Evaluation of three simulation exercises in an introductory statistics course

This study evaluates the effect of participation in three computer simulation exercises on performance of students enrolled in an introductory statistics class. One-half of the students were required to participate in three computer exercises: means, normal curve, and correlation coefficient estimation. At a later date all students were given a paper-and-pencil test of their ability to quickly estimate statistics. Results demonstrated that the students who participated in the exercises attempted significantly more exercises with greater success than those who did not. Questionnaire results indicated that the students felt that the exercises were useful.