Sorry I pissed everyone off. My argument is more relevant to teaching introductory statistics course to non-stat majors who might not have access to stat packages at their own department or when they leave school. I felt that teaching Excel is beneficial in a sense that they might actually be able to use what they learned since Excel's more readily available. I also found that I had next to no time to cover the software while I was teaching intro stat course.
I understand that it's very important for many of you to teach stat package because it's what you are familiar with and you have access to it. (The stat dept I belonged to didn't have the budget for a decent computer lab so I always had to come up with ways to work around with the lack of resources.) I apologize for being practical. I myself is now a SAS professional but I think differently if I am teaching. Ken >this is about the most irrelevant argument i have heard ... as though the >only stat package is SAS ... > >there are many excellent stat packages ... even their "student" trimmed >down versions are better that excel add ons ... > >and, hundreds of institutions have cheap software purchase options ... > >at penn state for example ... the full package of minitab is about 90 bucks >... that's not bad for an excellent tool that will serve one's analysis >needs well > >in addition, students could go to http://www.e-academy.com ... and find >that they could lease minitab for 6 months for 26 bucks ... or a year for >50 bucks ... > >i challenge any person to try a real package (doesn't have to be minitab) >and see what you can do and THEN gravitate back to excel's add ons ... > >finally, i find the implied notion below that what we need are "free" >things ... and that's the way to go ... as the way to operate ... to be >professionally appalling ... > >most institutions SHOULD have a good statistical package on their lab >systems ... so, students can learn with a good tool > >then, when and if they decide that they would like that tool (or another) >in their professional array of tools ... THEN they could shop around and >look for some stat package that is within their own or their employer's reach > >the bottom line here seems to be: > >since excel is free ... and around ... use it. even though we know that it >was never designed to be a good full serviced package in statistics and >graphics > >we do our students a huge DISservice when we knowingly push tools (just >because they are cheap or free) RATHER than introduce them to better more >useful resources > >serious companies and institutions and agencies ... DON'T use excel to do >their mainline statistical work ... > >At 03:58 AM 1/9/02 +0000, you wrote: >>Why bother teaching students SAS if nobody can afford their annual license >>fee? >> Spreadsheets works because many people owns MS Office and chances of their >>using skills learned in class is greater. >> >>Ken ================================================================= Instructions for joining and leaving this list, remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES, and archives are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =================================================================