ICOTS8: Scientific Programme: Paper 4J2

This paper is from Session 4J: Sampling populations

Full topic list

which comes under Topic 4: Statistics education at the post secondary (tertiary) level

(Tuesday 13th, 11:00-12:30)

The use of Monte Carlo simulations in teaching survey sampling

Presenter

Anne Ruiz-Gazen (Toulouse School of Economics, France)

Co-author

Camelia Goga (University of Bourgogne, France)

Abstract

Our objective is to illustrate the use of simulations in the teaching of a graduate course on survey sampling theory. Students are from a master’s degree in statistics and have a strong mathematical background. The course consists essentially in theoretical lectures and exercises but it contains also some computer based training which appears to be very helpful for students to understand the theoretical concepts taught. For the computer based training, real populations from official French surveys data base are used and students are asked to carry out some Monte Carlo simulations. Simulations consist in generating a large number of samples according to different sample designs and estimate some finite population parameters according to different estimation methods. Many properties of the sample designs and of the estimation methods can be recovered by using simulations and this point will be illustrated in more detail.