A Capstone Course in Statistics

本科统计学专业和数学专业的重点是统计学接受广泛的教育，其中包括数学，应用和理论统计，计算，沟通技巧和通识教育的培训。这种培训大部分是以零碎的方式进行的。学生很少被要求将整个课程中学到的各种技能联合收割机结合起来。他们也很少通过参与真实的实验来获得实践经验。他们毕业时掌握了大量的知识，但在把这些知识拼凑起来方面往往非常缺乏经验。他们还没有准备好在工作场所发挥最大的影响力。目前正在开发一个顶点课程的试点项目，该课程利用真实的世界问题。 所研究的项目综合了整个课程的经验教训，并将学生的口头和书面沟通技能提高到专业统计人员的水平。综合将通过让学生团队参与工业/真实的世界竞技场的项目工作来实现。他们还将学习技术写作和口头演示模块。学生将准备正式的书面和口头报告。如果报告不具备专业质量，学生将得到相当多的反馈，并要求重复报告。所有学生将离开课程与专业统计师所需的沟通技巧的坚定理解。

Undergraduate statistics majors and mathematics majors with an emphasis in statistics receive a broad education which includes training in mathematics, applied and theoretical statistics, computing, communication skills, and general education. Much of this training is done in a piecemeal fashion. Students are seldom required to combine the various skills learned throughout the curriculum. They also seldom gain hands-on experience by participating in real experiments. They graduate with a vast array of knowledge but are often very inexperienced in putting the pieces together. They are not ready to make their greatest possible impact in the workplace. A pilot of a capstone course, which uses real world problems, is being developed. The projects studied synthesize the lessons learned throughout the curriculum and develop students' oral and written communication skills to the level expected of professional statisticians. The synthesis will be achieved by having teams of students participate in work on projects from the industrial/real world arena. They will also study technical writing and oral presentation modules. Students will prepare formal written and oral reports. If a report is not of professional quality, the student will be given considerable feedback and required to repeat the report. All students will leave the course with a firm understanding of the communication skills required of the professional statistician.