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Survey Says: Using Course Long Projects to Connect Statistics to
the Real WorldAMATYC MeetingNovember 2007Minneapolis, MN
Johnny Duke, Ph.D.Georgia Highlands CollegeRome,
[email protected]/academics/divisions/math/SurveySays.ppt
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Survey SaysConnections
NCTM Process Standard
Connections among the various areas of mathematics.
Connections between mathematics and the real world.
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Survey SaysAdvice from the American Statistical Association
students should have the experience of applying their learning
in settings as real as possible during their education. This could
include co-ops, summer jobs, class projects Ritter, Starbuck, and
Hogg
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Survey SaysIntroduction to Statistics is a service course at
Shorter College and at Georgia Highlands.A variety of majors:
Business, Biology, Ecology, Middle Grades Education, Mathematics,
Social Sciences, HistoryConcern that learning was disjointed and
isolated from real life.First conceived of a semester long project
while working with Service Learning.
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Survey SaysGoalsConnect what was being learned in class with a
real life application.Connect the various elements of introductory
statistics to each other.Learn to use technological tools
(calculators and computers) to organize and present data.Give
students an experience that would help prepare them for the use of
statistics in their future careers.
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Survey SaysVolunteerism Survey: Collecting DataCreation of a
survey instrumentWhat types of data are needed?How to word the
instrument for clarity.Types of sampling techniquesRandom
SampleSystematic SampleStratified SampleCluster SampleConvenience
Sample
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Survey SaysVolunteerism Survey: Organizing DataDatabase
EntryStandardize entry for consolidationFrequency
DistributionsCategoricalUngrouped and GroupedGraphsBar graphsPie
Charts
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Survey SaysVolunteerism Survey: Analyzing DataMeasures of
Central TendencyMeasures of VariationConfidence IntervalsSingle
Population Hypothesis TestingTwo Population Hypothesis TestingDid
the sampling method appear to make a difference?How do religious
and non-religious volunteers compare?
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Survey SaysVolunteerism Survey: Presenting Data
Graphs and ChartsWritten reportConnection with EnglishConnection
with skills in Introduction to Computers
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Survey SaysOther projectsTelevision Sex and Violence Survey
1999Data Collection DifferentThe need for training became
apparentCould be combined with literature researchPresidential
Election Polls 2000 and 2004Intersected with current political
eventsVery similar process to Volunteerism SurveyStudents learned
to use Minitab in 2000 and Excel in 2004
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Survey SaysOther ProjectsSpring 2001The groups proposed projects
that I could approve or not approve.I provided a list to help them
brainstorm.This made it easier for students to apply statistics to
their field/particular interests.There was unevenness in the amount
of statistics used in the projects in terms of correlating to the
topics covered in class.
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Survey SaysOther ProjectsStatistical Analysis of SAFE 2002An
after-school program of the Rome City SchoolsCombined Service
LearningUsed this project to teach SPSSBy far the most important
projectDisappointment with testing error that caused the data to be
thrown out
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Survey SaysOther ProjectsStatistical Analysis of the Tax
Assessments for Residential Property in Floyd County 2003Collection
of data from the public records at the Tax Assessors
OfficeComparison of actual selling prices with the appraised prices
in 2002
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Survey SaysOther projectsHuman Body Proportions and the Golden
Ratio 2005Testing the claims from Internet sites on the Golden
RatioData Collection and Entry into ExcelDescriptive
StatisticsConfidence Intervals and Hypotheses TestingCorrelation
and Linear Regression
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Survey SaysOther ProjectsLocal WeatherLocal high, low, and
precipitation for a month from weather.comDescriptive stats and
graphs using ExcelProbability and probability
distributionsConfidence IntervalsHypothesis TestingCorrelation and
Linear Regression
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Survey SaysOther ProjectsSkittles (M&Ms)Used in MaymesterA
much lighter projectYou can eat the data
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Survey SaysIdeas from othersSalaries of Major League Baseball
Players from USA Today Wiseman & ChatterjeeSex, Drugs, and Rock
& RollBolstad, Hunt, & McWhirterBirth records from North
CarolinaHolcomb & Ruffer
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Survey SaysLedotlers ListSalaries of Professors at the
University of IowaPredicting future student enrollment at U of
IowaACT and College PerformanceSports statisticsAutomotive
StudiesSafety of Iowa RoadsHealth-related IssuesReal Estate listing
and selling pricesSales and attendance analysis of a local
restaurantRadio station preferences
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Survey SaysGradingSeries of worksheetsTotal generally equivalent
to 1.5 to 2 test gradesBoth individual and group work
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Survey SaysResult of One Student Survey94% agreed with These
projects helped me to better understand statistical concepts.82%
agreed with Using the same data set repeatedly has helped me to see
there is a range of statistical procedures (techniques) that may be
used to investigate/answer the same question.97% agreed with These
projects helped me to learn how to construct graphs and tables for
statistical analysis.82% agreed with Working in groups helped me to
learn to communicate statistical ideas.Holcomb & Ruffer, p.
52
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Survey SaysWhat are your questions?
What are your ideas and/or experiences?
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Print Resources
Bolstad, W. M., Hunt, Lyn A., and McWhirter, Judith L. Sex,
Drugs, and Rock & Roll Survey in First-Year Service Course in
Statistics, The American Statistician, 55, 145-149.
Duke, Johnny I. Service Learning: Taking Mathematics into the
Real World, The Mathematics Teacher, 92, 794-796.
Holcomb, John P. And Ruffer, Rochelle L., Using a Term-Long
Project Sequence in Introductory Statistics, The American
Statistician, 54, 49-53.
Kvam, Paul H. The Effect of Active Learning Methods on Student
Retention in Engineering Statistics, The American Statistician, 54,
136-140.
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Print ResourcesLedolter, Johannes. Projects in Introductory
Statistics Courses, The American Statistician, 49, 364-367.
Ritter, Mary Ann, Starbuck, Robert R., and Hogg, Robert V.
Advice From Prospective Employers on Training BS Statisticians, The
American Statistician, 55, 14-18.
Root, Rob and Thorme, Trisha. Community-Based Projects in
Applied Statistics: Using Service-Learning to Enhance Student
Understanding, The American Statistician, 55, 326-331.
Wiseman, Frederick and Chatterjee, Sangit. Major League Baseball
Player Salaries: Bringing Realism into Introductory Statistics
Courses, The American Statistician, 51, 350-352.
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Internet
Resourceshttp://www.cis.ysu.edu/~jholcomb/projects/projects.htm
This site provides the database and materials that accompany the
project described in Holcomb and Ruffers article.
http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/ This is the
USA Today site for Major League Baseball salaries from 1988 through
the current season.
http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/ This is
the USA Today site for NFL salaries from the 2000 season to
date.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nba/salaries00.htm This is the
USA Today site for NBA salaries for the 2000/2001 year.
http://www.census.gov/ The official site of the US Census
Bureau, which contains a wealth of statistical information.
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