Online Statistics Course Research Articles

Anxiety and Attitude of Graduate Students in On-Campus vs. Online Statistics Courses

This study compared levels of statistics anxiety and attitude toward statistics for graduate students in on-campus and online statistics courses. The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics and three subscales of the Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale were administered at the beginning and end of graduate level educational statistic courses. Significant effects were observed for two anxiety scales (Interpretation and Test and Class Anxiety) and two attitude scales (Affect and Difficulty). Observed decreases in anxiety and increases in attitudes by online students offer encouragement to faculty that materials and techniques can be used to reduce anxiety and hopefully enhance learning within online statistics courses.

An Innovative Approach to Teaching Online Statistics Courses

This paper describes two innovative online introductory statistics courses that utilize technology to create unique interactive learning environments. In these courses, technology is used to enable students to collaborate and learn from each other, in addition to learning from required course materials and the instructor. Technology is also introduced into the courses as a way to better illustrate important statistical concepts and provide students with tools to describe and analyze data. In this paper, special attention is paid to the way in which the GAISE recommendations have been implemented in one key component of the online courses: small-group discussion. Evaluative data gathered from students is used to describe how students perceive the discussion component of the courses, as well as how desired learning outcomes are being achieved. The paper concludes with a discussion of lessons learned from teaching an online statistics course, and implications for future development of online staiststics courses.

Computer-based graphical displays for enhancing mental animation and improving reasoning in novice learning of probability

OUR RESEARCH SUGGESTS static and animated graphics can lead to more animated thinking and more correct problem solving in computer-based probability learning. Pilot software modules were developed for graduate online statistics courses and representation research. A study with novice graduate student statisticians compared problem solving in five graphic versions: text, static visual, static motion cues, computer animated, and interactive computer animated. Groups were also compared on transfer problems with static graphics without motion cues. Level of animation in thinking was assessed as number of images and movement symbols in notes. All groups provided with graphic maps had more correct solutions than the text group. Displaying static motion cues, computer animated, and interactive animated maps resulted in more correct solutions and animation in notes than just text or static visuals without motion cues. Graphic maps with static motion cues or computer animated overlay resulted in equally more correct solutions and greater animation in notes. Graphic maps with static motion cues better prepared learners for solving less animated and more difficult problems. Imagery and movement in notes were significant predictors of correct training and transfer problem solutions.

Group discussion in online statistics courses

Group discussion in online statistics courses

Six Online Statistics Courses: Examination and Review

We extend George W. Cobb's evaluative framework of statistics textbooks to six online instructional materials that exemplify the diversity of introductory statistics materials available on the Internet. Materials range from course Web sites with limited interactive capabilities to courseware and electronic textbooks that make extensive use of interactive learning objects and environments. Instructional materials are examined in light of recent cognitive research that underscores the robustness of learning from examples, the importance of authentic problem solving in promoting knowledge in use and skill acquisition, and the use of feedback to maximize learning opportunities. Selected units that focus on statistical tools (measures of central tendency, simple linear regression, and one-way analysis of variance) are analyzed in terms of authenticity and diversity of examples, authenticity and cognitive complexity of exercises, and use of interactive learning objects and feedback. General conclusions and suggestions for future directions for online statistics instruction are presented.

Improving the Teaching of Statistics Online: A Multi-Faceted Approach

Teaching an online statistics course poses significant challenges to the facilitator and the learners alike because of varying student preparedness levels, complexity of the course content, the difficulty in assessing learner outcomes, and determining the frequency of visibility of the facilitators in the online classroom. In this paper, the author suggests a teaching model that presents difficulties in the facilitation of an online statistics course and provides some remedies for overcoming these difficulties.

The Teacher's Discourse Moves: A Framework for Analyzing Discourse in Mathematics Classrooms

In this paper a framework is proposed for analyzing the deliberate actions taken by a teacher to participate in or influence the discourse in mathematics classrooms, and such actions are referred to as the teacher's discourse moves. This work synthesizes elements of several other discourse frameworks, including those of Richards, Sfard, Cobb, and Knuth and Peressini. Expanding on the improvisational dance metaphor of Heaton's, the framework views the teacher in the additional multiple roles as a Choreographer/Stage Manager/Director of classroom discourse. Several research applications of the discourse framework to collegiate mathematics education are discussed, including discourse around collaborative problem solving in Treisman Emerging Scholars workshops, a video‐based study of a college‐level geometry course for teachers, discourse in wireless networked classrooms, and the asynchronous discourse in an online statistics course.