Development of an Interactive Statistics Tutorial (StatTA) to Support Inquiry-based Instruction in Biology

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Biological Sciences (61) Recent curricular reforms for teaching introductory statistics focus on providing students with practical experiences with data and training them in the use of computers and technology to explore fundamental concepts of exploratory analysis and inferential procedures. Although computers and statistical software have freed students from the computational drudgery associated with performing many tests, students still struggle with selecting and performing the appropriate statistical analysis, interpreting the results, and understanding the connections and relationships among procedures. The intellectual merit of this project is that it addresses these pedagogical challenges through the development of a web-based, interactive tutoring system and instructional program (StatTA). StatTA fosters statistical literacy by improving student competency and proficiency in practicing statistics. StatTA is being designed to support inquiry-based and problem-based activities in biology. It includes interactive exercises, demonstrations, and self-test activities to help students select and conduct statistical procedures, identify the connections between graphical, exploratory, and inferential analyses, and master the art of statistical thinking and practice. StatTA is intended to help instructors focus on conceptual statistical thinking and interpretation rather than the steps and procedures necessary to perform a test. Thus, students spend less time learning statistical software and completing computational recipes and more time learning how statisticians approach problems and interpret statistical results. The broader impact of the project is reflected in the wide applicability of StatTA for science courses that include statistics as part of their curricula. English and Spanish versions of the program are being developed in an effort to reach a more diverse audience, especially students for whom English is a second language.