I've always allowed not only calculators but books and notes as well. It's
important for students to realize that a statistics class is not about
memorizing formulas or rules and the best way to impress this on a class is to
eliminate memorization from exams. It's easy and relatively painless for
students to learn formulas and for instructors to test their recall. The real
challenge is teaching concepts and their applications to problem solving.
Books, calculators and software will always be readily available. We must teach
students that they are tools and not replacements for thinking about a problem.
Marija Norusis
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