculate the final grade for that Grading Category, but there is no guarantee.  I probably won't do it at exactly 9:00 am on January 1, so you may get a bit of additional leeway, but this is at your own risk.
• Last Day to Add (if space is available): September 3, 2021 (no adds will be accepted in Sections 831 or 832 unless Section 002 is full first)
• Last Day to Drop with full refund: August 27, 2021
• Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: September 3, 2021
• Last Day to Opt for Pass/No Pass: November 19, 2021
• Last Day to Drop with a EW:  November 19, 2021
• Final Exam Dates: December 10-17, 2021 (but you really have until 9:00 am on January 1, 2022 to complete the final exams with no penalty)

Dropping the Class

If you decide to discontinue this course, it is your responsibility to officially drop it to avoid getting no refund (after 10% of course length), a W symbol (after 20%), or a grade (after 60%). The instructor may drop you from the class if you do not participate, especially early in the semester if other students are trying to join, but ultimately it is your responsibility to drop if you decide not to continue in the class.

Pass‐NoPass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline, and add the option online with myRam or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. You will get P if you would otherwise have earned a grade of C or better.  You will get an NP if you would otherwise have earned a grade of D or F.

You must file for the P/NP option by date listed above.  If you are taking this course to prepare for transfer, or as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP.  Check with a counselor to be sure.

Only you have the ability to change this option.  Your professor has no control over this and has no way to  change it under any circumstances.

Attendance/Participation

If you do not log-in to Canvas by Thursday of the first week of classes and participate in a learning activity (beyond Module 0) by Monday of the second week of classes your spot in the class will be offered to students on the wait list.  Generally, students who do not participate will not be dropped automatically.  Instead, it is up to you to drop if you no longer want to continue.  Otherwise, you will still have until the end of the semester to try to catch up.

Please note that it is difficult to catch up in this class once you fall behind, due to the volume of work required.  So try not to fall behind.

If you just stop participating, but do not officially drop the course, then your final grade will be an FW.  This could have an impact on future registration and financial aid.

COVID-19

If you fall ill due to COVID-19, or if you or an associate test positive and you are unable to complete the course as a result then you may need to consider taking a grade of Incomplete.  However, the late penalties in this course are very lenient, so there is a good chance you will be able to finish on time even if you miss part of the semester.

I feel that I should inform you that if you tell me that you have COVID or that you tested positive I will be required to report this to the designated college authority.

Late Policy

All assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the due date.  Most of the time the official due date for Canvas assignments will be on a Friday and the official due date for Hawkes lessons will be on a Friday or Saturday. However, you automatically get a three-day extension and this extension is already included in the due dates posted on Canvas and on Hawkes.  You do not need to ask for this extension or provide any reasons.  This will give you until the following Monday to complete Canvas assignments with no penalty (there will be adjustments made when Friday and/or Monday is an official college holiday) and until the following Monday or Tuesday to complete Hawkes lessons with no penalty. However, because everyone is given the automatic three-day extension, please do not ask for additional extensions for any reason.  If you plan based on finishing each module on Friday or Saturday, then you will have the three-day extension to use in case of emergency.  If you decide to plan based on finishing the following Monday or Tuesday, then you will have already used your extension and you cannot ask for another one no matter what may happen.  So try not to put things off to the last minute of the extension!

Canvas Practice Assignments:  Officially, these assignments are due on Friday for each module, unless Friday is a college holiday.  You automatically get a three-day grace period, which means you have until Monday night to submit with no penalty.  The due dates shown on Canvas already include the automatic three-day extension, so they generally show as due on Mondays or Tuesdays (with some exceptions). On the morning after this final due date shown on Canvas, the answers will be available to students who have submitted the assignment.  If Friday and/or Monday is a college holiday, adjustments will be made to this schedule, so watch the announcements in your Canvas Inbox and due dates posted on Canvas.  Group assignments will be given an extra couple of days to allow you to coordinate within your groups.  If you submit your Canvas assignments on time they will be graded promptly and if you submit them early they will be graded with hints so you can submit again for a better grade if you want.  On time submissions for Canvas assignments will receive at least half of the points as class participation credit even if your answers are not correct or you do not answer all of the questions (as long as you demonstrate that you made a reasonable effort).  If you submit your Canvas assignments late then you will only get one chance to submit and they will be graded more slowly. On-time assignments always get priority for grading. If you submit late you will not get class participation credit for just submitting and you will only get one chance to submit the assignment.  For late submissions your score will be based entirely on the number of correct answers and you will be expected to check the answers yourself against the answer key to find out what you did wrong.

