USCOTS 2019 - About


CAUSE has held the United States Conference on Teaching Statistics (USCOTS) every other year since 2005. The 2019 USCOTS will be held on Thursday, May 16 – Saturday, May 18, 2019 at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College, Pennsylvania, with pre-conference workshops on Tuesday, May 14 – Thursday, May 16. The conference theme is Evaluating Evidence.

USCOTS enables teachers of statistics to exchange ideas and discover how to improve their teaching. The conference features thought-provoking plenary sessions, interactive breakout sessions, informative posters-and-beyond sessions, and exhibitor technology demonstrations. Other highlights of the conference include opening and closing sessions comprised of inspiring five-minute presentations, a banquet with an after-dinner speaker and awards presentations, and birds-of-a-feather lunch discussions.

We trust that you will find USCOTS to provide a very welcoming, active, and fun environment. We hope that you will meet new colleagues and renew friendships with peers who are united by a common desire to teach students effectively to the next generation of citizens and scholars.

About the Theme:

This year's conference theme is Evaluating Evidence. Inspired by recent efforts of the American Statistical Association to educate researchers, decision-makers, and the public about sound statistical practice for drawing inferences from data in the twenty-first century, USCOTS will aim to help statistics teachers to implement modern approaches for conducting and teaching statistical inference. These recent ASA efforts include:

  • Official statement on p-values (link) that has received more than 250,000 views,
  • Symposium on statistical inference (link) held in Bethesda in October 2017,
  • Special issue of The American Statistician (link) on "statistical inference for the 21st century"

This conference theme will embrace all aspects of evaluating evidence, including but not limited to helping students to:

  • Understand the reasoning process of statistical inference,
  • Recognize appropriate interpretations and limitations of statistical inference,
  • Design studies to facilitate evaluating evidence,
  • Conduct research in a reproducible manner,
  • Consider alternatives to traditional methods for conducting inference, and
  • Reflect on the role of inference in the context of big data and data science.

The theme also refers to evaluating evidence about teaching effectiveness and student learning.

Participate:

Please consider submitting a proposal to participate in USCOTS. Follow this link for information about proposing a breakout session, pre-conference workshop, "posters and beyond" submission, or birds-of-a-feather lunch discussion. The deadline for proposing a breakout session or pre-conference workshop is November 30, 2018. Submissions for a "posters and beyond" contribution are due by February 1, 2019 if you would like to receive feedback, March 22, 2019 for final submissions.

Registration Costs:

  • Registration before April 1 is $220.
  • Standard Registration after April 1 is $250.
  • Some full or partial registration grants may be available to those in need. Submit requests via this grant application form.
  • $30 discount for participants from CAUSE Institutional Members Institutional Members.
  • Add the Penn Stater Breakfast Buffet to your registration for only $5.00 per person, per day!
  • Guest Banquet Vouchers are available for an additional $25/person.

Registration has ended.

Register

Planning Committees

USCOTS Program Chair

  • Allan Rossman, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

Breakout Session Review Committee

  • Andrew Bray, Reed College
  • Chris Malone, Winona State University
  • Ginger Rowell, Middle Tennessee State University
  • Jack Miller, University of Michigan
  • Jennifer Broatch, Arizona State University
  • Leigh Johnson, Capital University
  • Michelle Everson, Ohio State University
  • Nick Horton, Amherst College
  • Richard Corp, Santa Ana College
Poster & Beyond Review Committee
  • Jack Miller, Chair, University of Michigan
  • Scott Alberts, Truman State University
  • Melinda Baham, Baham Consulting
  • Leigh Johnson, Capital University
  • Adam Loy, Carleton College
  • Chris Malone, Winona State University
  • Bethany White, University of Toronto