Curricular Change to Improve Student Learning in Undergraduate Statistics
Jill L. Lane
Pennsylvania State University
Maja Aleksic
Arizona Department of Education
Abstract
Undergraduate students often leave statistics courses not fully understanding how to apply statistical concepts. In order to enhance student learning and improve the understanding and application of statistical concepts, an elementary statistics course was transformed from a lecture-based course into one that integrates technology with active and collaborative learning methods. The effect of these changes was evaluated using a combination of pre- and post-content knowledge tests. The overall results of these changes showed that student performance on the content test was higher in the redesigned classes compared to the traditional course.
About the Author(s)...
Jill L. Lane is a Research Associate/Program Manager of Course and Curricular Development at Penn State's Schreyer Institute for Innovation in Learning and is an Affiliate Assistant Professor of Instructional Systems in the Department of Adult Education, Instructional Systems, and Workforce Education and Development. Her research focuses on teaching and learning innovations in higher education. She has served as project manager for multiple large-scale curriculum reform projects and has consulted and collaborated with faculty on the redesign of courses to include active and collaborative learning. Dr. Lane can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Maja Aleksic is an Educational Research Associate, Research and Policy Division, at the Arizona State Department of Education. She is also a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Psychology (ABD) in the Department of Educational Psychology, School Psychology, and Special Education at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on learning and assessment measures with emphasis on text structure, signals, interest, their combined effects on learning from text as well as the design, development and implementation of innovative program evaluation and assessment tools. Her contact information is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
