Can You Explain That in Plain English? Making Statistics Group Projects Work in a Multicultural Setting

Abstract

Students increasingly need to learn to communicate statistical results clearly and effectively, as well as to become competent consumers of statistical information. These two learning goals are particularly important for business students. In line with reform movements in Statistics Education and the GAISE guidelines, we are working to implement teaching strategies and assessment methods that align instruction and assessment with our learning goals. One of the main instructional tools we use is group projects with elements of data collection and analysis, written and oral presentation, and self, peer and professor assessment. This paper addresses specific challenges encountered while teaching and directing group work in a highly multicultural context of 10 to 20 different nationalities in the same classroom. It also focuses on the learning benefits of having students work collaboratively to discuss, write, present, and assess statistics projects in English.

• Business statistics
• Cooperative learning
• Assessment

Acknowledgements

I presented an earlier version of this paper under the same title at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Seattle, 2006 and it was also included in the proceedings. Parts of this paper on peer assessment appeared in the proceedings of the IASE Satellite Meeting on Assessment held in Guimares, Portugal, 2007. The title was “Using Peer Assessment of Project Presentations to Develop Skills as Consumers of Statistical Information.”