This paper is from Session 7D: Developing statistical literacy: Case studies and lessons learned

which comes under Topic 7: Statistical literacy in the wider society

Changing the course: from boring numeracy to inspiring literacy

Presenter

• Kimmo Vehkalahti (University of Helsinki, Finland)

Abstract

The course “Introduction to Statistics” was run at the University of Helsinki for nearly 40 years basically unchanged. I experienced it as a student in 1990 and shared the common impression: the course was boring, out of context and seriously out of date with its focus on mechanical calculations. Nearly 20 years later, in 2008, I became the responsible teacher of the course. The bad reputation of the course, together with 300 uninterested students provided me with a challenging opportunity. I changed the course quite completely: the contents, the focus, and the pedagogical practices. Instead of mathematical numeracy it now focuses on statistical literacy. As a result, the course has become popular, attracting 600 interested students from all over the University. In this paper, I reflect on my experiences with this course.