Canvas Quizzes and Exams: See the individual deadlines and late policies for each quiz and exam.  In general, you can take each exam three times and your average score will count, as long as you complete each attempt before the deadline.  This will give you a chance to improve your score because you will know whether or not your answers are correct and you will only need to fix the questions you missed, which will allow your average score to go up.  After the official deadline has passed you can still take the exam, but you will only get one attempt and will not be able to improve your score.  The automatic three-day extensions have already been built into the exam due dates.  You should try to complete them three days in advance of the posted date if possible to be sure you will have time to resubmit if necessary to bring your grade up. There may be exceptions to this general schedule for individual exams, so look at Canvas for details each time.

Khan Academy Assignments:  There are no late penalties for any Khan Academy assignments.  You will get full credit as long as you complete them before I calculate the final grades at the end of the semester.  But keep up with them throughout the semester--do not wait and expect to do them all at the end!

Hawkes Learning Lessons:  Each Hawkes Learning lesson certification is worth 40 points if it is submitted by the due date as shown on Hawkes.  The due date posted on Hawkes already includes the automatic three-day extension, so if you Certify by the end of that day you will still get the full 40 points.  If you Certify the lesson on Hawkes after the posted due date you will lose 1 point for each day it is late for the first 19 days.  Lessons you Certify more than 20 days late will still earn 20 points as long as you Certify before I calculate the grades at the end of the semester.  In other words, the due dates on Hawkes do include the automatic three-day extension but you can always earn partial credit. Hawkes lessons that are late are still eligible for at least half the points as long as you complete them by the end of the semester.

  Methods of Evaluation

Each week you will complete graded assignments. Nearly every module contains assignments on Canvas, Khan Academy and Hawkes Learning, and you need to complete the assignments on all three platforms. All of these assignments can be completed after watching the videos, reading the textbook assignments and the summaries in the content modules, and doing the Learn and Practice sections of each Hawkes lesson. 

Exams

There will be four online Midterm Exams, each covering approximately one quarter of the content in the course, plus a comprehensive Final Exam. 

If any exam is missed, a zero will be recorded as the score. It is your responsibility to take the online exams by the due date, but it is better to do the exam late than to skip it entirely.

Since this is an online class, the exams will be open book and open note.  However, you are expected to work on the exams yourself without any outside assistance, and you will be asked to confirm this.

Please note Canvas uses the term "Quiz" for multiple types of assignments.  Some of the regular class participation homework and extra credit assignments are set up as "quizzes" on Canvas, but they count towards Canvas Class Participation in your grade.  Other "quizzes" are really Midterm Exams or the Final Exam.  It should be clear which ones are which, but pay attention.

Also, note that some of the assignments on Khan Academy are called "Quizzes" and "Unit Tests" but all of the Khan Academy assignments are treated as part of Khan Academy Homework in calculating your final grade, no matter what they may be called on Khan Academy itself.

Similarly, the Hawkes Learning Lessons are the main required homework on Hawkes, but there are also "WebTests" which are not really tests, but are optional extra credit assignments.

 

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades, but note the details for each grading category below when interpreting these grades.

There are a total of 10,000 points available in this class if you do all of the required assignments perfectly, but do not do any extra credit.

 How do I view my grades, teacher comments, and an assignment rubric as a student?

