By Pamela Fellers (Grinnell College)
Abstract
Survey data is often incorporated in some way into most statistics classes. There is an abundance of survey data being produced, reported on, and accessible. Surveys cover a myriad of topics of interest and importance to the students in our classrooms and spans local, national, and global levels. However, data from a survey can be complex to understand and appropriately analyze. Most surveys are collected through more complex methods than a simple random sample and if randomly selected the responses are typically not fully representative of the target population. Thus surveys generally include a weighting variable or variables that should be utilized when analyzing the data. In this presentation I will provide specific examples of how I have incorporated discussions and explorations of survey data more often and regularly into an undergraduate applied statistics course in ways that promote informed and appropriate use and understanding of survey data. My goal in this five-minute presentation is to provide a number of quick examples that can be easily adopted into any course as well as highlight a few in-depth exploration possibilities that hopefully encourage you to be purposeful, intentional, and creative in how survey data is utilized in your classroom.