My syllabus will be for an introductory statistics course. Filene (2005) gave some excellent suggestions on how to develop ones teaching, including how to build a syllabus as a critical part of preparing and thinking about the course. As I read his comments, reflected on my own teaching style, and started to think about how I would want this course to take shape, I came up with several aims and desired outcomes for the course. Introductory statistics can be difficult for students, especially those who may not be planning to continue their study in the field beyond this one course. For many, the class may be just a General Education requirement to get through, others may view it as nothing more than a prerequisite for continuing in a chosen major such as business. To hold the interest of these students, and to give them an appreciation of the material for when they start their own careers, I want to design the course as one that will be viewed as real value-added to the student regardless of their future plans.
Based upon these ideas, and on Filene’s proposed questions, I have developed the following aims:
1) The main themes or ideas I will emphasize are an appreciation of what statistics is, a basic working knowledge of the most common statistical methods, and an understanding of how statistics are used in the real world along with what they mean and do not mean.
2) The big picture or story line is that the proper use and understanding of statistics provides a valuable tool that helps us predict future outcomes, assists individuals in their decision making process, and allows us to critically analyze the findings and conclusions of others who may present statistics in partisan ways.
3) The main questions I am interested in are:
- How can I make meaningful, educated decisions in a world of uncertainty?
- How can I improve my chances for success in whatever endeavor I pursue?
- What should I ask when presented statistical information used to support a particular position?
4) The mental model I am promoting is one of critical thinking and analysis. But also to go further and use that analysis to see new perspectives, making decisions in one’s own life, and in taking action. For example, what does it mean when an international study ranks US health care at #1, #20, or whatever? What were the factors used in this ranking? If life expectancy is a factor, what are the underlying factors that impact life expectancy? Life expectancy is affected by several things; diet, genetics, health care access, exercise, life styles. If students see lower life expectancy as a reason for greater access to health care, they may find it hard to accept that life style plays such a greater role that health care access may actual not be a significant driver in life expectancy. On the other hand, the person who defends the idea that the US has the best health care system in the world, may have just as hard a time citing the reasons why. But this does not mean necessarily changing one’s mind, as much as coming to understand their positions in the right context. Can I favor wider access to health care, but oppose that the way to do that is through government intervention? This is a prime example of understanding what statistics are really telling you, what they are not telling you, and what they may be able to tell through further study.
The desired outcomes I have for my students are as follows:
1) To answer these questions, I want my students to become more skillful in doing basic statistical analysis on their own; become more critical and thoughtful of statistics by experiencing the process of caring out the analysis; and ultimately more capable of seeing the world more objectively.
2) The mental model (paradigm of reality) that my students may bring with them and that I want to challenge is how they view the world and why things happen; that the world is always full of uncertainty, but you can still make reasonable and rational choices by understanding the factors that affect outcomes. Also, this teaching is not intended to change minds about their own positions, but to see those positions in light of objective data. This will lead a student, in any particular situation, to one of four conclusions. First, an analysis honestly supports ones position. Second, the analysis supports another position and thus persuades the student to change or adapt their position. Third, the analysis is inconclusive, and it is OK for the student to keep or change their position, as long as they don’t try to read too much into the analysis to force a defense of a particular position. Fourth, the analysis supports another position, and the student decides to still maintains their current position, but with a clearer understanding of why they chose that position.
But are statistics objective data? So many decisions are involved in any research process that I wonder if objectivity is ever possible. Or would the investigation of that concept of objectivity itself also be part of the investigation for students?
I felt really challenged in the statistics course I took at Mason, PSYC 300 Statistics in Psychology. We had lecture one night and lab another night. Our lab was with a grad student who helped us work on problems. I liked having two nights to absorb the information, as there was a lot to learn!