Many recent improvements in pedagogical practice have been enabled by the rapid development of innovative technologies, particularly for teaching quantitative research methods and statistics. This study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a series of specialised computer laboratory sessions. The sessions combined the use of an online virtual world, cloud collaboration technology, and a statistical package in order to simulate the entire data investigative cycle. The sessions covered multiple topics, research designs, and data analysis techniques relevant to psychology. Quantitative and qualitative feedback data regarding students’ perceptions of the sessions were analysed. The results demonstrate promising support for the use of Island-based sessions, but improvements and further research will be required.
The CAUSE Research Group is supported in part by a member initiative grant from the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education