In the summer of 2020, I decided it was time to collect some data from my garden. I did this for two reasons: I was curious about how much food I produced.I wanted to use the data in my Introductory Data Science course at Macalester College. I knew the data would be fairly simple, and... Continue Reading →
Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Statistics Classroom
Many colleges and universities have made a strong effort to make their campuses more inclusive to all people, especially those from underrepresented and historically marginalized minority groups. These efforts include faculty incorporating instruction that focuses on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) issues in their classroom. Statistics instructors have a unique opportunity to engage students in... Continue Reading →
“You mean we have to write in this class!?”
I often hear variations of this statement at the beginning of each semester. Writing is not something students tend to associate with statistics, nor is it something that most stats faculty members have been formally trained to teach. However, the ability to create and critique written communication involving data and statistics is becoming increasingly important.... Continue Reading →
Ooh, Shiny!: R Shiny apps as a teaching tool
Interactive web applications (or apps), such as the Rossman-Chance collection, are popular tools for teaching statistics because they help illustrate fundamental concepts such as randomness, sampling, and variability through dynamic visualizations. The StatKey collection of apps created for the Lock5 textbook series to demonstrate and perform simulation-based inference is another example1. Historically, despite the utility... Continue Reading →
Tips and Tricks for Online Courses: A Q&A with Instructional Designers
In the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, we have a group called the Office of e-Learning Services (ELS) that works closely with instructors who teach fully online. The model we use here is working collaboratively and often with instructional designers in ELS to design our online courses. We (the instructors) are... Continue Reading →
Making Awesome Tables and Figures Using Gestalt Principles
It was late October in Minnesota, a perfect time for a swim in a local lake! At least, so thought a biology professor at our university (I’ll call him Dr. Doe). This chilly excursion dislodged an idea in his mind: what is the relationship between the body temperature recovery at different areas of the body... Continue Reading →