This paper presents the status of Indian universities with respect to teaching and research in Design of Experiments. In addition, some suggestions to improve the existing courses and research facilities are included.
This paper presents the status of Indian universities with respect to teaching and research in Design of Experiments. In addition, some suggestions to improve the existing courses and research facilities are included.
One of the important issues not adequately addressed is the training of teachers of statistics for schools and colleges. In this paper, we propose to provide a framework to enrich the training of statistics teachers at the college level.
There does seem to be a coming together in Europe concerning what should be taught in probability and statistics at the school level when compared with 10 to 15 years ago. There is, though, a lot that we can still learn from each other and there are many ways in which we could be of mutual help.
The problems that the teaching of Statistics generates are diverse and complex. They emerge either from the "formal" teaching (primary, secondary, and university), which is offered under the responsibility of the "academic statisticians", or from the training of governmental statisticians, who have responsibility for operation and supervision of technical and professional activities. The present situation of teaching statistics in Latin America is described.
It is now widely recognized, if still grudgingly by some academicians and persons in older professions, that statistics is both an academic discipline and a profession. In Africa as indeed in every other continent of the world, the teaching of statistics may be conveniently put into two broad categories: the teaching of statistics as an academic discipline in schools and colleges and the training in statistics as a profession. It would therefore be convenient to treat the topic of this paper in two parts, namely: statistical education corresponding to teaching statistics as an academic discipline in institutions and statistical training for a profession.
The main aim of this paper is to assess the present position regarding the extent of the availability of statistical education and training facilities in the developing countries of the ESCAP region and to discuss some of the main problems being faced by these countries in developing the statistical manpower needed in the context of the development efforts. Early developments in the fields of statistical education and statistical training are briefly covered in the section 'Early Developments' and university education in statistics, regional and national training facilities are taken up in the sections 'University Education in Statistics', 'Regional Training Centers' and 'National Training Centers'; teaching of statistics in schools is briefly discussed in the section 'Concluding Remarks'. No attempt is made in this paper to review or evaluate the design and contents of the courses offered by the universities, institutes and training centers in the region.
Teach-Stat is a professional development program for elementary teachers (grades K-6) in North Carolina funded by the National Science Foundation and jointly sponsored by the University of N.C. Mathematics and Science Education Network, the N.C. Department of Public Instruction and the N.C. Science and Mathematics Alliance. The Teach-Stat faculty are developing materials to help teachers expand their knowledge and understanding of statistics and to help them teach it to elementary students through an activity-based, data investigations approach. We expect teachers who participate in the Teach-Stat program will reframe the way they teach mathematics, science and social studies through the integration of data analysis activities into these subject areas. This paper provides an overview of Teach-Stat, a brief description of some of the workshop materials that have been developed for it, and a preliminary report on several research results that are beginning to emerge from the project.
STAT-MAPS, "Statistics-Materials and Activities for Problem Solving", is a four year project (1991-94) in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, Appalachian State University, USA. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the STAT-MAPS project is developing curriculum and materials for students in grades 9-12 (ages 15-17). The STAT-MAPS curriculum is giving attention to students with a broad range of abilities and interests, not just the college bound ones or the advanced students who have a special interest in science or mathematics. The goals of STAT-MAPS are to: (1) describe a flexible curriculum for various secondary level settings, (2) develop effective instructional strategies for presenting this curriculum, and (3) provide materials for implementing the instructional strategies and curriculum. The project is based on the recommendations of The Curriculum Standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1989) and builds on the previous work of the Quantitative Literacy Project (Scheaffer, 1986).
The development of a data-driven curriculum for high school mathematics appears to be in line with the needs of students to see more motivation and application within the mathematics classroom and to develop important skills to carry beyond the classroom. The revised curriculum under development is designed to raise the quantitative literacy off all students as it builds connections among mathematics, science, and technology. It models a new approach to the teaching of mathematics, the approach required by the NCTM Standards, as it emphasizes hands-on activities for students and discovery of concepts through data. Technology in the form of graphing calculators and computers is an integral part of the teaching and learning style being promoted through these materials and workshops. This project attempts to connect topics of importance in a modern mathematics curriculum to a modern view of statistical science for the purpose of enhancing student interest and skills in both areas.
I want to take this opportunity to speak about the special problems we statistical educators face in trying to develop a suitable curriculum for statistics instruction. I will argue that we are far from successful. I will emphasize ways in which statistics is different qualitatively from other subjects in this regard.