The daunting task for a Statistics teacher in India at tertiary level, to remain relevant in a world driven by technology and increasing demand for data based understanding of reality is two- fold. First is the challenge of motivating students to specialise in Statistics. This is especially so in an environment where the curriculum remains trapped in extensive mathematical derivations with very little scope for students to handle real data-based problems. Secondly, the teacher must develop her expertise as a Statistics professional through research projects and tool building based on primary data. This needs urgent attention in an era when the application of statistical methodology is rapidly penetrating other disciplines and the statistical expertise is outstripping the boundaries of this discipline. This paper looks at the experience and efforts of the author, on both fronts, in her thirty years of teaching and research in Statistics at the undergraduate level.
(Friday 16th, 11:00-12:30)
Madhu Paranjape (India)