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discussing sampling distributions of the sample proportion and the sample mean, and for
demonstrating the concept of “confidence” with confidence intervals. Additional applets can help
students recognize the effect of outliers on the simple linear regression equation as well as the
effect of outliers on the values of measures of center and variability. There are also applets that
can simulate probabilities taken over the long run.
Applets can be used in many ways. As an example, applets can be the focus of a class
demonstration, or they can be used by students as part of a homework assignment, a computer
lab activity, a class project, a quiz, or an exam. Applets can used by a single student at a time, as
a team/partner activity, or by the whole class at once.
Best Practices and Ideas found in Statistics Education Literature
• Applets work well with the query first method. This means that the students try to answer
the conceptual questions first on their own and then again after using the applet.
o To see more information, see the following article:
delMas, R., Garfield, J., and Chance, B. (1999), “A Model of Classroom
Research in Action: Developing Simulation Activities to Improve Students’
Statistical Reasoning,” Journal of Statistical Education, 7. Available at
http://www.amstat.org/publications/JSE/secure/v7n3/delmas.cfm.
• In the case of an applet that uses the concept of repeated sampling for randomization tests
or bootstrapping techniques, first sample one at a time, and then stop to explain what is
being illustrated. You may need to take another sample and explain the process again.
After the students appear to understand, you can then increase the number of samples to
1000 or a higher value.
o For an example of this process, see the following article:
Lock Morgan, K., Lock, R., Lock, P.F., Lock, E., and Lock, D. (2014), “StatKey:
Online Tools for Bootstrap Intervals and Randomization Tests,” ICOTS9
Proceedings [online]. Available at http://iase-
web.org/icots/9/proceedings/pdfs/ICOTS9_9B2_LOCKMORGAN.pdf
• Pick applets that make it easier to focus on the concepts and to help introductory students
experience the entire investigative process. For example, the simulation should be similar
to a physical method students could use to illustrate a concept, for example, by using
cards or coins. Additionally, the simulation should allow for easy transition to multiple
types of inference (e.g., from inference about difference between two independent
proportions to difference between two independent means).
o To see more about this and how simulation-based inference is changing the
modern curriculum, see the following articles:
Rossman, A., and Chance, B. (2014), “Using Simulation-based Inference for
Learning Introductory Statistics,” WIREs Computational Stat, 6, 211-221.
o Tintle, N., Chance, B., Cobb, G., Roy, S., Swanson, T., and VanderStoep, J.
(2015), “Combating Anti-statistical Thinking using Simulation-based Methods