Anne Porter

From classroom to online teaching: experiences in improving statistics education

This study used reflective practitioner methodology to investigate how to improve the quality of statistical education. During the study, this methodology, curricula, pedagogical practices, assessment and a framework for learning to learn statistics were all developed as means of improving the quality of statistical education. Also documented was the move from being a classroom teacher of statistics to a teacher who is developing learning resources for online delivery to students. For a classroom teacher, flexible delivery has meant drawing on the sights, sounds, movement, quiet and live shows. By contrast, the online teacher feels the constraints of translating activity based programs to technologically based programs. As more students have chosen to rely on online materials rather than classroom activities, the focus of improving quality has been extended to the enrichment of online resources, so that the learning experience is not second to that of the classroom.

Comparison of performance due to guided hyperlearning, unguided hyperlearning, and conventional learning in mathematics: an empirical study

In this paper, the use of guided hyperlearning, unguided hyperlearning, and conventional learning methods in mathematics are compared. The design of the research involved a quasi-experiment with a modified single-factor multiple treatment design comparing the three learning methods, guided hyperlearning, unguided hyperlearning, and conventional learning. The participants were from three first-year university classes, numbering 115 students in total. Each group received guided, unguided, or conventional learning methods in one of the three different topics, namely number systems, functions, and graphing. The students’ academic performance differed according to the type of learning. Evaluation of the three methods revealed that only guided hyperlearning and conventional learning were appropriate methods for the psychomotor aspects of drawing in the graphing topic. There was no significant difference between the methods when learning the cognitive aspects involved in the number systems topic and the functions topic.

Use of CAOS Test in Introductory Statistics Subject

The purpose of this study was to examine the students’ basic statistical literacy and reasoning using a CAOS test (Comprehensive Assessment of Outcomes in Statistics from https://app.gen.umn.edu/artist/) at the University of Wollongong. For this reason, a case study was conducted involving samples taken from two cohorts of undergraduate students: 132 students in March/Autumn 2010 and 79 students in March/Autumn 2011 who enrolled in an Introductory Statistics subject (STAT131). A quantitative method was employed using the CAOS test as instrument in addition to the conventional assessments. Students were required to complete a CAOS pre-test (baseline) and post-test (end of session). This test was used as an external measure to assess the students’ basic statistical literacy and it generally represents as accepted measure of statistical literacy developed by statistics education researchers. The findings revealed that the students’ performance at the baseline (CAOS pre-test) and at the end of session (CAOS post-test) was identical between the two cohorts, 2010 and 2011. However particularly in their final marks, the 2011 cohort outperformed (p = 0.004) than those in 2010. This implied that some issues regarding its suitability, validity, and reliability will need to take into account when using the CAOS test as to measure students’ learning and understanding of statistics. The paper concludes with a discussion on the issues raised and followed by suggestions for further research.

Calibrating perceived understanding and competency in probability concepts: A diagnosis of learning difficulties based on Rasch probabilistic model

Students’ understanding of probability concepts have been investigated from various different perspectives. Competency on the other hand is often measured separately in the form of test structure. This study was set out to show that perceived understanding and competency can be calibrated and assessed together using Rasch measurement tools. Forty-four students from the STAT131 Understanding Uncertainty and Variation course at the University of Wollongong, NSW have volunteered to participate in the study. Rasch measurement which is based on a probabilistic model is used to calibrate the responses from two survey instruments and investigate the interactions between them. Data were captured from the e-learning platform Moodle where students provided their responses through an online quiz. The study shows that majority of the students perceived little understanding about conditional and independent events prior to learning about it but tend to demonstrate a slightly higher competency level afterward. Based on...