Literature Index

Displaying 381 - 390 of 3326
  • Author(s):
    MURPHY, Patrick
    Year:
    2007
    Abstract:
    Students learn by doing: unfortunately many only do as little as is required of them to meet formal assessment requirements. We examine how a radical change in assessment strategy was chosen as a method of improving the learning experience for a group of students engaged in a final year undergraduate course in Time Series. In 2006, following attempts to change student attitudes through the use of different teaching techniques, we decided instead to focus on altering our assessment strategies. This paper will show that assessment appears to be one of the most effective tools to improve learning. While we remain committed to investigating and implementing improved methods for course delivery, our recent experience indicates the need to complement those methods with innovative assessment to improve the whole learning experience.
  • Author(s):
    Finch, S. & Cumming, G.
    Editors:
    Pereira-Mendoza, L.
    Year:
    1998
    Abstract:
    StatPlay, our mulimedia for introductory statistics, aims to promote understanding of fundamental concepts. We describe assessment of students' use of StatPlay's Sampling Playground for learning about sampling variability, standard error and sampling distributuions. Students worked with StatPlay's interactive simulations, and undertook a range of prediction, estimation, labelling and explanation tasks. Results suggest that variability, and that confrontation with prior misconceptions and experience with the results of repated sampling can be valuable, in particular for understanding standard error.
  • Author(s):
    Megan Mocko, Lawrence M. Lesser, Amy E. Wagler & Wendy S. Francis
    Year:
    2017
    Abstract:
    Mnemonics (memory aids) are often viewed as useful in helping students recall information, and thereby possibly reducing stress and freeing up more cognitive resources for higher-order thinking. However, there has been little research on statistics mnemonics, especially for large classes. This article reports on the results of a study conducted during two consecutive fall semesters at a large U.S. university. In 2014, a large sample (n = 1487) of college students were asked about the usefulness of a set of 19 published statistics mnemonics presented in class, and in 2015, the students (n = 1468) were presented 12 mnemonics related to inference and then asked whether or not they used mnemonics on that exam. This article discusses how students assess the usefulness of mnemonics and evaluates the relationship between using mnemonics and reducing anxiety. Additionally, the relationship between mnemonic usage and learning outcomes achievement will be discussed, along with this study's limitations and implications for teaching.  
  • Author(s):
    Lawrence M. Lesser, Dennis K. Pearl & John J. Weber III
    Year:
    2016
    Abstract:
    There has been a recent emergence of scholarship on the use of fun in the college statistics classroom, with at least 20 modalities identified. While there have been randomized experiments that suggest that fun can enhance student achievement or attitudes in statistics, these studies have generally been limited to one particular fun modality or have not been limited to the discipline of statistics. To address the efficacy of fun items in teaching statistics, a student-randomized experiment was designed to assess how specific items of fun may cause changes in statistical anxiety and learning statistics content. This experiment was conducted at two institutions of higher education with different and diverse student populations. Findings include a significant increase in correct responses to questions among students who were assigned online content with a song insert compared with those assigned content alone.
  • Author(s):
    Hadjidemetriou, C., & Williams, J.
    Year:
    2000
    Abstract:
    This study developed a graphicacy assessment instrument which can (a) assess and measure pupils' progress in graphical understanding for the National Curriculum, (b) identify significant errors and misconceptions in graphing held by Year 10 Mathematics pupils and so (c) help raise teachers' awareness of their pupils' mathematical thinking.<br>A carefully constructed set of graphical problems related to the research literature and located in the National Curriculum was administered to a pilot group of pupils. The problems were deliberately posed in such a way as to encourage relevant isconceptions to come to the surface. The test was 'scaled' using Rasch methodology and a graphicacy measure results, with the main misconceptions plotted with the items on the same scale. The pupils producing the most common errors in the test were selected to take part in some group interviews to get an insight into their way of thinking and to collect evidence for discussion with teachers. Data from teachers' interviews and questionnaires were also collected to ascertain the curriculum validity of the ssessment and to probe their knowledge of their pupils' understanding.
