Transforming Undergraduate Statistics Education through Experiential Learning

By Erin Moss, Co-editor of DUE Point

SCHOLAR (Statistical Consulting Help for Organizational Leaders and Academic Researchers) is an undergraduate student statistical consulting group at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) that works on client-submitted projects. Students collect, clean, and analyze data, then provide their clients with written and/or oral reports of the results. They also present their work at various conferences, including Oklahoma Research Day and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. 

Principal Investigators of the Transforming Undergraduate Statistics Education project are studying the effects of these experiential learning activities on undergraduates by tracking and surveying SCHOLAR students and a control group of students who are not participating in these activities. PI Dr. Tracy Morris provides more details about SCHOLAR and the Transforming Undergraduate Statistics Education project below.  

Can you describe some interesting projects on which undergraduates have consulted and the specific tasks students did in this capacity?    

Last year a group of SCHOLAR students was asked by the Oklahoma City Metro Literacy Coalition to update illiteracy rate estimates in the Oklahoma City metro area. The Coalition had been using estimates from the State Assessment of Adult Literacy calculated by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2003. Obviously, the students couldn’t go door-to-door, assessing the literacy of residents. Instead, they collected demographic data from the American Community Survey for each zip code in Oklahoma and used this information to develop a regression model for predicting the 2003 estimates from the 2003 demographic variables. They then observed the changes in Oklahoma City demographics from 2003 to 2018 and used this information to calculate new illiteracy estimates based on the changes in the demographics. Ultimately, the resulting estimates were much higher than we believe to be accurate; however, we do believe we were able to identify certain zip codes that are at risk of having a high illiteracy rate. This helped the Coalition know where to focus its very limited time and resources. 

Another group completed a project for a professor in the UCO Department of Nursing who was working with residents at a local retirement center. Students in the Nursing Department had administered the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT) to all residents of the center. Additionally, each resident completed the Healthy Aging Survey, a survey written by UCO Nursing faculty that collects information on demographics, medical history, behavior, and psychosocial traits. SCHOLAR students used regression to identify variables from the Healthy Aging Survey that were related to cognitive ability in the elderly, as measured by the BCAT. 

Students begin their work with SCHOLAR in their first or second year of college.  What types of support do these burgeoning researchers need in the initial stages of participation in the program? 

Ideally, we would like SCHOLAR students to begin working with us in their first or second year. The only prerequisites for participation are completion of an introductory statistics course—either in college or in high school—and a declared major or minor in statistics, math, applied math, math education, or actuarial science. There are typically two to three students in each SCHOLAR group, consisting of one or two students that have prior experience in the program along with one new student. The experienced students mentor the new student and help teach them what they need to know. Each group is also advised by a statistics faculty member who meets with the students weekly, oversees all of their work, and teaches any statistical methods or programming skills that they will need for the project. We have found that even very inexperienced students can be brought up to speed pretty quickly. 

How does SCHOLAR help address the underrepresentation of particular groups in STEM? 

We initially thought we would be able to attract students from Oklahoma’s large Native American population to SCHOLAR; however, that has not been the case. However, we have had quite a few participants from other underrepresented groups in STEM. Specifically, 79% of our SCHOLAR students are women, 42% are first generation college students, and 26% are of African descent or are Hispanic/Latino. 

Moving forward, we would like to conduct more outreach with area high schools that have large populations of groups that are underrepresented in STEM.  We are considering sponsoring a data fest during the spring or summer of 2020, where high school students would stay on campus for a few days and participate in a hackathon-type (computer programming) activity in which our SCHOLAR students serve as advisors and coaches. 

Tell us about someone who has been impacted by this program and what it has meant for their personal and/or professional growth. 

One student joined SCHOLAR at the beginning of her sophomore year as an actuarial science major, with no plans for graduate school. After her first year in SCHOLAR, she changed her major to statistics and began researching graduate programs in biostatistics. She has just completed her second year in SCHOLAR, having presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research and at the Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics. 

This student currently participates in a summer institute in statistical genetics at the University of Washington and is exploring dual MD/PhD programs as she embarks on a career path as a biostatistician. In responding to a questionnaire completed by SCHOLAR participants each year, she wrote, “I completely changed my professional goals as a result of participating in SCHOLAR… I wouldn’t have reached this place without my involvement in SCHOLAR.”

Learn more about NSF DUE 1611732 

Full Project Name: Transforming Undergraduate Statistics Education at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions through Experiential Learning

Abstract: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1611732 

Project Contact: Dr. Tracy Morris, PI; tmorris2@uco.edu
*Responses in this blog were edited for length and clarity.

Erin Moss is a co-editor of DUE Point and an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Millersville University, where she works with undergraduates from all majors as well as graduate students in the M.Ed. in Mathematics program.