Canvas is a bit odd in how it displays grades during the semester.  For some reason, it shows different percentage totals to students and instructors.  Instructor totals seem to be based on the entire course, while student totals only reflect what has been assigned and completed so far.  So even though the individual grades are accurate, the percentages do not match during the middle of the semester. In this course the percentage grades shown on Canvas during the middle of the semester can be very misleading--especially in how they incorporate extra credit.  I would suggest you ignore the percentage grades on Canvas because the only thing that matters at the end of the semester is your total number of points. 

At the end of the semester, grades will be assigned as follows: 

Letter Grade	Percent	Points
A	90%	9000 points or more
B	80%	8000 to 8999 points
C	70%	7000 to 7999 points
D	50%	5000 to 6999 points
F or FW	<50%	0 to 4999 points

If take the course on a Pass/No Pass basis you need at least 7000 of the total class points to pass the class.

If you have actively participated in the class through Discussion Forums and submitted and revised your assignments on time and you are just a bit short of the number of points for the next highest letter grade I may decide to give you extra credit and bump your letter grade up.  If you have only completed the required assignments and have not otherwise actively contributed to the class, then you will strictly need the stated number of points or higher in order to get a particular letter grade, particularly if you have submitted more than a few late assignments.

A "D" grade means that the unit credits will count towards CCSF graduation requirements, but it may or may not count as transfer credit or allow you to use this course as a prerequisite for other courses, depending on the policies of the institution you transfer to.  If you receive a "D" you are allowed to take the course again to earn a higher grade, subject to course repetition policies.

An “F” grade indicates that a student  participated in and completed the course but failed to master the course curriculum.

An “FW” grade indicates the student stopped participating in the class, but did not officially withdraw.  Please check with your counselor and financial aid advisor about possible implications of the FW grade on residency and financial aid status.

Grading Categories and Details

Assignments are weighted by group:

Group	Weight
Khan Academy Assignments	8.43%
Class Participation Assignments Done on Canvas	10.37%
Hawkes	21.2%
Midterm Exams	40%
Final Exam	20%
Extra Credit Done Via Canvas	1.31%
Hawkes Extra Credit	1.73%
Extra Credit Paper	5%
Total	108.04%

 

Khan Academy Assignments

There are many short, generally fairly easy, practice assignments to complete on Khan Academy.  Most of these are called "Practice" but others are called "Quizzes" or "Unit Tests."  All three of these are treated the same way in this class for grading purposes, and count towards your Khan Academy grade.  Each question in the "Practice," "Quiz," or "Unit Test" counts as one point towards your final grade in the class.  If you get the question right, you get one point.  If you get it wrong, you get zero points.

You can take each "Practice," "Quiz," or "Unit Test" as many times as you like until you get a perfect score, and it is highly recommended that you do this.

There are also "Articles" on Khan Academy that combine content explanations with practice questions.  Each of these "Articles" is also worth one point, but the answers are shown as you go along.  For these "Articles" you get one point per article (not per question) and you get the point whether your answers are right or wrong, as long as you complete the article.

In total, the total number of points included in required Khan Academy "Practice," "Quizzes," "Unit Tests," and "Articles" adds up to 843 out of the total 10,000 in the course.  Therefore, this amounts to 8.43% of your final grade.

There are also Extra Credit "Practice," "Quizzes," and "Unit Tests" on Khan Academy.  These are clearly marked in the Canvas Module as Optional Extra Credit.  You may need to watch additional videos to prepare for doing these assignments.  Once again, each question is worth one point if you get it right, and you can do each assignment as many times as you like to bring up your score.  In total, these extra credit assignments are worth a maximum of 70 points.  So even though 843 is the maximum number of points you can earn from Khan Academy doing the required assignments, it is actually possible to earn 843 + 70 = 913 points from Khan Academy towards the final grade.  Any points over 843 would be used to compensate for missing points in other categories.

Please use the Canvas Modules to access the Khan Academy assignments.  If you access the material directly through Khan Academy you will end up doing things in the wrong order and you may miss assignments or do extraneous assignments that are not part of this course.

