STATS 708 Topics in Statistical Education

Below description edited in year: 2013

Points: 15

Credit: There is no final examination. The main forms of assessment are one essay, a journal, and a seminar.

Textbooks: There is no set text. A reading list and papers for discussion will be provided.

For Advice: Maxine Pfannkuch (Email: m.pfannkuch@auckland.ac.nz | extn: 88794)

Taught: First Semester City

Website: STATS 708 website

Statistics education is an exciting new field of research. This course covers a wide range of New Zealand and international research in statistics education at the school and tertiary level. The focus will be on how probability, statistical investigations, exploratory data analysis and statistical literacy can be effectively taught and learned. Consideration of issues involved in learning statistics will be examined through research literature discussions, practical applications for the classroom including computer activities, and lectures.

Probability – decision making under uncertainty, a modeling perspective, concepts of randomness, combinatoric reasoning; Statistical Reasoning – students’ understanding of specific statistics content such as averages, distributions, graphs; Statistical Investigations – critical teaching and learning barriers; Statistics and Technology – data analysis software, learning statistical concepts using technology; Statistical Literacy; Developing students’ statistical concepts – informal and formal inference, variation; Statistics in the Curriculum – current conceptual framework including assessment.

By the end of STATS 708 all students should have aimed to produce a scholarly paper on an aspect of statistics education. This will involve a literature review on that aspect; the writing of the paper to a publishable standard; and a presentation of that paper to an audience. In addition, students should be able to state, and argue coherently for, their perspective on statistics education: how and why specific teaching and learning strategies should be used; the implications of research for teaching and learning; the relationship between statistical learning and assessment; and so forth. STATS 708 will involve lectures, practical tasks, and discussion. Each session will require pre-reading of papers and/ or a practical exercise. Each participant will comment on their reading and/ or practical exercise for the week.

Disclaimer:
Although every reasonable effort is made to ensure accuracy, this information for the course year (2013), is provided as a general guide only for students and is subject to alteration. All students enrolling at the University of Auckland must consult its official document, the University of Auckland Calendar, to ensure that they are aware of and comply with all regulations, requirements and policies.