Captivating Students inthe 21st Century

Using Online SPSS Simulations to Support Statistical Techniques

Dr Andrew CleggPrincipal Lecturer for Learning and Teaching

Programme Co-ordinator for Tourism Management

Background: Statistics – ‘The Problem Child’

Background: GSCE Entry Profile – Business & Management

• Sports Science undergraduates - 80% had GCSE grades C or B; 7% were either mature students or marks were not available, so only 13% of students had higher than GCSE B

Background: GSCE Entry Profile – Business & Management

‘How do I calculate a percentage?’

Background: GSCE Entry Profile – Business & Management

‘How do I calculate a percentage?’

‘I hate Maths!’

Background: GSCE Entry Profile – Business & Management

‘How do I calculate a percentage?’

‘I hate Maths!’

‘How does this relate to my degree?’

Student Attitudes to Statistics

Zeidner (1990)* – Statistics Anxiety

‘a performance characterised by extensive worry, intrusive thoughts, mental disorganization, tension, and physiological arousal … when exposed to statistics content, problems, instructional situations, or evaluative contexts, and is commonly claimed to debilitate performance in a wide variety of academic situations by interfering with the manipulation of statistics data and solution of statistics problems’

[*cited in Onwuegbuzie and Wilson, 2003, p. 196]

Student Attitudes to Statistics

A scan of the available literature reveals a common and persistent theme:

High levels of anxiety... ‘for many students statistics is perhaps the most anxiety-provoking, difficult, or critical subject within their courses of study’ (Baharun & Porter, 2009)

‘Statistics courses are viewed by most students as an obstacle standing in the way of attaining their desired degree’ (Perney and Ravid, 1991)

‘While the material covered, the level of difficultly, and the approach vary enormously, most have one aspect in common: the course is typically the most unpopular in the academic programme’ (Keller et al, 1988)

Student Attitudes to Statistics

Maths anxiety is transferred to statistics anxiety (Perney & David, 1990)

Problems of contextualisation – where, why and how does it fit in?

Emergence of wider Research Methods Anxiety (Papanastasiou & Zembylas, 2008)

Coping strategy – failure is a foregone conclusion therefore accept low grade in a statistics module and recoup elsewhere – priority is a pass mark (40%)

Student Attitudes to Statistics

Cruise et al (1985): Components of Anxiety

Background: Grade Profile

Background: Grade Profile

Rationale: Simulations in Context

Rationale The development of a blended learning approach to statistics to:

To reduce student anxiety and improve student understanding and confidence in the applied use of basic statistical techniques

To help students’ application of statistics through scenario-based exercises

To provide self-directed support for statistical analysis using SPSS and Access

To provide a quantitative foundation for additional research skills, and the formulation of Level 3 Management Projects/Dissertations

Blended Learning Approach

Adobe Captivate

Captivate FeaturesAuthoring tool designed to create software demonstrations,

software simulations, branched scenarios, and randomized quiz files

Capability to build and edit interactive software demonstrations, recording in real time or using screen capture that snaps a sequence of still images and then builds mouse movement simulations to create the appearance of a running program

Capability to add captions, clickable hotspots, text entry boxes, rollovers, videos, etc

Example Simulation:Student T-Test

Student Feedback

Student Feedback 2009-2010

74% of students made use of online simulations at some point during the module

[n=62]

Student Feedback 2009-2010

[n=62]

Student Feedback 2009-2010

[n=62]

Feedback from Pilot GroupThe percentage of students scoring 60% or higher, increased from 22% in 2007-2008 to 50% in 2008-2009 [2009-2010 = 27%]Students scoring between 40 and 49% dropped from 44% to 16% over the same time period [2009-2010 = 25%] General feedback was that it improved the understanding

of basics techniques and that the content should be expanded

Quizzes for in-class activities and formative assessment

Operational Considerations Software is very intuitive but time consuming Storyboarding and rehearsal is needed to avoid errors The design element for online testing is rather

cumbersome (improvements due in Captivate V5) Need direct access to a website to publish Contribute files

as you need to able to save a folder to the server Files can be saved and distributed as Flash Objects Can be used on any windows-based software (with

automatic annotation)

The Wider Story:Blended Learning

Blended Learning Approach Simulations used as

part of a wider approach to blended learning within new VLE

Blended Learning Approach

Blended Learning Approach

Blended Learning Approach Statistics manual and

logbooks Purpose-built data

file – 300 business entries, 52 variables

Blended Learning Approach Scenario-based approaches

Blended Learning Approach Mobile reference

guide

Blended Learning Approach Bristol Online

Survey Tool

Blended Learning Approach

Summary

Summary

• Online simulations provide a useful vehicle for providing remote support for students – not a substitute for face-to-face sessions given student anxiety levels

• Developed as part of a broader approach to blending learning

• Focus on contextualisation of key statistical techniques through applied examples and student’s own data

• Online simulations are time consuming to produce so develop as a central resource across programmes to avoid duplication

• Approach is transferable to any theme /area (e.g. library induction / referencing etc)

• Have a go for free with Jing

Captivating Students inthe 21st Century

Using Online SPSS Simulations to Support Statistical Techniques

Dr Andrew CleggPrincipal Lecturer for Learning and Teaching

Programme Co-ordinator for Tourism Management