There are no points earned just for watching Khan Academy videos.  If you prefer to learn by reading the textbook you are not required to watch the videos.  But many students find it easier to learn by having someone explain the concepts and watching someone do sample problems, rather than just reading about it in the book.  Even if you choose not to watch all of the Khan Academy videos, you are still responsible for completing all of the Khan Academy assignments.

One advantage of the videos compared to a standard lecture is that you can speed up or slow down the pace based on your understanding of the material.  You can also rewind and watch difficult sections as many times as you like, or skip over topics that you are already very familiar with.  They are always available for you to go back and review if you forget the details later in the semester.  This is very handy in statistics because the material keeps building on itself throughout the semester, and you may need to go back and refer to something you learned earlier.

As mentioned in the Late Penalty section, there are no late penalties for Khan Academy assignments.  Any assignments completed by the end of the semester when I calculate the final grades will count for full credit.  You can go back and redo them as many times as you like to bring your scores up.

Seeing your current scores is a challenge for Khan Academy.  The process to load the scores from Khan Academy onto Canvas is tedious.  It will be done at least four times a semester, once after each Midterm Exam, plus maybe one or two additional times.  In the meantime, you can see your grades on Khan Academy itself, but the scores there are reported as percentages for each assignment, rather than as points, so it makes it difficult to calculate the exact number of points you have earned.  I will notify you each time I transfer points from Khan Academy to Canvas so that you can see how you are doing.  Note that the Khan Academy assignments are listed in a different order on Khan Academy than they are on Canvas.  This means that you might have to scroll through many pages of Next to find your grade on a particular assignment.

Also, note that Khan Academy has many motivational tools, such as Badges, Mastery, Leveling Up, etc., etc.  You can ignore all of these for the purposes of Econ 5, as they do not affect your grade one way or the other.  But you are welcome to track them on Khan Academy if you like.

 

Class Participation Assignments Done on Canvas

Every module contains Class Participation Assignments that you will submit on Canvas.  In most cases you will print off a paper assignment and then upload a completed copy into Canvas for grading.  In other cases they will take the form of Discussion Forum postings/responses or Canvas Quizzes.  Most of them can be done individually or in groups, but some must be done in groups.  If you work with other students on an assignment that is not officially a group assignment, then each student must upload an answer to get credit.

Most of these assignments are worth 50 points, but others are worth 1, 10, 20, 25 or 30 points.  Altogether, the Canvas assignments add up to a total of 1037 points, which corresponds to 10.37% of your final grade.

In most, but not all, of these assignments, you will get approximately half the points (for class participation) just for submitting a completed assignment on time, even if your answers are all wrong or you did not quite finish all the questions (as long as it is clear that you made a real effort--you won't get these class participation points for just writing down random answers that have nothing to do with the question!).  So be sure to submit a response by the deadline, even if you aren't sure about your answers or you didn't have time to finish everything.

If you submit your response by the Friday of the week that module was published, I will grade your submission and make comments and give you hints in time for you to submit again before the final deadline (usually on Monday).  You can submit as many times as you need to and your highest score will count.  I will try to grade each submission and make comments no matter when you submit it, but I can only guarantee that submissions received by Friday will be graded by Sunday so that you will have Monday to correct and resubmit if you like.

• Be sure to review the annotations and comments on your graded Canvas assignments and exams.  For File Upload assignments on Canvas the annotations can be tricky to find.  See the instructions.

Answer keys will be made available on Tuesdays (or the day after the final assignment due date, including the automatic three-day extension).  You won't have access to the answer keys until after you submit your assignment, so you can still submit late (but see the Late Policy above for more details).

 

Hawkes

There are fifty-three required lessons to be completed on Hawkes Learning, and nearly every module has one or more Hawkes lessons to complete.  Each of the 53 Hawkes Learning lessons is worth 40 points, so there are a total of 2120 points, or 21.2% of your final grade, available from these Hawkes lessons.

