This paper is from Session 4G: Learning statistics through projects
which comes under Topic 4: Statistics education at the post secondary (tertiary) level
(Tuesday 13th, 16:30-18:00)
Formulating statistical questions and implementing statistics projects in an introductory applied statistics course
Presenter
Abstract
Students taking introductory statistics in the Mathematics and Statistics Department at Smith College, a liberal arts college for women in Northampton, Massachusetts, conduct independent research projects as part of their coursework. Instructions for the project, given to students with the syllabus, include a list of deliverables: research proposal, peer reviews, data, progress reports, draft analyses, and due dates for each. Students, working in groups of two to four, write a research proposal that includes their research question and an outline of their data collection and analysis methods. Before students begin data collection, research proposals must be approved by the instructor(s) and, when human or animal subjects are used, by the Smith College Institutional Review Board. Students carry out the research during the term and present their work in a poster session, oral presentation, or a research paper at the end of term.
