Sequencing topics in introductory statistics: A debate on what to teach when

We discuss various perspectives on the sequencing of topics to be studied in an introductory statistics course, debating the merits and drawbacks of different options. We focus on the introduction of data collection issues; the study of descriptive statistics for bivariate data; the presentation order of inference for mean and proportions; and the placement of tests of significance and confidence intervals. Our goals is not to declare final resolution on these issues, but to stimulate instructors' thinking about this important aspect of course design. We conclude by identifying a set of core recommendations emerging from our points of agreement.