To earn these points, you must Certify that you have achieved Mastery of the content of that lesson.  The Certify section of each lessons contains a number of questions, along with a threshold of how many correct answers are required in order to Certify.  A Heart symbol in the upper right corner of the Hawkes page shows how many "lives" you have left on that attempt.  If you miss a question you will have a chance to try a similar question, or to give up one of your lives.  If you finish all the questions without using up all of your lives you will earn the Certify points for that lesson.  If you use up all of your lives before finishing the lesson, then you will need to go back and Practice some more and try the Certify again from the beginning.

You can do the Certify section as many times as you like until you achieve Mastery.  There is no partial result.  Either you achieve Mastery or you don't for each lesson.  If you attempt Certify twice without passing you will be required to do the Practice section again before your next attempt to Certify.

You will receive partial credit if you do not complete the Certify by the deadline.  See the Late Policy section for details on how many points you will receive if you Certify after the deadline.

Hawkes grades are automatically loaded onto Canvas once a day around midnight.  So you will not see your points on Canvas immediately, but you should see them the day after you finish any Hawkes assignment.  You are always able to see your total Hawkes points immediately on the Hawkes platform itself.

At the end of the semester, all the Hawkes points will be added together, with a maximum of 2120 for the regular lessons plus a maximum of 173 for the Bonus WebTests, for a total of 2293 possible points (see the section below on Hawkes Extra Credit for more details about the Bonus WebTests).   Hawkes lessons (excluding extra credit) are worth a total of 21.2% of your final course grade.  Canvas will calculate this as a percentage of 2120 points, so anything over 2120 due to extra credit will just give you additional points to be included in your final letter grade calculation.

 

Midterm Exams

There will be four midterm exams, each covering approximately one quarter of the material for the course.  

• Midterm Exam 1:  Modules 1 to 5
• Midterm Exam 2:  Modules 6 to 9
• Midterm Exam 3:  Modules 10 to 13
• Midterm Exam 4:  Modules 14 to 17

Each Midterm Exam is worth 1000 points, so each one is worth 10% of your final grade in the course.  The four midterm exams together account for 4000 points, or 40% of your final grade.

The Midterm Exams will appear as "Quizzes" on Canvas and will be done online.  For each exam there will be some questions where you will need to write the answers on paper, or put them into an external file, and then upload the file on Canvas.

Many of the questions on the midterm exams will be graded automatically by Canvas, but there are some that will require manual grading.  Therefore, the original score you receive will not be your final score.  You will need to wait for the manual grading to be completed before knowing your final score on the exam.

In addition, most of the midterm exams will have extra credit questions.  The way Canvas works, these extra credit questions all need to be graded manually, so you will need to wait for that to happen before you know your extra credit points.

Because of the extra credit questions, it is possible to score more than 4000 points on the midterm exams in total.  If you do, then those extra points will apply towards your final grade calculation.

You will get three attempts on each exam.  If you attempt the exam more than once, your final grade for the exam will be the average of your scores.

If you complete the exam three days or more before the deadline, I will commit to do the manual grading and give you hints on how to correct your answers, if necessary, in time for you to attempt the exam again before the deadline.  If your attempt is submitted less than three days before the deadline, I will still try to do this, but there is no guarantee that you will see the feedback in time to do another attempt.

Keep track of your answers and which questions you got right and wrong because that way you will not need to spend time rethinking the answer you got right the first time.  Just put in the same answer again.

Each attempt on the exam will have a time limit, so pay close attention to that.

If your first attempt is submitted after the deadline, then you will only get one attempt and will not be able to correct your answers.

Remember that you are allowed to work in groups on other homework assignments, but the exams are an individual effort and you must certify that you did the work yourself without outside assistance.

The instructions will vary from one exam to the next, so be sure to read them carefully.  Pay especially close attention to situations where multiple questions are based on the same data.

 

Final Exam

There will be a comprehensive Final Exam as part of Module 18.  This exam covers the entire course, Modules 1 to 17, and is worth 2000 points, or 20% of your final grade in the course.

The procedure for the Final Exam will be similar to the midterm exams, so see the previous section for details.

There will be extra credit questions on the Final Exam, so it will be possible to score more than 2000 points.  If you do, the extra points will be applied towards your point total for the final grade calculation.

