Syllabus PA 3000-001/CJUS 3000-001/SWRK 3000-001 Page 1 of 4

PA 3000-001 Applied Statistics And Data Management In The Public Sector

University of Nebraska at Omaha, School of Public Administration
(Cross-listed with CJUS 3000-001 and SWRK 3000-001)

Course Description: This is a course in the basic statistics of public sector research and public
administration decision-making. The emphasis is on exploration of data processing techniques
as they relate to statistical analysis and on understanding the proper application of statistics.
(Referenced from UNO catalog.)

Instructor: Michael Pippin

Office: 113 CPACS Building
Telephone: (402) 554-6013
Email: mpippin@unomaha.edu

Textbooks: Title: Applied Statistics for Public & Nonprofit Administration

(Eighth Edition)
Authors: Kenneth J. Meier, Jeffery L. Brudney, John Bohte
ISBN-13: 978-1-111-34280-7
ISBN-10: 1-111-34280-6

Software: Microsoft Excel 2007

Equipment: Handheld Calculator

Course Description/Objectives

The objective of this course is to empower students with the capability to critically analyze and
understand statistical information. Statistics are used, and misused, to support arguments and
justify policy. This is especially true in the public domain where public administrators,
politicians, lobbyists, and others employ the ‘authority’ of statistics to, for example, argue for or
against health care, debate the benefits of unemployment insurance, justify teen driver license
policies, or shape immigration policy (or the lack thereof).

Today’s public administrator, social worker, and criminologist must have a firm understanding
of statistics in order succeed in their field. The purpose of this course is to provide you with that
basic understanding.

Generally, this course will follow the layout of the textbook. (See the Course Schedule)

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Course policies:

• Late or missed examinations: Not accepted. Exceptions will only be granted for
verifiable medical or family reasons. While I am willing to consider requests for
extensions, I consider my default answer will be “No!” You must convince me
that you could not foresee your situation.

• Academic dishonesty: This will not be tolerated in this class. University policies
for the adjudication of cases will be followed. The University rules regarding
academic honesty as outlined in the UNO 2010-2011 Undergraduate Catalog (to
view this policy, go to http://www.unomaha.edu/webpubs/pages/catalog.php )
will be strictly enforced. Students unfamiliar with them should review them, in
particular the offense of plagiarism. Plagiarism is the appropriation of the work
(be it ideas or words) of another without crediting the source. Plagiarized work
will receive a failing grade, and may result in an automatic failure for the course.

• Incomplete grades: An incomplete grade is extended to students who are

prevented from completing the coursework by events out of their control (e.g.,
serious accident or illness). Students wishing to receive an incomplete must make
a request in writing to the instructor by April 19, specify the reason why the
course requirements cannot be completed according to schedule, and state the
expected date of completion of the required course assignments. All work
necessary to remove a grade of incomplete must be delivered to the instructor by
the agreed upon date.

• Home Work Assignments - No late submission accepted. Exceptions will only

be granted for verifiable medical or family reasons.

• Academic Accommodations - Students who have a documented disability and

need academic accommodation are encouraged to contact the instructor to discuss
their needs. Accommodations are provided for students who are registered with
Disability Services and make their requests sufficiently in advance. For more
information, contact Disability Services (EAB 117, Phone: 554-2872, TTY: 554-
3799) or go to the website: www.unomaha.edu/disability.

• Communications: Course information will be updated weekly to help you

prepare for each class session and to provide you with materials from prior
sessions. You are responsible for checking for updates in Blackboard each week.
Blackboard will be the primary means of communicating with you for items
including grades and major changes in class assignments, etc.

• Class Starting Times: Classes will start on time and will not run over. Please
strive to be on time. Entering the room late disrupts the class. If you have an

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ongoing reason for lateness (childcare drop off, for example) check with me in
advance. Continual tardiness will affect your grade.

• Cell Phones and Electronics: Like coming in late, cell phones interrupt and
disrupt the class. Turn your cell phones off in class. If you must monitor your
telephone, place it on vibrate and if a call comes in, exit the class to take the call.
Laptops are permitted.

• Office Hours and Contacting the Instructor: My office hours will be

announced in class and posted on Blackboard. Appointments may be scheduled
and are encouraged, especially if you are having problems with a concept or need
guidance with the research project. All written communication will be by
University email, and this is encouraged. While I have posted my office
telephone, I recommend using email. I check email at least three times a day, and
often many more. However, I am in and out of the office.

Assignments and Grading:

There are five components to your final course grade.

Homework Assignments - As a rule there will be regular homework assignments. These

assignments have several purposes. The main purpose is to reinforce the concepts from the class
lectures and readings. The second purpose is to ensure that all students keep up with the reading
and the work. Statistical concepts build on each other. They are not independent of each other.
If you fail to grasp a concept early on, that lack of knowledge cascades and grows, dramatically
affecting future work. Cramming does not work. It is the rare student who can ‘cram’ for a
statistics test and do well.

You are not only allowed, but encouraged, to work with other students on these assignments.
However, you must do your own work and not just copy the answers. In the ‘real world’, you
are expected to seek out resources, work in teams, and collaborate.

Mid-term Exam - It will be a take-home open book exam. However, it will be comprehensive,
and if you rely on the ‘open book’ for the answers, you risk not doing well. Unlike the
Homework Assignments and the Statistics Project, you must do your own work. Collaboration
will be considered cheating and result in a failing grade.

Final Exam - This examine will be cumulative, covering topics from the entire course. Like the
Mid-term exam, it will be ‘open-book’. However, this test will be administered in class.

Statistics Project - A separate handout will be provided and posted concerning this project. The
basic idea is to select a topic and analyze the impact and use of statistics in relation to the topic.

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However, the project must employ concepts covered in the class. You will present your results in
class.

A few points. First, start thinking about your subject early in the class. It takes time to define a
topic, gather the data, and analyze the data. Procrastination will negatively affect the project
quality. Second, you may work with other students on your project, as long as the final project
is the result of your work. However, this is not a ‘group’ project. Of course, you may consult
with me.

Class participation - Class discussion, questions, comments, and contributions are encouraged.
If you have a question on your mind, there is a good chance someone else is also thinking about
it. While you will not be awarded points for being on time, you may lose points for being
excessively late to class or absence from class.

Grade Weighting: The grade weighting is:

Category Weight
Homework Assignments 20 %
Mid-term Exam 25%
Final Exam 25 %
Project Paper and Presentation 25 %
Class Participation 5%
Total 100 %

Grades will be assigned on a percentage basis; there will be no curve. The percentages that
correspond to each grade are listed below.

Grade Range
A+ 97% and above
A 94% to 96.99%
A- 90% to 93.99%
B+ 87% to 89.99%
B 83% to 86.99%
B- 80% to 82.99
C+ 77% to 79.99
C 73% to 76.99
C- 70% to 72.99
D 60% to 69.99
F Below 60%

Course Content: The content for the course will be delivered in class, by the textbook, and
Blackboard. While the focus of the class will come from lectures and the textbook, other
readings and items may be assigned or recommended.

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