Teaching a Mixed-Mode Biostatistics Course Using Canvas

• Activity Number: 306 - Innovative Approaches to Teaching Statistics from Content to Modality
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 30, 2019 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics and Data Science Education
• Author(s): Julia Soulakova* and Victoria L Owens
• Companies: University of Central Florida and College of Medicine, UCF
• Keywords: online learning; statistics for STEM students; teaching large sections

Abstract

Rapid development of Internet technologies, increased public access to the Internet, and the advantages of affordability and accessibility have promoted fast growth of online education. Many U.S. institutions of higher education offer a variety of online programs; however, it could be challenging to develop an online course that is as effective as a traditional face-to-face course. For disciplines that require hands-on practical learning, a mixed-mode course that includes both face-to-face and online components is a great option. We will offer two perspectives on biostatistics mixed-mode courses: one from the instructor and the other from a student. The instructor will describe her experiences with designing and teaching two biostatistics courses (one graduate and one undergraduate): using Canvas to manage the course content, activities and assignments, and Sapling Plus (Macmillan Learning) and MyLab™ Statistics (Pearson) as platforms for online learning, as well as different tools to make the course more interactive and attractive, e.g., custom-made icons, emojis, etc. The student will offer her perspectives on what worked and what did not for her.