 

Extra Credit Done Via Canvas

There will be three extra credit assignments available that will be submitted via Canvas.

The first one is a prerequisite quiz, which is part of Module 0, and is worth up to 31 points of extra credit.  For some, but not all, students, this quiz will actually be required in order to meet the prerequisite to stay in the course.  If you fall into that category you will get a separate email message from me with instructions.  (See the Prerequisites/corequisites/advisories section above for more details.)

But the quiz is available to all students, and anyone who takes it, whether required or not, will earn extra credit points which will apply towards your final grade in the course.

There will also be two other extra credit assignments which will be completed on paper and uploaded to Canvas in the middle of the semester. These will be worth up to 100 additional extra credit points.

The total of 131 extra credit points available through these assignments could amount to an additional 1.31% of your final grade, but you can score a full 100% of the standard course points without completing any of these assignments.  This is why it appears as 1.31% in the chart above, and the total available points adds up to more than 100%.  This is a quirk in the way Canvas calculates grades

 

Hawkes Extra Credit

There are also extra credit opportunities available on Hawkes.  These are not referred to as "Lessons" on Hawkes, but rather as "WebTests."  You will see on Hawkes that they appear in a different tab, and are labelled as "Bonus."  

The Extra Credit Bonus WebTests on Hawkes work differently than the standard lessons.  In most cases, you will need to do additional Learn sections of the Hawkes course, or read additional textbook sections that are not assigned as part of the standard course, in order to prepare for these assignments.  Your extra credit is based on how many answers you get right, with one point for each correct answer.  There are a total of 8 of these WebTests with a total of 173 questions, so the maximum number of extra credit points is 173, or 1.73% of your final grade.

On each WebTest you will get three attempts, and your highest score is the one that counts.  The questions may be different each time, so there is no guarantee that your score will go up if you do it again, but it probably will because you will be familiar with the types of questions asked.  In any case, your highest score is the one that will count, no matter which attempt it is associated with.

During the semester, these extra credit points will be stored in a separate category on Canvas, and you will see your points for each of these WebTests on Canvas as a separate grade.  This is why it is included in the Grade Categories as a separate category worth 1.73% of your grade.  Again, it is possible to earn the full 10,000 points in the class without doing any of these WebTests, so that is why the total adds up to more than 100%.

At the end of the semester, all the Hawkes points will be added together, with a maximum of 2120 for the regular lessons plus a maximum of 173 for the Bonus WebTests, for a total of 2293 possible points.  Anything over 2120 due to extra credit will just give you additional points to be included in your final letter grade calculation.

Hawkes grades are loaded onto Canvas once a day around midnight.  So you will not see your points on Canvas immediately, but you should see them the day after you finish any Hawkes assignment.  You are always able to see your total Hawkes points immediately on the Hawkes platform itself.

 

Extra Credit Paper

One short paper is optional and you can earn up to 500 additional points towards your final course grade as extra credit.   This could amount to as much as 5% of your final grade in the course.  It is shown as a separate grading category on Canvas, which is why the total of all the grading categories adds up to over 100%.  You can earn a perfect 100% in the course without completing this optional paper.  

If you choose to do the optional extra credit paper:

Find the details and submit your paper on Canvas.

Find a recent article (published after January 1, 2021) from a newspaper, magazine or academic journal (either print or online) about economics, business or social science, which makes use of some of the statistical concepts you have learned in this course. Then write a short analysis explaining how what you learned in this course applies to what is discussed in the article.   Good sources for articles would be The Wall Street Journal, Business Week or The Economist, but you can also find applicable articles in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times, or other general newspapers or news magazines.

The Wall Street Journal has an excellent program for students described earlier in this syllabus.  You can also access The Wall Street Journal for free at the CCSF library.  Research librarians at the library are available to help you search for an appropriate article.

