Moving SAS Online

• Activity Number: 424
• Type: Roundtables
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 : 7:00 AM to 8:15 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Lynette M. Smith and Elizabeth R. Lyden*+ and Kendra Schmid
• Companies: University of Nebraska Medical Center and University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Keywords: SAS ; online ; Camtasia ; discussion board

Abstract

Transitioning an introductory SAS course taught interactively in a computer classroom to an asynchronous online format poses many challenges. Some of the issues to deal with in offering a 3-credit online SAS course included going beyond PowerPoint slides to deliver the lectures and demonstrations of SAS, using a discussion board as a tool for practicing programming skills and fostering interaction between students, and creating weekly assignments that reinforce the concepts of the lecture similar to the way in-class exercises do in the computer lab. Besides the weekly tasks students needed to complete, there were course requirements of an exam and a project that had to be tailored to an online setting.We will describe the development, implementation, and student feedback of the course piloted in fall 2013. This roundtable discussion will include insight as to what worked, what did not work, and what changes will be made; the use of Camtasia for producing demonstrations of SAS; examples of discussion boards that allowed students to showcase their code; and suggestions, feedback, and discussion among participants.