Some Suggestions for Teaching Undergraduate Business Statistics Courses

Abstract

Student anxiety is high in many business statistics courses. Often, students fail in these courses because they rely highly on grades rather than on meaningful learning. Instructors also feel the pressure because their students do not attempt to learn deeply. I taught Quantitative Methods courses for a number of years in a University in Ontario, Canada. In this paper, I have critically analyzed some of the challenges that instructors face in teaching these courses and suggested some solutions based on an educational point of view. Continuous assessment, portfolio construction, and improving the efficiency of instructor evaluations are three key suggestions for consideration.
 As these challenges are common to most undergraduate courses in business statistics, the suggestions would mainly help to raise student motivation, encourage students to learn deeply, and increase instructor efficiency.