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Activity Number:
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563
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Type:
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Contributed
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Date/Time:
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Thursday, August 6, 2009 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
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Sponsor:
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Section on Statistical Education
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| Abstract - #305701 |
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Title:
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Using Personal Laptops to Improve Statistics Education
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Author(s):
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Andrew G. Glen and JoAnna Crixell*+ and Richard Bell
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Companies:
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West Point and West Point and Auburn University
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Address:
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Dept of Math, West Point, NY, 10996,
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Keywords:
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statistics education ; technology
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Abstract:
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What if every day of a probability and statistics class was a computer laboratory day? How would this change your method of teaching an introductory course in probability and statistics? At the United States Military Academy at West Point wireless laptop computers have become a permanent part of the classroom and have changed our approach to teaching. Over the last three years, we have made a concerted effort to find the improvements technology has to offer and to steer clear of the pitfalls technology can bring to the classroom. Our method of teaching a calculus-based probability and statistics course has evolved into data-oriented approach to understanding distributions. We present some methods that we have developed that use spreadsheets and computer algebra systems to create an environment that helps students understand the foundations of probability theory and statistical inference.
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