Be sure that your analysis addresses the following topics:

• What statistical techniques were used
• Why were they used
• What was good and bad about how the statistical techniques were used
• What you would have done differently if you were doing the study

Do not just summarize the article.  You will attach the article, or a link to it, so I can read it myself.  Instead, your paper must analyze the article and demonstrate what you have learned in this course.

I expect papers to be about two pages, typed, but it is OK if they are somewhat shorter or longer.  The important thing is to communicate something, not to fill up a certain amount of space.  It is the quality that counts, not the length.  Your paper will be graded on how well you explain how the concepts of the course apply to a real-world situation, your analysis, and also the clarity of your writing.

We use lots of graphs in statistics and economics, but for some reason students are often afraid to use graphs in their papers, and very few include them.  You should not be afraid to include some graphs and it will probably result in a better grade.  You do not need to do the graphs on the computer (although it is fine if you do).  It is perfectly appropriate to include a hand-drawn graph as part of your paper.  Note that if you copy the graph from the textbook or another publication you need to provide a reference stating the source of the graph.  Do not try to claim someone else’s graph as your own work (see the paragraph on plagiarism below for more details).

Submit a copy of, or a link to, the original article that you are analyzing along with your paper, and also include references for any other sources you may have used in addition to the article you analyzed. (Note that no other sources are required, but if you use them you must provide references. It is not necessary to list the textbook as a reference.)

If you are not sure about your ability to write a college-level paper you may want to take advantage of the assistance of The English Lab in R205 (second floor of the Rosenberg Library).  They have drop-in tutoring to provide advice about the writing process, and to help you understand grammatical concepts and learn how to proofread your work. (I am not sure how this will work during the current Covid-19 health emergency.)

The paper is due any time up to the last day of the course. If you hand it in at least two weeks before the official last day--and you receive less than full credit--you will have a chance to improve it and resubmit it for up to half of the additional points you missed the first time.

The extra credit paper will add a maximum of five percentage points to your grade, based on the following schedule:

          Letter Grade             Points           Maximum points possible on revised paper

          A+                               500                        N/A

          A                                 400                        450

          B                                  300                        400

          C                                  200                        350

          D                                 100                        300

          F                                  0                             250

NOTE:  Any plagiarism on the extra credit paper will result in negative points.  In other words, your regular grade will go down if you hand in an extra credit paper that is plagiarized.  See the Standards of Conduct section for more information about plagiarism.

Miscellaneous Extra Credit

There is also a miscellaneous Extra Credit grade category on Canvas that is used to record any miscellaneous extra credit you earn, for example by reporting an error in the course so it can be fixed.

  Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

If you need accommodations because of a disability, or have emergency medical information to share with me, or need other special arrangements please let me know as soon as possible.

Students seeking disability related accommodations need to contact Disabled Students Programs and Services located in Room 323 of the Rosenberg Library (415) 452-5481. Please see the DSPS website (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for more information and alternate locations.  All accommodations will be coordinated with DSPS.

Students who require accommodations must inform the instructor in advance and provide documentation which states the specific type of accommodation required. It is the student’s responsibility to give advance notice to the instructor and to coordinate exam times and location with DSPS.

 

  Standards of Conduct

Students who register in CCSF classes are required to abide by the CCSF Student Code of Conduct (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Violation of the code is basis for referral to the Student Conduct Coordinator or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Office of Student Affairs (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

Collaborating on or copying of exams in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that exam.  If another student copies from you, I will have no way of knowing who wrote the answer and who copied, so you will both receive a 0.  So don't let anyone else copy from you!  Copying on Extra Credit questions will result in a negative extra credit score.

I can easily identify answers that are copied from online sites such as Chegg and these will also result in the same penalties.

You are allowed to work together on Canvas Class Participation assignments, but each student should submit their own copy of the final product for grading (except for clearly-marked Group Assignments).

Khan Academy and Hawkes Learning assign different problems to each student, so you will have to do your own work.  Feel free to consult with other students about how to answer the questions, but you won't be able to simply copy the answers from another student.

