- GLO home
- Adaptive statistical methods
- Expert seminar
- Workshops
- links
- contact
- Initial research on implementation
- Links to statistical websites
Adaptive statistical methods
Statistical issues arise as important natural parts of the process of reaching conclusions. From astronomical to psychology studies, statistical methods are required for data analysis across disciplines. The same terminology, graphical representation and statistical tests can apply to different data sets. Depending on the type of questions we want to investigate, the learner would need to apply different tests.
In 1992, the four UK HE Funding bodies set up the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP). The projects funded under this scheme were aiming to use modern authoring tools to develop computer-based teaching materials. As part of the TLTP phase 1, the STEPS project (STatistical Education through Problem Solving: The STEPS Project 1999) brought together nine departments in seven universities throughout the UK to develop problem-based teaching and learning materials for statistics. In all, thirty or so academic statisticians and programmers helped to develop the STEPS materials. The materials produced are based around specific problems arising in Biology, Business, Geography and Psychology.
Taking the STEPS materials as the starting point, we are using the different statistical tests as the core for Applied Statistical Methods GLOs. Tutors can adapt these GLOs to their own subject specific needs by using different data sets relevant to their courses. Interdisciplinary workshops explore analogous data sets across subjects and create the core materials that will subsequently be developed and tested. Using this approach, lecturers can rapidly apply an appropriate data set to a particular method to customise the GLO for their own particular discipline to make the material more relevant and engaging for learners.
We aim to create a collection of GLOs, each with a key statistical method at its core. Subject areas are: Social Sciences, Criminology, Politics, Health Sciences, Nursing and Public Health. Workshops will first identify the statistical methods that generalise across the disciplines. UCeL and London Metropolitan programmers will then develop the core statistical materials. A further series of content development workshops will bring together teachers and students to explore how the generic core materials can be adapted by applying their own data to the core method. The final GLOs will be piloted and evaluated with students in each of the subject areas.
