Online, interactive units teaching statistical concepts and skills with imbedded practice

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• Online, interactive units teaching statistical
  concepts and skills with imbedded practice

Catherine Fritz Peter Morris Moira Peelo Brian
Francis Alberto Ramirez Martinell Mary Derbish
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Social science students are

• often disinclined to learn quantitative skills
  (Payne, Williams Chamberlain, 2004)
• widely varied in their level of preparedness
• poorer in numeracy skills than universities
  expect
• mostly in subjects funded at Band D (with some
  Band C), so resources are limited

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Students perceptions

• Worried and frustrated by not understanding new
  material as it is presented . . . leading to
  withdrawal
• See statistics as simply applying rules . . .
  not thinking
• Frustrated when courses assume they have
  skills/knowledge that they lack
• Appreciate use of examples

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SIMPLE Principles

• Familiar contexts, meaningful examples
• Everyday, often related to being students
• One-on-one, individualized tuition
• Explain briefly, assess understanding
• Move on if OK, review and reassess if not
• Active learning
• Frequently assess students understanding
• Spaced practice to develop fluency
• Occasionally re-assess concepts
• Review as needed

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Status of SIMPLE

• 3 units developed and pilot tested this year
• Significance testing
• Graphs
• Correlations
• 1 unit under development
• t tests
• Units and software to be made available during
  the summer

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System features Students perspective

• Move through the instruction at own pace, in own
  time.
• Can stop at any time, and resume or restart the
  unit.
• Can access other resources while using a unit
  tutors can provide weblinks and supplementary
  resources
• For example Slideshow on how to calculate r and
  rho
• Can follow a list of segments (Table of Contents)
  to see where in the unit they are
• Can select a segment for review

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System features Tutors perspective

• Can build or modify units from slideshows and
  spreadsheets
• Question/answer types that can direct unit flow
  include
• Multiple Choice, directed by selection
• Multiple Choice, Number, Short string, directed
  by 1st, 2nd, or 3rd error
• Can also have answers with longer strings
• Can identify or provide additional resources for
  specific slides or whole units
• Can review students performance
• By student, by unit, by question