  • Author(s):
    Ginger Rowell
    Year:
    2007
    Abstract:
    The Internet is a great source of learning resources to help statistics teachers and students. Examples include interactive applets, videos, tutorials, lesson plans, case studies, and engaging learning activities. This webinar will demonstrate assessing statistics education learning materials based on the peer-review criteria used by digital libraries such as MERLOT and CAUSEweb.
  • Author(s):
    Verkoeijen, P., Imbos, T., van de Wiel, M. W. J., Berger, M. P. F., &amp; Schmidt, H. G.
    Year:
    2002
    Abstract:
    In this report, the method of free recall is put forward as a tool to evaluate a prototypical statistical learning environment. A number of students from the faculty of Health Sciences, Maastricht University, the Netherlands, were required to write down whatever they could remember of a statistics course in which they had participated. By means of examining the free recall protocols of the participants, insight can be obtained into the mental representations they had formed with respect to three statistical concepts. Quantitative as well as qualitative analyses of the free recall protocols showed that the effect of the constructive learning environment was not in line with the expectations. Despite small-group discussions on the statistical concepts, students appeared to have disappointingly low levels of conceptual understanding.
  • Author(s):
    FORSTER, Mike and SMITH, David P.
    Year:
    2007
    Abstract:
    The guiding principle in the assessment of any course is that we must assess what we teach. We begin by outlining the assessment instruments we use and discuss how we use these instruments to assess what we teach. We then look at the following assessment considerations: firstly, two specific types of questions we use and why we use them, then equity for students across semesters, the time and cost associated with assessment, some strategies and administrative tools and finally, one of the biggest challenges, finding enough suitable data sets to use.
  • Author(s):
    SVENSSON, Elisabeth
    Year:
    2007
    Abstract:
    PhD students and others from all kinds of disciplines have the need for statistical learning and<br>understanding in common. For that reason, research courses in research method and biostatistics are<br>open for all kinds of participants, which mean that a large variety of applied topics are represented in<br>each course. The participants are commonly involved in the research process on different stages, some<br>of them having only a research topic, others have collected all data. Furthermore there is also a<br>variation in opinion about statistics, not regarding the need for statistics but the concerns about the<br>demand for mathematical skills etc. The heterogeneity of the participants' research fields and<br>experience in research is a real challenge in teaching but also in assessment of learning. However, a<br>common issue is that all participants are highly motivated as they need knowledge and understanding<br>in statistical thinking and literacy. The aim of this paper is to present the experiences of an<br>examination approach in which the participants get the opportunity to formulating their own<br>examination tasks based on own research problems and to solve them. This approach not only<br>improved the participants' learning and understanding, but good statistical practice was also<br>implemented the research group as a whole.
  • Author(s):
    Garfield, J. B.
    Year:
    1994
    Abstract:
    Changes in educational assessment are currently being called for, both within the field of measurement and evaluation as well as in particular disciplines such as statistics. Tradional assessment of statistical knowledge typically look like textbook problems that either rely heavily on numerical calculations or on the ability to recall isolated pieces of information. Although this type of assessment seems to succed in providing instructors with a method for assigning numerical scores for determining letter grades ranking students within a course, these types of assessment rarly reveal information about how students actually understand and can reason with statistical ideas or apply their knowledge to solving statistical problems. As statistics instruction at the college level begins to change in response to calls for reform (e.g., Cobb, 1992) there is an even greater need for appropriate assessment methods and materials to measure students' understanding of probability and statistics and their ability achieve more relevant goals such as being able to explore data and to think critically using statistical reasoning. This paper attempts to summarize current trends in educational assessment and relate these to the assessment of student outcomes in a statistics course.

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The CAUSE Research Group is supported in part by a member initiative grant from the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education