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Abstract

The goal of every introductory statistics course is to produce statistically literate students with an ability to make informed decisions and to think critically. This is a challenging task. In fact, the introductory statistics course at Franklin University, Math215, has had disproportionately low success rates for several years. To address these concerns, considerable revisions were made to the curriculum, addressing the challenges of students and faculty. Perhaps the most significant among those changes was the addition of a series of standalone, interactive multimedia pieces to supplement the textbook and other course materials. The development of these 28 multimedia pieces took 7 months with a team of 4, led by Dr. Nimet Alpay, and resulted in over 6 hours of interactive instructional content.

A development process was established following a successive approximation model ensuring content accuracy, consistency, and a standardized design to optimize the end-user learning experience. Developed in Articulate Storyline, these pieces offer dynamic, self-paced learning experiences targeted towards audio-visual and kinesthetic learners. The multimedia lectures are organized by topic and broken into manageable subtopics that focus on key statistical concepts. Students can complete each interactive module at their own pace, with the ability to review as often as necessary. Additional features include point-of-use calculator tutorials and dynamic “check your learning” questions. Students receive immediate and extensive feedback after they submit their answers to the questions. The feedback is provided regardless of whether a student’s answer is correct or incorrect.

Among the first of its kind implemented at Franklin University, these multimedia pieces demonstrate an innovative approach to instructional technology and design, with the flexibility to be repurposed by any other course that may cover one or more statistics-related topics. These pieces were first used in the MATH215 course for the Fall trimester of 2014. A research project is underway to collect student feedback to assess the effectiveness of the pieces and identify bugs and opportunities for improvement. In the second stage of this research, an assessment of the effect of these multimedia lectures on students’ grade performance will be conducted.

Publication Date

11-14-2014

College/Unit

College of Arts, Sciences and Technology

Secondary College/Unit

International Institute for Innovative Instruction

Disciplines

Educational Technology | Instructional Media Design | Science and Mathematics Education

Statistical Strategies: Meeting the Needs of Struggling Math Students through Self-Guided Interactive Media

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