SUPPORTING
NON-STATISTICIANS
TO LEARN STATISTICS
Alun Owen
Mathematics Education Centre
SUPPORTING NON-STATISTICIANS TO LEARN STATISTICS
• Provision of a Statistics Advisory Service at:
• Coventry University
• Loughborough University
• Beyond
• statstutor
• a sigma pilot study
PROVISION OF A STATISTICS ADVISORY SERVICE
• Loughborough University:
• Drop-in statistics help
• Consultancy appointments
• Disability and Additional Needs Service
• Eureka Centre
• Short courses (research students)
GROWTH IN NUMBERS OF SAS APPOINTMENTS
Number ofappointments
2004baseline
2005/06(target)
2006/07(target)
2007/08(target)
2008/09(target)
Loughborough
0
63 (50)
136 (60)
125 (70)
165 (75)
Coventry
0
66 (50)
98 (60)
92 (70)
95 (80)
Total
0
129 (100)
234 (120)
217 (140)
260 (155)
Note:
one-hour appointments at Coventry University
half-hour appointments at Loughborough University
In 2007/2008 both institutions had staffing shortages
ACCESS TO STATISTICS ADVISORY SERVICE BY STAFF
• Sigma’s aim NOT to provide a statistics advisoryservice for staff
• But demand from staff significant
• Roberts funding and staff development fundingenabled us to widen support to staff
• An unexpected outcome of sigma’s work
• Brings additional benefits
WHAT SUPPORT IS REQUESTED?
1. Topic based: help with understanding part or all ofa statistics topic
• Conceptual
• Practical application
2. Problem based: help with various statisticalaspects of a problem
• Study design
• Data collection
• Analysis
• Practical application
•Interpretation of results
TOPIC BASED SUPPORT
• Mainly provided via the drop-in centre
• First need to diagnose the students learning needs
• Opportunities to develop students self-learning skills
• Help identify suitable resources they can refer to
• Encouraged to work in centre and ask for help
PROBLEM BASED SUPPORT
•“We will NOT do the work for you”
• Again need to diagnose the students learning needs
• Again develop students self-learning skills
• Again identify suitable resources they can refer to
• Consider other aspects of collecting and analysingdata such as planning, choice of technique etc.
• Pragmatic approach sometimes needed
(gold-standard not always possible/necessary)
HOW DOES LEARNING TAKE PLACE?
• Learning is student-centred
• Problem based
• We act as advisors
• But also act as facilitators
• Fits with aims of project work and research training
• Also fits with recent developments in the HE agenda
PROVISION OF STATISTICS ADVISORY SERVICES
• Significant growth in institutions developing their ownmathematics learning centres
• Some of these supported by sigma
• Targeted statistics advisory services appear to benot so well developed
• Aware of Coventry, Loughborough, Sheffield andCardiff and others?
STATISTICS SUPPORT FOR DISTANCE LEARNERS
• What about students studying/researching “off-campus” e.g. distance learners?
• Loughborough and Coventry universities making useof Elluminate for this
statstutor
• Online resource for statistics
• Alternative to drop-in and consultancy
• For undergraduates and postgraduates
• Make use of existing resources
• Pilot at this stage
• Anticipate go live Easter 2010
CONTENTS
• Topic-based resources
• using STEPS Glossary as a basis
• Case studies
• using RSS CSE materials as a basis
RSS CSE CASE STUDIES