If you choose to do the Extra Credit Term Paper, make sure that you follow rules to avoid plagiarism and to appropriately cite the source of your information.  Plagiarism and cheating are also not allowed on extra credit assignments and will be reported to college authorities and will be subject to similar penalties.

See these links on Plagiarism:

Encourage Academic Integrity and Prevent Plagiarism (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Citing Information Sources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Equal Opportunity

The San Francisco Community College District is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and the prevention of discrimination and harassment in any program or activity of the District on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, religion, age, gender, gender identity, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, disability or AIDS/HIV status, medical conditions, or status as Vietnam-era veteran, or on the basis of these perceived characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

If you believe you have been subject to discrimination, please contact Dianna Gonzales in Human Resources.

Sexual Violence on Campus: Prevent Violence

The CCSF District policy on sexual assault applies to all members of the campus community, including students, faculty, staff, administrators, visitors, and invitees of the College. Any sexual assault or physical abuse, including, but not limited to, rape, as defined by California Penal Code, whether committed by an employee, student, or member of the public, occurring on District property, or on an off-campus site or facility maintained by the District, or on grounds or facilities maintained by a student organization, is a violation of the District policy and state regulations, and is subject to all applicable punishment, including criminal procedures and employee or student discipline procedures. (See also AP 5500, Standards of Student Conduct.) It is also District policy to actively prevent rape and sexual assault. The District maintains a zero-tolerance standard concerning sexual violence. For further information, please contact CCSF Student Health Services, (415) 239-3110 or CCSF Campus Police Department, (415) 239-3200.

Safe Learning Environment Policy

Students at City College of San Francisco have the right to an environment in which there is freedom to learn. The College believes that each student has an earnest purpose and that he/she will adhere to acceptable standards of personal conduct. We believe students deserve a safe, civil and respectful environment that will enable them to reach their full potential. To this end we expect students to assist us in this mission. Promptly report any concerns or observations to your instructor, Dean of Students or appropriate authorities. I will not tolerate any actions that constitute discrimination, threats, bullying or harassment in an online setting. Such actions may be subject to discipline, being dropped from class or expulsion from the college.

Netiquette

I recommend that students enrolled in the course stick to communication within the Canvas framework as much as possible. Do not abuse on-line personal or group forums intended for learning. Follow Netiquette principles and guidelines.

  Expectations

Note that this course counts for 5 units of credit.  You should expect that this course will cover nearly twice as much material as a typical 3-unit course and will take nearly twice as much time every week for homework and study. 

The official estimate for a 5 unit course held with in-person lectures is that students will spend five hours a week in class and an average of ten hours a week outside of class studying and working on assignments, for a total of fifteen hours per week.  Since this is an online class, you will not spend any time in class, but you should still expect to spend a total of around fifteen hours per week working on this course. This estimate is for an average student who earns a C in the course during a typical week, so your experience may be different and may vary from week to week.  There will be several different types of assignments and homework required for this course.  Please plan your schedule accordingly.  Tutoring schedules will be communicated once they are set, and you may want to arrange your schedule so you can take advantage of the free tutoring opportunities.

This class starts out fairly easy, but gets progressively harder as the semester goes on.  You will be using almost everything you learn early in the semester again later in the semester as the material builds upon itself.  Therefore, do not get over-confident based on the first part of the course and think that you will be able to sail through the rest of the course without hard work.  You will need to remember the earlier material in order to be successful in the later parts of the course.

If you fall behind it will be very challenging to catch up due to the volume of work required.  Therefore, try to plan to set aside some time every day to work on this course.  It might be theoretically possible to do all the work for each module over the weekend, but it means that your entire weekend would be pretty much dedicated to this course.

  List of Assignments

Note to students: the list of  assignments  below in the Course Summary is generated automatically by Canvas, and it does not include all course content. To view all course content and assignments that are available to work on, go to Modules.   

Do not rely on the automatically-generated list below.  It does not include any of the Khan Academy assignments, and the Hawkes lessons are generated automatically and may not contain the most accurate information.  Dates on this Course Summary list are subject to change without notice, as the actual dates will be shown in each module when that module is published.