For Immediate Release: April 17, 2008

BLOOMSBURG — The mathematics, computer science and statistics department’s first online course, Introduction to Statistics, will be offered during Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s second summer session, from Tuesday, July 1, to Friday, Aug. 8. The course will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 9:20 p.m. Summer course scheduling is based on a first-come, first-served basis. A limited number of seats are available for this course.

The course will be taught using the software programs Wimba and Blackboard. Students must be familiar with an Internet browser and will be required to have a high-speed Internet connection, speakers and a microphone or a headset with a microphone. A textbook and notebook are required; students will also be required to purchase and use the statistical software Minitab.

The course will provide an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics covered will include numerical and graphical summary procedures, basic probability concepts, discrete and continuous random variables, the Central Limit Theorem, confidence intervals and hypothesis tests. Stephen Kokoska, professor of mathematics, computer science and statistics, will be the course instructor. For more information about the online course, contact Kokoska at skokoska@bloomu.edu or visit http://facstaff.bloomu.edu/skokoska.

BU will offer more than 450 course sections at the campus during three summer sessions – May 19 to 27, July 1 to Aug. 8 and May 19 to Aug. 8. Credits earned during summer college may apply toward a BU degree or transfer to another college or university. A complete list of summer courses, is available at www.bloomu.edu/current/summer/.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Professional Studies, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.