Enhancing Student Learning in Statistics through Activity-based and Online Instruction

This course is a junior level course which is a required course for Civil Engineering students. Furthermore, Mechanical and Computer Science engineering students also take this course to fulfil their requirements of a statistics class. In the past, student performance in the course has been weak due to the difficulties in understanding the subject matter and developing an understanding of correct applications of statistical methods under various circumstances in engineering context. Students come into the class with the misconception that this would be another math class. However, the challenge is to understand how to relate the theory to specific examples. Additionally, delivering all material in-class is a challenge given the course is only 2 units. The objective of this course redesign is to develop in-class activities that will help students grasp the knowledge of statistics through specific examples. Furthermore, online material (e.g. lecture and problem solving videos, interactive activities, learning modules) will be developed to supplement in-class instruction.