STAT 218 (Fall 2026)
Introduction to Statistics
Instructor
Name: Tyler Wiederich, Ph.D.
Office: Hardin Hall 343A
Office hours: W 1-3, and by appointment
E-mail: twiederich2@unl.edu
All office hours are guaranteed for the first 30 minutes. If no students are present after 30 minutes, office hours are ended.
Course Description
The practical application of statistical thinking to contemporary issues; collection and organization of data; probability distributions; statistical inference; estimation; and hypothesis testing.
ACE 3 Outcomes: Use mathematical, computational, statistical, or formal reasoning (including reasoning based on principles of logic) to solve problems, draw inferences, and determine reasonableness. The reinforced skills for STAT 218 are Writing and Critical Thinking. STAT 218 will provide the student opportunities to achieve this learning outcome through readings, quizzes, and in-class activities. These assignments (together with exams) will be used by the instructor to assess achievement of the outcome. The final exam will be used by the Department of Statistics to carry out an overall assessment of STAT 218, and the course’s effectiveness at assisting students in achieving Outcome 3.
Assessments
This course consists of quizzes, projects, and exams.
Projects/Quizzes: Projects and quizzes will be assigned periodically throughout the semester. You will have at least one week to complete the assessment.
Midterm: There will be one midterm approximately halfway through the semester. Details will be provided in class.
Final: To be announced in class.
These assessments are weighted as follows:
| Projects/quizzes* | Midterm | Final** | |
|---|---|---|---|
| % of grade | 30% | 30% | 40% |
*All projects need to be turned electronically via PDF documents. A project completed in an unreadable or unprofessional manner will be returned for a zero grade. Quizzes will be assigned on Canvas. No late projects or quizzes are accepted.
If projects allow for group work, all group members are expected to participate equally and have a complete understanding of all components for it. I will lower a student’s project grade if he/she/they do not abide by this group work policy.
**The final exam is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 14 from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Grades
Your overall course grade percentage guarantees the following grade for the course.
| Letter Grade | + | - | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 93 | 90 | ||
| B | 87 | 83 | 80 | |
| C | 77 | 73 | 70 | |
| D | 67 | 63 | 60 | |
| F | <60 |
Continuity of Instruction Policy
In the event that the university is closed during our regular class hours, please check the Canvas announcements for alternative class arrangements.
AI Disclaimer
The recent popularity of large language models and other artificial intelligence tools introduces a unique challenge in the academic community. As an instructor, my goal is to promote critical thinking for the topics taught in this course. Unless otherwise stated, the use of AI tools is not permitted. If you are suspected of using AI, I reserve the right to give a zero grade.
Tentative Topics
- One proportion
- One mean
- Confidence intervals
- Two proportions
- Two means
- Paired data
- Regression
UNL Course Policies and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing the university policies and resources found on this page: https://go.unl.edu/coursepolicies
- University-wide Attendance Policy
- Academic Honesty Policy
- Services for Students with Disabilities
- Mental Health and Well-Being Resources
- Final Exam Schedule
- Fifteenth Week Policy
- Emergency Procedures
- Diversity & Inclusiveness
- Title IX Policy
- Other Relevant University-Wide Policies