Re: Usability of skills and knowledge
I agree with most of your remarks here, even if there is another direction in my thinking in this thread. Myself I have entered statistics via mathematics and probability, and I'm not going to argue about which way is the best, building the statistical thinking on prob. or building it on data analysis. (For myself I can thank Jan Cryer and Robert Miller since their book on data analysis and modeling made me discover a lot of possibilities.) I'm thinking in terms of what is possible BESIDES the math/prob way. People in many areas of empirical sciences have their research methods, like "Grounded Theory", hermeutics, fenomenology, statistics etc. Maybe sometimes mathematics. While statisticians have mathematics as the research method. My experience is that many users of statistics don't have time to go that deep into mathematics but still can have sound ways of coping with "the evaluation of consequences, and to be able to FORMULATE investigations in this manner (Herman Rubin below, I don't disagree) using concepts like variables, distributions, variability etc. from data analysis. Besides of course they do have access to statistical software. So let me suggest some aspects of usability of skills and knowledge from statistics courses. And hope for more remarks and suggestions: 1. A statistics package should be integrated in the learning process throughout the course. 2. The course should be "complete" in a sense which has to do with problems/variable types. 3. Cases including context, data, discussions should be there. Etc. Rolf Dalin > In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, > Rolf Dalin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >In a discussion about the desired direction of development of intro level > >statistics courses, a group where I am a member came to a preliminary > >agreement that It is important to develop applied statistics. I started > >to think about that concept in terms of main goals of a course. The two > >main goals I suggest are > > >1. abilities to use statistics in scientific work > >2. ability to study statistics further > > I would differ on both. In fact, there should not > be ONE "introductory level" statistics course, but > the introduction should be at the highest level of > mathematical understanding which will be attained. > > What the non-expert need most of all is to understand > probability, probability modeling, and the evaluation > of consequences, and to be able to FORMULATE investigations > in this manner. The usual study by the one applying > statistics of methods is greatly to be deplored; it is > often necessary to devise new methods for a particular > problem, and the one who does not understand theory is > very likely to mess this up. Understanding need not > require the full mathematics to derive results. > > It is totally irrelevant if the student knows how to > compute a mean or a standard deviation. From some > of the postings here, it seems clear that not all > know what they mean and why they should be used, if > at all. > > For anything, understand the theory, and then it can > be correctly applied, often with assistance. Learn > methods of application with no understanding, and > they will be misapplied, and it also gets harder to > achieve the understanding. > > -- > This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views are > those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. Herman Rubin, > Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558 > > > = > Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about > the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at > http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ > = ** Rolf Dalin Department of Information Tchnology and Media Mid Sweden University S-870 51 SUNDSVALL Sweden Phone: 060 148690, international: +46 60 148690 Fax: 060 148970, international: +46 60 148970 Mobile: 0705 947896, intnational: +46 70 5947896 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.itk.mh.se/~roldal/ ** = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: Usability of skills and knowledge
In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Rolf Dalin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >In a discussion about the desired direction of development of intro >level statistics courses, a group where I am a member came to a >preliminary agreement that It is important to develop applied >statistics. I started to think about that concept in terms of main goals >of a course. The two main goals I suggest are >1. abilities to use statistics in scientific work >2. ability to study statistics further I would differ on both. In fact, there should not be ONE "introductory level" statistics course, but the introduction should be at the highest level of mathematical understanding which will be attained. What the non-expert need most of all is to understand probability, probability modeling, and the evaluation of consequences, and to be able to FORMULATE investigations in this manner. The usual study by the one applying statistics of methods is greatly to be deplored; it is often necessary to devise new methods for a particular problem, and the one who does not understand theory is very likely to mess this up. Understanding need not require the full mathematics to derive results. It is totally irrelevant if the student knows how to compute a mean or a standard deviation. From some of the postings here, it seems clear that not all know what they mean and why they should be used, if at all. For anything, understand the theory, and then it can be correctly applied, often with assistance. Learn methods of application with no understanding, and they will be misapplied, and it also gets harder to achieve the understanding. -- This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University. Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558 = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Re: Usability of skills and knowledge
On 16 Nov 2001 09:16:08 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Rolf Dalin) wrote: > In a discussion about the desired direction of development of intro > level statistics courses, a group where I am a member came to a > preliminary agreement that It is important to develop applied > statistics. I started to think about that concept in terms of main goals > of a course. The two main goals I suggest are > > 1. abilities to use statistics in scientific work > 2. ability to study statistics further > > So nr. 1 is the goal that concerns the "applied" part. So I went one > step further to try to express aspects of this, and I call it the > USABILITY aspects of the introductory course. I know that this word Relating to the Subject line, usability of skills: - an important job-skill: to not-screw-things up while getting something done. - important job-skills: to do right. - important skill: self-assessment, to know if the task *can* be done, or *has* been done pretty-much correctly and reliably. When it comes to having "basic skills in statistics," knowing the basic vocabulary is vital. However, the idea keeps coming back to me that people misuse the basic statistics because they don't understand the basics of logical and scientific inference. So, they need to re-study plane geometry. And read up on philosophy of science, and experimental design. Or join a debating society? > is used in the context of evaluating web applications. Now to my > questions: Can anybody direct me to an article or book that > discusses usability oin the context of knowledge? Is there a better > direction to follow when discussing the usefulness/applicability of > statistics skills and knowledge? -- Rich Ulrich, [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pitt.edu/~wpilib/index.html = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
Usability of skills and knowledge
In a discussion about the desired direction of development of intro level statistics courses, a group where I am a member came to a preliminary agreement that It is important to develop applied statistics. I started to think about that concept in terms of main goals of a course. The two main goals I suggest are 1. abilities to use statistics in scientific work 2. ability to study statistics further So nr. 1 is the goal that concerns the "applied" part. So I went one step further to try to express aspects of this, and I call it the USABILITY aspects of the introductory course. I know that this word is used in the context of evaluating web applications. Now to my questions: Can anybody direct me to an article or book that discusses usability oin the context of knowledge? Is there a better direction to follow when discussing the usefulness/applicability of statistics skills and knowledge? Rolf Dalin ** Rolf Dalin Department of Information Tchnology and Media Mid Sweden University S-870 51 SUNDSVALL Sweden Phone: 060 148690, international: +46 60 148690 Fax: 060 148970, international: +46 60 148970 Mobile: 0705 947896, intnational: +46 70 5947896 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.itk.mh.se/~roldal/ ** = Instructions for joining and leaving this list and remarks about the problem of INAPPROPRIATE MESSAGES are available at http://jse.stat.ncsu.edu/ =
