This paper is from Session 6G: Challenges in Teaching Probability
which comes under Topic 6: Innovations in teaching probability
Paper 6G3 (Tuesday 10th, 11:00-12:30)
Granular Density in the Evolving University Probability Course
Presenter
- J. Todd Lee (Elon University, United States)
Abstract
The growth of STEM disciplines in middle-sized universities creates a new reality for the purpose and clients in an introductory probability course. In the investigated class (16 students), the instructor faced the challenge of providing a conceptual framework that is productive for the learning and application of probability to a broad range of majors. The course serves as an upper-level elective for various STEM majors, a required course for math education majors, and a prerequisite for theoretical statistics required for statistics majors. The granular density metaphor (Lee & Lee, ICOTS9) was used as a core content element to address the needed multi-purpose structure. This paper discusses the initial findings on the viability of applying this metaphor to various course topics from examining different student artifacts.