Teaching Introductory Regression with R Using Package Regclass

• Activity Number: 545
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Adam Petrie*
• Keywords: R ; regression ; introductory ; class ; package ; teaching

Abstract

Introducing R into the undergraduate classroom can be a daunting experience for both instructors and students alike. It can be extremely difficult for students to both the foundations of statistical methodology while simultaneously scaling the steep learning curve when using R. In this talk I discuss the use of R when teaching regression in an introductory (sophomores/juniors) setting. I have developed a package called regclass which vastly simplifies association analysis, checking regression assumptions, viewing interactions, etc. This allows the student to obtain a more intuitive understanding of the material while avoiding some of the complexities of the R language. A year of teaching the class in the University of Tennessee's Business Analytics department has shown that approach can be quite successful.