This paper is from Session 9B: Modeling, randomization and simulation tools for connecting data and chance

which comes under Topic 9: Technology in statistics education

Hierarchical data visualization as a tool for developing student understanding of variation of data generated in simulations

Presenter

• William Finzer (Concord Consortium, United States)

Abstract

Data Games is a data exploration environment in which data generated by playing simple games is used by students to build models with which they can improve their game-playing strategies. The data is structured hierarchically, with games at the upper level containing game events at the lower level. Visualization of these two levels, typically with multiple graphs linked by dynamic selection, reveals patterns and variation among the games and illuminates the role that chance plays in the games. We explore the parallels of Data Games to repeated sampling simulations and in a NetLogo forest fire simulation. We look at uses of hierarchical data visualization techniques in each of these three situations.