Topic 9
Technology and multimedia in statistics education
Convenors
- Bruno de Sousa (Portugal)
- Rolf Biehler (Germany)
- Michael Bulmer (Australia)
- Hollylynne Stohl Lee (United States)
- Akimichi Takemura (Japan)
Abstract
Technology plays a central role in the statistical education of students at all levels. New visualization technologies can provide distinctive insights into the nature of data and data patterns which assist comprehension of information and inform judgement. Virtual environments and the internet offer access to data and to authentic scientific inquiry through simulation, interactive modes of data manipulation and use of multimedia for illustrating ideas. Online and eLearning models have drastically increased over the past decade, providing access to statistics education to many more students and teachers in secondary and post-secondary settings. Progress in the use of technology to advance statistics education is faced with the contrasting realities in which young populations in developed countries have almost ubiquitous access to technologies, while those in developing countries have limited access to the Internet and low education levels. Thus, technology and multimedia learning in statistics must respond to today’s pedagogical challenges.
Sessions in Topic 9 will explore how technology can radically impact what students can learn and how our teaching can be substantially enhanced by technology and multimedia in statistics education. What type of digital approaches have been used in education for gathering and modeling data, or dealing with large data sets (e.g. big data), or creating multimedia for online learning, or assessing students’ skills? What theoretical frameworks undergird this work and what do evaluation efforts tell us about the success of technological interventions? What is the role of eLearning, from small group experiences to MOOCs, in developing skills for both teachers and students in these new ways of learning statistics? What issues and progress has been made in developing countries, and how can scholars from around the globe come together to help create solutions for all students and teachers of statistics?