COMPUTES: DEVELOPMENT OF AN INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS INSTRUCTORS’ EMPHASIS ON COMPUTATIONAL PRACTICES

Abstract

The influx of data and the advances in computing have led to calls to update the introductory statistics curriculum to better meet the needs of the contemporary workforce. To this end, we developed the COMputational Practices in Undergraduate TEaching of Statistics  (COMPUTES) instrument, which can be used to measure the extent to which computation practices—specifically data, simulation, and coding practices—are included in the introductory statistics curriculum. Data from 236 instructors were used in a psychometric analysis to evaluate the latent structure underlying instructors’ response patterns and  understand the quality of the items. We also examined whether computational practices are being emphasized differently across institutional settings. Results suggest that the latent structure is best captured using a correlated multidimensional model and that most items were contributing information to the measurement process. Across institutional settings, curricular emphasis related to data and simulation practices seem quite similar, while emphasis on coding practices differs.