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ERIC Number: EJ954194
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 11
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0730-8639
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Teaching Statistics Online Using "Excel"
Jerome, Lawrence
Mathematics and Computer Education, v45 n1 p17-27 Win 2011
As anyone who has taught or taken a statistics course knows, statistical calculations can be tedious and error-prone, with the details of a calculation sometimes distracting students from understanding the larger concepts. Traditional statistics courses typically use scientific calculators, which can relieve some of the tedium and errors but provide little record for the student to study and/or submit. Mastering the calculator also involves a steep learning curve, especially for more complex statistical calculations. "Excel," on the other hand, provides an excellent visual learning tool for statistics classes, from the introductory level focusing on descriptive statistics and graphs to the advanced statistics courses involving hypothesis testing, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression. This is especially the case for online statistics courses, since both student and instructor are already communicating solely via computer and most students have "Excel" software on their machines. From there it's just a matter of the student learning how to use "Excel" for statistical calculations, analyses, and graphs. In this article, the author discusses a tutorial methodology which relies on static tutorials presented directly in "Excel," using graphs, instructional textboxes, arrows, numbered steps, formulas tied to cell references, screen shots of function dialog boxes, and Data Analysis Tools, with each tutorial tied directly to examples in the textbook. Thus, the student is able to see and compare both the textbook's approach and the "Excel" approach to solving the same problem, reinforcing the learning of both concepts and methodology. (Contains 8 figures.)
MATYC Journal Inc. Mathematics and Computer Education, P.O. Box 158, Old Bethpage, NY 11804. Tel: 516-822-5475; e-mail: macej@optonline.net Web site: http://www.macejournal.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A