TY - JOUR
T1 - Statistical analysis when the data is an image
T2 - Eliciting student thinking about sampling and variability
AU - Hjalmarson, Margret A.
AU - Moore, Tamara J.
AU - delMas, Bob C
PY - 2011/5
Y1 - 2011/5
N2 - Results of analysis of responses to a first-year undergraduate engineering activity are presented. Teams of students were asked to develop a procedure for quantifying the roughness of a surface at the nanoscale, which is typical of problems in Materials Engineering where qualities of a material need to be quantified. Thirty-five teams were selected from a large engineering course for analysis of their responses. The results indicate that engagement in the task naturally led teams to design a sampling plan, use or design measures of center and variability, and integrate those measures into a model to solve the stated problem. Team responses revealed misunderstandings that students have about measures of center and variability. Implications for instruction and future research are discussed.
AB - Results of analysis of responses to a first-year undergraduate engineering activity are presented. Teams of students were asked to develop a procedure for quantifying the roughness of a surface at the nanoscale, which is typical of problems in Materials Engineering where qualities of a material need to be quantified. Thirty-five teams were selected from a large engineering course for analysis of their responses. The results indicate that engagement in the task naturally led teams to design a sampling plan, use or design measures of center and variability, and integrate those measures into a model to solve the stated problem. Team responses revealed misunderstandings that students have about measures of center and variability. Implications for instruction and future research are discussed.
KW - Engineering statistics
KW - Statistical modeling
KW - Statistics education research
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84859180471&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84859180471&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84859180471
SN - 1570-1824
VL - 10
SP - 15
EP - 34
JO - Statistics Education Research Journal
JF - Statistics Education Research Journal
IS - 1
ER -