P2-28: Promoting Student Learning and Engagement in Introductory Statistics Labs Using Problem Based Activities


By Jeffrey Woo, The University of Virginia


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Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional model that assumes the centrality of problems to learning. Research on PBL has focused on student learning, student roles, tutor roles, problem design, and technology use (Hung, Jonassen, & Liu, 2008). In alignment with AAC&U High Impact Practices (HIP), weekly collaborative problem- based activities have been designed to guide students through the process of performing statistical inference by understanding the underlying principles in an introductory statistics class.

In this poster, I will demonstrate some of my favorite activities that I have used in my discussion sections (500+ mostly pre-business students, spread over 6 discussion sections), as well in my summer classes with 15-20 students. I will also have some results from a survey that I have conducted, in collaboration with the University of Virginia’s Center for Teaching Excellence, during the most recent semester. The survey is used to inform us about the learning habits of students in a class that uses PBL extensively. 


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