Literature Index

Our statistics course for introductory psychology is a group Keller course in which students are required to work in small groups. This brief paper reports that, despite earlier fears, it was found successful to let students form themselves into groups for the course.

This paper continues earlier studies about the teaching and learning of the arithmetic average and it is part of a broader research in progress at Santiago of Compostela University (Spain). We have analyzed a sample of six teaching manuals (textbooks) used for teaching mathematics at high schools in Salvador, Bahia. The study is based on theoretical ideas by Godino and Batanero (1994; 1998) and Godino and Recio (1997) who propose a semiotics perspective based on the functions of signs by Hjelmslev (1943), later known as "semiotic function".( Eco, 1979).

The procedural steps involved in completing a statistical investigation are often discussed in an introductory statistics course. For example, students usually gain knowledge about developing an appropriate research question, performing appropriate descriptive and graphical summaries, completing the necessary inferential procedures, and communicating the results of such an analysis. The traditional sequencing of topics in an introductory course places statistical inference near the end. As a result, students have limited opportunities to perform a complete statistical investigation. We propose a new sequencing of topics that may enhance students' ability to perform a complete statistical investigation from beginning to end.

Statistics in the Community (STATCOM) is a student-run statistical consulting program that has been serving its local community since 2001. Directed and staffed by graduate students from Purdue University's Department of Statistics, it provides professional consulting services to governmental and nonprofit groups free of charge. Students work in teams to help community clients address specific problems and needs. Past clients include school corporations, libraries, community assistance programs, and the city of West Lafayette. Participation in STATCOM allows students to apply statistical concepts and classroom material to solve real problems. It also develops skills in leadership, management, and written and oral communication of results to the general public. Though important for any future career in statistics, these skills are not typically emphasized in graduate courses, research, or the on-campus academic consulting service. The university and academic department also benefit through increased interaction and visibility in the local community. STATCOM can serve as a model for integrating service learning into graduate statistical education at other colleges and universities.