Increasing Confidence in a Statistics Course: Assessing Students' Beliefs and Using the Data to Design Curriculum With Students
Abstract
Students were involved in the curriculum design of a statistics course. They completed a pre-assessment of their confidence and skills using quantitative methods and statistics. Scores were aggregated, and anonymous data were shown on the first night of class. Using these data, the course was designed, demonstrating evidence-based instructional decisions. A posttest at the end of the semester indicated that students significantly increased their confidence in using quantitative methods and statistics. These findings were confirmed for two different cohorts of students. The author reflects on the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment project to inform curricular decisions.
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