Statistics Teaching in Higher Education: Professional Development Programmes

Introduction

Universities are committed to developing the educational and teaching skills of their staff. Running continuing professional development (CPD) programmes almost inevitably leads to an emphasis on generic issues of teaching, so that staff from many disciplines can be put together as a group.

There is, however, general agreement that CPD programmes should incorporate discipline specific elements. How is this to be done? The Higher Education Academy (HEA) Maths, Stats & OR (MSOR) Network has developed resources for use in the educational CPD of statistics teachers, (whether academic or research staff) in whatever department they are working, (e.g. in medicine, geography, psychology, business studies etc, as well as in mathematics and statistics).

The resources use both written and internet delivery and can be studied in a variety of ways, thus providing universities with the opportunity to include discipline-related study to suit their particular needs and structures.

Please consider the resources and approaches described here and their possible use within your university and contact us with any comments, questions and requests.

In a different and more formal context the material has been accredited by the Royal Statistical Society.

The Statistics Teaching Resources

The resources for Statistics Teaching consist of three self-learning units in written form and one that is web-based. The units, which comprise several workbooks to enable the CPD to take place in a measured fashion, are:

• Learning Statistics: This gives a development of those elements of learning theory that have an immediate impact on the teaching of statistics, with many illustrations. It is designed to provide lecturers with many examples of good practice in statistics teaching, but emphasising, on educational grounds, why it is good practice.
• Teaching Statistics: This unit gives a broad study of issues faced by the statistics lecturer. It also includes the opportunity for teachers to look at their own selection of specific statistical topics.
• Feedback and Assessment in Statistics: This unit provides a study of the specific methods appropriate to the formation and assessment of students' understanding and skills in statistics.
• Computer Supported Statistics Teaching: This is a web based resource that explores both the use of statistical software and of the Internet in the teaching of statistics.

Using the Resources for CPD

We offer several models of potential use:

• Model A: The resources can be used under licence and modified and delivered entirely within the universities own CPD system. For example staff might use just a few units or resources for study each year and explore their application in their teaching.
• Model B: The resources can be used as a credit based option within a Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma or MSc.
• Model C: The material can be used as in either A or B but with the staff involved becoming part of a national cohort and having access to national tutorial provision. In this situation they would work to a personally agreed CPD programme lasting for an agreed length of time.
• Model D: As a different approach it is possible for staff to study the distance-learning version of the Royal Statistical Society Certificate in Teaching Statistics in Higher Education. This is accredited by the RSS.