Statistical Worksheets with Applets

Statistical Worksheets with Applets : Statistical Worksheets with Applets MAA Spring Meeting March 12, 2005 Supported by NSF-DUE 0126682

Technology in Statistics : Technology in Statistics Allows Visualization Allows Computation Mean, Standard Deviation, Random Samples Least squares line Allows Case Studies/Data Exploration Minitab for exploring extended applications Simple “Data Mining” activities

But Technology also leads to : But Technology also leads to A Disjointed Combination of Different Media Textbook and Exercises are Pencil&Paper Supplements are placed on the web Minitab/ActiveStats are often “stand alone” activities Lots of Material that cannot be Assessed Tests and Quizzes remain pencil&paper Applets primarily for Illustration Worksheet Assignments often mean Grade inflation

Avoiding the Pitfalls : Avoiding the Pitfalls Learning must be active Applets must be integrated into assignments Minitab, Maple, etc. must require some element of creativity Students must be engaged Create active learning environment Require regular interactive assignments

Implementation at ETSU : Implementation at ETSU About 1200 students each semester Idea is introduced in a classroom setting (the Mansion) Online “homework” assignments require interaction and exploration of assignment Next class meeting is in the statistics laboratory (The Stat Cave ) Stat Cave is for extensive Minitab Application

Benefits and Shortcomings : Benefits and Shortcomings Expected Benefits Improved performance in gen. ed. experience Better comprehension of statistics concepts Better interaction between faculty and students A Few Problems High computer use leads to many computer repairs Scheduling Serving online courses

Unintended Benefits : Unintended Benefits Service to other departments Sections for other disciplines in which “their” preferred stat package is used instead of Minitab Specialized training for specific populations Computer Science Laboratory Experiences Sociology/Psychology sections Biology-specific section Improved retention and better attitudes

The Course Site : The Course Site New Web Site being Developed Current web site is at http://www.etsu.edu/math/seier/1530/1530link.htm Let’s take a look!

The Next Step : The Next Step GOAL: To develop online worksheets that incorporate all 4 stages Amenable for Lecture Based on interactive exercises with applets Utilize Minitab data Include an assessment component (Actually, Minitab experience will not be replaced, only augmented)

SWAPPLETS! : SWAPPLETS! Statistics Worksheets with Applets Pronounced (swop-lets) Sample at http://faculty.etsu.edu/knisleyj/swapplets/ Must complete exercises on each page before you can move to the next Last Page of Swapplet has exercises and email box so results can be sent to instructor

Thank you! : Thank you! Any Questions?