Proceedings

  • This paper introduces the realization of the Bulgarian Management Training Institution Development Project in the Faculty of Economics, University of Veliko Turnovo: the aims and objectives, methodology, specific outcomes, and investigation of students' opinion. Developing statistical education for business-students, we focus on using the Internet as an agent of socialization of statistical information, specifically in the context of the Bulgarian situation. Analysis of teaching in the distance module "Statistics in Internet" shows that students do not have appropriate computer skills. We discuss importance of improving computer facilities and using computer based approach for training students in how to apply their statistical knowledge and literacy.

  • Training institutional research (IR) professionals in the use of statistics is a complex and challenging task. It is complicated by the need to develop a functional model of institutional research that includes its various roles. In addition, the specific statistical and analytical tools used to perform necessary tasks must be better understood. This is important due to the need for IR professionals to teach others to use and interpret statistical results. IR professionals have tended to use basic tools and have limited statistical sophistication. The specific tools or statistical methodologies that are important in IR should differ based on the situation of the individual and the academic background of the audience and should not be limited by lack of training in statistics. The work done by Terenzini (1993) further indicates that IR professionals need to broaden their approach to research by operating within three types of intelligence.

  • Professionals in the field of Institutional Research must use data analysis and statistical skills on a daily basis. Yet, professionals come to the field of Institutional Research with diverse backgrounds and differentiated knowledge of statistics. As a result, most professionals find themselves searching for review or refresher courses in data analysis and statistics. Thus, teaching a statistics course in six hours or fewer is the challenge. This paper will focus on the difficulties that are associated with teaching statistical content and skills in professional development settings to individuals with a wide range of statistical skills and abilities. The central tenet of the paper is that the art of teaching is what makes for effective training. Various pedagogical approaches designed to increase statistical understanding are explored and defined. Suggestions for sequencing and practical examples illustrating the use of statistics in Institutional Research will be given.

  • Some students in a service statistics course struggle with the material because they focus too much on the mathematical details and miss the broader issues and relevance to their degree program. It has proved useful for them to have the lecturer narrate a story, which gives a broad overview of the area while simultaneously drawing a rough concept map as an illustration. Of course this is very time consuming and impractical for large classes. We are currently developing and trialing a computer-based version of this setting, creating an interactive concept map with a narrative that students can follow as needed.

  • Instructional methods involving students in activities for exploring statistical concepts have proven to be highly effective. Formal mathematics, on the other hand, constitutes the basis of inductive reasoning. This paper reports on an "ActivStats" class for college math majors that teaches statistical concepts as well as mathematical foundations. Its basis is a four-step procedure comprising problem analysis, student activities, computer simulation, and formal mathematical analysis.

  • As statistics continues to increase its presence in the school curriculum, particularly the mathematics one, it becomes increasingly more difficult for teachers to be able to fit everything in. They complain that if statistics must be included, then something must go. One suggestion to solve their problem is to combine the topics of statistics and mathematics so that both are presented together. The NSF-funded project Data-Driven Mathematics has done precisely that. The series of eleven modules motivates mathematics topics found in pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, advanced algebra, and advanced mathematics from a data point of view that involves students. This paper presents some insight as to how this may be done with the advanced mathematics topic of matrices. (See Burrill, Burrill, Landwehr, & Witmer, 1998).

  • This paper will examine the foresight, commitment and academic and administrative expertise manifested by various individuals and institutions that combined to create an atmosphere and infrastructures in which statistical education could develop as a discipline in its own right. Particular attention will be focused on the development of statistical education activities in the International Statistical Institute's post-war period, with particular reference to ISEC Calcutta and the former ISEC in Beirut, and ISI Statistical Education Committee, forerunner to the present International Association for Statistical Education.

  • Most managers do not instinctively think statistically, mainly because they are not convinced that statistical thinking adds any value to management and decision-making. Traditional business statistics courses tend to reinforce this view by concentrating on mathematical detail and computation. Without the ability to think statistically, and to understand and interpret data, managers have to resort to gut reactions, which are invariably misguided and unreliable. In this paper we advocate a problem centred approach to teaching statistical thinking based on realistic business examples. Students must be thoroughly involved in the learning process, and encouraged to discover for themselves the meaning, importance and relevance of statistical concepts. Time should be devoted to thinking about the key issues, and for significant interaction both between student and teacher and also, more importantly, between the students themselves.

  • This paper reviews the principal lessons for statistics education for business that can be drawn from the 17 annual U.S. Conferences held so far called Making Statistics More Effective in Schools and Business. The series of Conferences was begun in 1986 under the leadership of Professors Harry Roberts and George Tiao, both of the Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago. "The mission of the annual Making Statistics More Effective In Schools and Business (MSMESB) conference is to improve the teaching and practice of Statistics in Schools of Business. We aim to encourage interaction between business faculty and others involved in teaching business statistics to business students, as well as interaction with professionals from industry and government, with publishers, and with software producers."

  • Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is vital for any practising employee of any organisation. For many professions, especially one as diverse as the statistical one, it is important that the selection and evaluation of relevant, quality, statistical and non-statistical CPD is fully inclusive - both for the professionals themselves and also for their areas of application. This paper outlines the broad approach taken by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) in its progress to implementing a CPD policy across its professionally qualified membership. Specifically, however, the paper will focus on two (non-academic) sectors - business and government - which in themselves are quite diverse. It will discuss how relevant CPD might be defined in those sectors; will address how a manager in these sectors might set CPD objectives for staff; and will suggest how an employee might locate suitable CPD training material.

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