Panel on Online Teaching of Statistics
- MOHAMED ABDOLELL, Dalhousie University
Teaching Statistics in Academic Medical Research Institutions [PDF]
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Introductory courses in biostatistics aimed at medical residents have traditionally had limited success. In this talk we will discuss the Online Modular Research Methods Course (http://ResearchMethods.dal.ca) which employs video podcasts, downloadable PDF lecture notes, embedded content mastery quizzes, custom GUI-driven graphical tools, as well as synchronous and asynchronous methods of teaching/learning to leverage the inherent synergistic relationships between content, pedagogy, and technology. The course is developed and delivered using open source software (R, LaTeX, Moodle) and is freely accessible under the Creative Commons Canada 2.5 License, and is customizable for the needs of individual medical residency programs.
- JOEL DUBIN, University of Waterloo
Experiences Teaching a Distance Education Biostatistics Course for Masters in Public Health Students [PDF]
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Teaching biostatistics to those not enrolled/majoring in statistics/biostatistics can be difficult in its own right. Doing so in a distance format creates additional challenges. In this talk, I will focus on experiences (including our use of R software) teaching a distance education biostatistics course in the University of Waterloo Masters in Public Health program. I will compare and contrast teaching such a course via distance education versus in a traditional lecture format, and provide some take-home messages that hopefully will be useful to those of you who may be teaching a similar course in the future.
- ALISON WEIR, University of Toronto at Mississauga
The Instructor Dimension of e-Learning in Undergraduate Statistics [PDF]
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e-Learning options proliferate. The technological component of online education has been well studied. Other aspects of e-learning are emerging fields of study. A growing body of work is defining the dimensions that underpin e-learner satisfaction and e-learner success. These dimensions include course flexibility, e-learner computer competency, student diversity and interaction, and the instructor. This talk focuses on the instructor dimension of e-learning. We will discuss instructor competencies, skills, and attitudes necessary for successful e-learning in an undergraduate level course in Applied Regression Analysis. We will contrast these attributes with those necessary for learning in a traditional classroom setting.