for Elementary Statistics Connect Math Hosted by ALEKS [] Navidi Prof., William and Monk Professor, Barry

Navidi/Monk, Elementary Statistics was developed around three central themes – Clarity, Quality, and Accuracy. These central themes were born out of extensive market research and feedback from statistics instructors across the country. The authors paid close attention to how material is presented to students, ensuring that the content in the text is very clear, concise, and digestible. High quality exercises, examples and integration of technology are important aspects of an Introductory Statistics text. The authors have provided robust exercise sets that range in difficulty. They have also focused keen attention to ensure that examples provide clear instruction to students. Technology is integrated throughout the text, providing students examples of how to use the TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculators, Microsoft Excel and Minitab. The accuracy of Elementary Statistics was a foundational principle always on the minds of the authors. While this certainly pertains to all aspects of the text, the authors also exhausted energy in ensuring the supplements have been developed to fit cohesively with the text.

William Navidi is Professor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines.  He received the B.A. degree in mathematics from New College, the M.A. in mathematics from Michigan State University, and the Ph.D. in statistics from the University of California at Berkeley.  Professor Navidi has authored more than 50 research papers both in statistical theory and in a wide variety of applications including computer networks, epidemiology, molecular biology, chemical engineering, and geophysics.

Degrees: Bachelor of science in applied mathematics, University of Alabama; master of arts in mathematics, University of Alabama; and doctorate in applied mathematics, University of Alabama.

Year he joined the Macon State faculty: 2001.

Some of his professional career highlights are … “Being asked to serve as the program coordinator of mathematics after only two years at Macon State College, heading up the development of the bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Macon State, leading the organization of the Southeastern Scholarship Conference on E-Learning hosted by Macon State each year since 2005, maintaining high student evaluations and developing numerous online mathematics courses with my colleagues Mary Wolfe, Steve Davis and Wanda Eanes.”

He enjoys teaching at Macon State because … “I am surrounded by a great group of people – both students and faculty.”

His favorite course to teach is… “Calculus, because there are so many interesting applications that can be covered. Also, this is the course where students really start to see how the different areas of mathematics come together.”

One thing people don’t know about Macon State is … “How dedicated the faculty are to the success of students.”

One thing people don’t know about him is … “I worked my way through college playing jazz piano in a bar.”

In his spare time he likes to … “Read, compose music, bowl, play with my six cats and go shopping. I also like to travel a lot.”

The one person he’d most like to meet is … “The Amazing James Randi, because of his tireless work promoting science, freethinking and critical reasoning skills.”

If he wasn’t a college professor he would be . . . “Who knows? Maybe a blackjack dealer at a high-stakes table in Las Vegas.”