This paper is from Session 6F: Service learning and statistics: integrating statistics education into the workplace
which comes under Topic 6: Statistics education, training and the workplace
(Thursday 15th, 14:00-16:00)
Promoting opportunities for statistics service-learning at a large urban university
Presenter
Abstract
Service-learning connects course content with service projects that address real world problems and provides a focus for student interest in learning to use and interpret statistics. Service-learning also supports leadership development, problem analysis and solving, evaluation and useful outcomes for community partners. Working with community to plan and coordinate student work requires additional resources, leading to a question whether the promise of enhanced student learning and benefit of working with community produces a sufficient return, especially in a research university, where emphasis is placed on research productivity and ability to garner external support for research. An example from a large research university reveals four elements for development and institutionalization of service-learning: (1) leadership/support from University Administration, (2) faculty development, (3) common definition and visibility, and (4) infrastructure. Suggestions for the institutionalization of service-learning in statistics will be emphasized.
