 Hi. I'm Dr. Don Wright, and I'm one of the instructors that teach Business 233 Business Statistics for Excelsior. There are three ideas I want to get through to you in this short introduction. First, I expect many of you may be apprehensive at taking your first college math course because you think I'm not good at math. Let me reassure you that this is not a typical math course, that you do belong in a statistics course and that you can earn a B or better even if you think you're a math challenged. Yes, this is a math course, and there will be some math, but it does not require you're having a good grade in a past calculus or algebra 2 course or even haven't taken those courses at all. You will see a little basic algebra 1. You will have to learn some new concepts, but you will not have to solve the quadratic equation. You will not have to memorize complex formulas or equations. In this course, you are encouraged to use technology to remember the formulas we use and to crunch the numbers. You will use a calculator or Excel or another easy to learn software package, and we will help you learn to do that. You will have to learn a bit of a new language, statistical thinking I call it, but you can do it. I've had many bad at math students do very well in this course, and you can too. And when you complete this course with a B or better, you can lose that I'm bad at math mindset. Second, this course is relevant. Do not believe those who say I've never used statistics in my job. That may have been true in some cases in the past, but it is no longer true. Almost all future jobs requiring a college degree will require you to understand basic statistics. Taking this course will give you skills you will find useful in your future academic courses here at Excelsior and in your careers. Getting a foundation in statistics, becoming data savvy, will help you no matter what your chosen career path is. If you are a nursing or health science student, you will find your career is increasingly data driven. If you are pursuing a career in human resources, you will find predictive statistics now are fundamental to your work. If you are pursuing a career in IT, nuclear or cyber engineering, you must have an understanding of what data science can do to help you in your job. If you are in the School of Public Service, you will find statistics will help you understand things like predictive policing, the tool pre-poll, and how integral big data is becoming to your jobs. If you are heading to a career in management, marketing, finance or accounting, this course will open your eyes to new ways of doing business. Although this course is named Business Statistics, we in the School of Business and Technology will work hard to show you this course has important relevance to your area study and to your future career. In this course you will find examples not just of business uses, but of many other fields as well. Third, you will have to work hard in this course to gain the knowledge and skills you need. You have to read and watch all the study materials and work all the problems in the homework to be ready to take the quizzes and exams. You must understand for most students, you will need to invest 15 to 18 hours per week solely on this course if you are taking the 8-week version of the course. But you should know there is also a 15-week version of the course that is offered. If you take it, you will only have to invest about 9 hours per week to learn and retain the material. If you are planning on taking more than one course at a time and you are working full time, consider taking the 15-week version of the course. If you are a bit apprehensive of this being a math course, consider taking the 15-week version to give you more calendar time to think through the concepts and let the ideas sink in. If you are new to Excel and you want to use it for this course, which is a good idea because Excel is a valuable skill for most careers, consider taking the 15-week version of the course. Only you know your life situation. If you are starting a new job, if you are moving to a new town, if you have a sick child, or you have other important issues, consider taking the 15-week version of the course. If you are in the military and will have limited access to the internet, consider the 15-week version of the course. The 15-week version of the course is the same course, but it gives you much more flexibility if you run into unexpected problems. Remember these three thoughts as you make your decision on registering for courses. First, math challenge students have done well in this course and you can too. Second, this course is relevant to you now and will be more so in the future. You will use statistics. Third, this course requires either 9 or 18 hours a week devoted to the course depending upon whether you take the 8 or 15-week version. Choose the one that fits best with your life situation.