Case-mix heterogeneity across studies complicates meta-analyses. As a result of this, treatments that are equally effective on patient subgroups may appear to have different effectiveness on patient populations with different case mix. It is therefore important that meta-analyses be explicit for what patient population they describe the treatment…

Quantum mechanics is a notoriously counterintuitive subject within physics and has been the subject of a number of studies at the undergraduate level, and a few pioneering studies at the graduate level. The sketching of wave functions in a confining well is in one sense one of the most basic activities in quantum mechanics. But in another sense,…

In the paper a software solution is presented for the generation of instances of exercises. The focus is on education in mathematics but the approach can be adopted in other fields such as computer science and natural science. The present solution uses the R environment for the generation process and LaTeX for the content presentation. In the…

The Maxwell distribution of speeds, f(v), is the starting point for the calculation of the transport coefficients in kinetic-molecular theory. Most physical chemistry textbooks follow a path to derive f(v) similar to that used by Maxwell, which makes it difficult for students to understand its relationship with the equilibrium state of the system,…

Most literature related to Benford's Law discusses what the law can be used for and how it works but fails to address effective methods and procedures for teaching the law to students. This article examines existing information resources to determine the most effective methods and procedures used to explain this Law to those who have no experience…

There are challenges in teaching research methodology as highlighted by many researchers. Among the challenges are strategies for putting material in context. For achieving this purpose, students' engagement in the learning process needs to be re-looked. This paper shares on a practice engaging students in a research methodology class. The…

This paper compares the use of confidence intervals (CIs) and a sensitivity analysis called the number needed to disturb (NNTD), in the analysis of research findings expressed as 'effect' sizes. Using 1,000 simulations of randomised trials with up to 1,000 cases in each, the paper shows that both approaches are very similar in outcomes, and each…

This Monte Carlo simulation study compares methods to estimate the effects of programs with multiple versions when assignment of individuals to program version is not random. These methods use generalized propensity scores, which are predicted probabilities of receiving a particular level of the treatment conditional on covariates, to remove…

According to the conceptual framework for K-grade 12 statistics education introduced in the 2007 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) report, students can be located at one of three developmental levels of statistical literacy: A, B, or C. These levels are independent of age and grade level, so, in theory,…

In this article, I explore a Bayesian approach to avalanche decision-making. I motivate this perspective by highlighting a version of the base-rate fallacy and show that a similar pattern applies to decision-making in avalanche-terrain. I then draw out three theoretical lessons from adopting a Bayesian approach and discuss these lessons…

Across all social science disciplines, but in particular public administration, there is a shared concern about the costs of using traditional random samples to generate data, and its impact on researchers' ability to engage in "quality" research. As a result of these costs, more academics, practitioners, and students are turning to…

Course selection is a crucial and challenging problem that students have to face while navigating through an undergraduate degree program. The decisions they make shape their future in ways that they cannot conceive in advance. Available departmental sample degree plans are not personalized for each student, and personal discussion time with an…

Educators use various statistical techniques to explain relationships between latent and observable variables. One way to model these relationships is to use Bayesian networks as a scoring model. However, adjusting the conditional probability tables (CPT-parameters) to fit a set of observations is still a challenge when using Bayesian networks. A…

Public policies often target individuals but within-family externalities of such interventions are understudied. Using a regression discontinuity design, we document how a third grade retention policy affects both the target children and their younger siblings. The policy improves test scores of both children while the spillover is up to 30% of…

This study shows that residual variation can cause problems related to scaling in exponential random graph models (ERGM). Residual variation is likely to exist when there are unmeasured variables in a model--even those uncorrelated with other predictors--or when the logistic form of the model is inappropriate. As a consequence, coefficients cannot…