Online Statistics Education: An Interactive Multimedia Course of Study

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Interdisciplinary (99) The Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics (RVLS) is an integrated collection of simulations, case studies, routines for data analysis, and explanatory text and is designed to implement reforms in statistics education that were proposed in the early 1990's. These reforms include (a) placing less emphasis on mathematics and more emphasis on data analysis, (b) developing simulations to make abstract concepts more concrete and to allow students to discover important principles themselves, (c) increasing the use of real data, and (d) including hands-on activities or active learning tasks (learning by doing). Measured by its use over the internet, the RVLS has been successful in providing resources for classroom instructors. Its major limitation, however, is that it does not provide a complete and autonomous curriculum. Specifically, it does not contain stand alone teaching modules that allow students to learn autonomously without the guidance of the formal classroom setting. To remedy this, we developed an on-line multimedia textbook in statistics, incorporating and extending the materials in the RVLS. The textbook consists of modules that integrate lecture segments, simulations, self-testing exercises, and real data from case studies. Its lectures are available as audio overlays of "blackboard" presentations (in addition to a pure text option). Students' performances on exercises at the end of each chapter are recorded (optionally) as evidence of mastery of particular topics. The textbook is freely available on the internet. The project embodies a collaborative effort between Rice University and the University of Houston-Downtown Campus. This collaboration ensures that the materials are appropriate for students with varying degrees of mathematical background. It also serves to broaden the participation of under-represented groups since the University of Houston-Downtown Campus serves primarily minority students.