Sixteen Years of Teaching Elementary Applied Statistics Using CAI: A Case Study

Abstract

Since 1974, a lengthy CAI course in applied statistics has been kept operational through changes in computing systems by development of software allowing independence from the manufacturers of computer equipment. During the last sixteen years, over 1,600 graduate students have taken the course with seven different instructors, generating a wide variety of observations about the course itself and the advantages and disadvantages of CAI. These observations relate to changing student characteristics, differing objectives of the instructors, as well as problems related to moving courseware from one system to another. Although the course has been generally well received, its continued operation is questionable due to increasing operational costs and changing perceptions about the importance of statistical inference in educational research.