Computers were invented and constructed to compute. Since statistical analyses are computing intensive it is natural that computers are widely used in statistical research and applications. Statistical applications, such as census with its problems of sorting, counting and tabulating, were among the motives for constructing the ancestors of modern computers. It was always clear that students have to be taught how to use computers, because they will use them in their later careers. With the development of modern technology, computers evolved from large mainframes to personal computers, available for individual use. Availability of personal computers changed the way of computer usage and allowed computers to be incorporated into the teaching process in various disciplines. In particular, can computers be useful in teaching of statistics? If yes, to what extent? What changes in the teaching process are needed if we want to apply computers efficiently? There are many other questions related to the usage of computers in teaching. I would like to present some of my views about computers in teaching of statistics.
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