Designing an introductory statistics subject for students with diverse educational backgrounds and chosen qualifications

Abstract

This is a case study on the design of a first-year undergraduate statistics subject at La Trobe University, entitled Making Sense of Data, which is taken by students from various disciplines. To account for students' diverse educational backgrounds and chosen qualifications, this subject is designed such that all students complete core statistics concepts, while a third of the subject contains stream-specific content. This subject design provides students with a solid foundation in statistics, while addressing the demand for a flexible first-year statistics subject which is accessible and relevant for students enrolled in a variety of tertiary degrees. This structure allows for stream-specific lectures, computer lab material, assessments, and even statistical software programs to be used across different streams. The design also incorporates strategies for addressing statistics anxiety within the curriculum. In this paper, we present the outcomes of this subject design in terms of student performance, engagement and satisfaction. We also present iterative and reflective changes that have been made to the subject over time, in response to student and staff feedback, and discuss the impact these changes have had on student outcomes.