Changes in Undergraduate Attitudes Towards Statistics After Working as Statistical Consultants

• Activity Number: 27 - SPEED: Statistical Learning and Data Challenge Part 1
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Sunday, August 7, 2022 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics and Data Science Education
• Author(s): Tracy Morris and Tyler Cook* and Cynthia Murray
• Companies: University of Central Oklahoma and University of Central Oklahoma and University of Central Oklahoma
• Keywords: undergraduate education; consulting; experiential learning

Abstract

At the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), Project SCHOLAR was established to give undergraduate students experience as statistical consultants. Under the direction of a faculty mentor, students provided consulting services to UCO students, faculty, and staff, as well as local businesses and nonprofit organizations. The student consultants received practical, real-world training in formulating statistical questions, working with data, using modern statistical methods, and communicating results. Students participating in SCHOLAR also completed a survey designed to gauge their attitudes towards statistics. Surveys were administered both before and after students worked with SCHOLAR in order to measure whether the experience as a statistical consultant changed their opinions. This work summarizes the results of the surveys and gives insight into the benefits of statistical consulting work for undergraduates.