Second Life as a Pedagogical Tool for
Improving Statistics Homework Sessions

Learning statistical concepts can be difficult for students because of the content as well as interactions between learning styles and content presentation. Although homework is given to promote time-on-task and student learning, it is largely unguided. This project will use Second Life as a way to direct learning through interactive and collaborative virtual homework sessions. Students will meet in Second Life for their homework sessions and such learning will be evaluated. The project will target content related to hypothesis testing and types of statistical error.

• A goal of this grant is to enhance Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) 306 with technology. 
• A goal of this grant is to propose an interactive way for students to meet outside of class for supportive homework experiences. These proposed out-of-class learning environments would serve as a place where students could discuss homework problems, explore concepts in more detail, explore different iterations about problems to better understand principles, and receive immediate feedback during this learning period.

The impact of this course reVision is that the students will have a greater understanding of the related concepts than they would have if they completed traditional homework assignments and shared them with other students in traditional in class sessions (even with using the board for two-dimensional representations of concepts).

The following competencies will be assessed:

• Ability to define hypothesis testing and types of errors and determine relevant distributions
• Ability to perform hypothesis testing on given assignments
• Given a problem, the ability to determine the hypothesis of interest, describe data collection, perform data analysis, and derive conclusions (this would be an example of forward-looking assessment)

Learning community members will share the outcomes of this project at the OLN Southeast Regional Center learning institute and the OLN expo.

Click here to download the Portrait of Practice (pdf).

OLN Southeast Regional Center at Shawnee State University in Partnership with the Teaching and Learning Center 940 Second St., Portsmouth, OH 45662 (740) 351-3334