By David Fluharty (School of Public Health--Indiana University Bloomington)
Information
This Poster and Beyond presents a classroom exercise that is being developed in the Spring Term of 2025 in an undergraduate Introduction to Biostatistics courses at the Indiana University School of Public health which has about 50 students.
The author will describe and discuss with USCOTS25 participants the steps students will use to to produce and reflect on “concept maps” which connecting statistical thinking to the wider world of ideas and events in an introductory Biostatistics Course.
The first step is an in-class presentation of what might be called “The 3 Ss:”
• Statistical Thinking: Variation is a fundamental aspect of every physical, biological, psychological, and social system and statistical tools are necessary to understand this variation.
• Process Orientation: Most important phenomena are the result of multiple causes.
• Scientific Discipline: Every theory is subject to challenge.
Students are then shown how to begin building a “concept map.”
As a homework exercise, students are divided into teams, each of which develops a “concept map.”
Finally, in class students review each team’s map and participate in an in-class Think/Pair/Share, reflecting how Statistics fits into a broader education.
The poster will display a possible consolidated concept map.