Statistics Teaching and Technology Studies (STATS)

Advancing student success in introductory statistics

Every year, nearly 1.5 million undergraduate students in the United States take an introductory statistics course. Many plan to use the course to fulfill their college math requirement, and if they don’t succeed in the course by earning a C grade or better, their chances of earning a college degree decrease dramatically.

At the same time, the statistics field is changing. Big data, online data analysis applications, and increasingly complex data simulations open up new possibilities for the way statistics is taught.

We are conducting a multi-year project to study statistics teaching practices and courseware that advance outcomes for students of varied backgrounds. Those who have historically achieved lower grades, and experienced more difficulty with the coursework, are a particular focus. We are also working with statistics faculty from across the country to identify better ways to teach and learn.