http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ A search of MERLOT materials Copyright 1997-2013 MERLOT. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 10:32:48 PDT Mon, 20 May 2013 10:32:48 PDT http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/images/merlot.gif http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ 44 34 http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=89485 Visual ANOVA is an interactive Flash program which demonstrates visually how variability between and within experimental groups contributes to the F ratio in the Analysis of Variance. It is not a numerical calculator; rather it visually and holistically demonstrates the relations among important concepts. Visual ANOVA is supported by online instructions and by an extensive online lecture explaining the theory behind the Analysis of Variance. The online lecture is supported by two types of assignments: 1) Online computer-graded homework, and 2) A pdf file that gives students the opportunity to do handwritten homework problems with answer keys. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=89228 Difference to Inference is an online JAVA program simulating theory testing and falsification through research design and data collection in a game format. The program, based on cognitive and epistemological principles, is designed to support the learning of thinking skills underlying deductive and inductive logic and statistical reasoning. Students must strategically plan a series of studies and then use the data from those studies to eliminate competing theories. Difference to Inference has database connectivity so that game scores can be counted as part of course grades. No other assignments are necessary. Difference to Inference is supported by an online tutorial for its use and by an online course lecture explaining the principles of scientific methodology behind its play. A companion game whose play fits extremely well with Difference to Inference (for teaching scientific methodology) is called "Detect Difference." Articles about Difference to Inference can be found in the May 2001 issue of Behavior Research Methods Instruments & Computers and in The Journal of Infomation Technology in Medicine (2000). http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=469504 Share with your students why the presence of an outlier affects which measure of central tendency to report. Feel free to modify the presentation to fit the needs of your students. Included at the end are additional online resources to further engage your students in their learning about the mean, median, and mode. The presentation is covered by a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=91030 A simple to use JAVA applet that finds Normal probabilities. Simply set mu, sigma, upper and lower scores. Normal Tool shows the area under the curve along with the probability. Detailed instructions are included. Optional web lecture on the Normal Probability Distribution is also included. Two kinds of Assignments are provided under the assignment link--one assignment is computer graded and uses a JAVA applet, the other assignment is a typical story problem homework with answer key in pdf format. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=532981 Gapminder is the creation of Swedish academic Hans Rosling. The site contains a growing collection of resources useful to teachers interested in demographic data and vital statistics for the countries of the world.One of the most remarkable features on the site is Gapminder World, a very powerful, web-based data visualization tool that allows instructors and students to quickly visualize and further investigate vital statistics for the world's nations and the development of those statistics over time. The Wealth and Health of Nations tracks the development of life expectancy versus wealth for the countries of the world from 1800 in an engagingly visualized animation. There are numerous of the data sets that can be used in place of the default life expectancy versus GDP/capita.In addition to this remarkable resource, there are videos and specific resources for teachers on the site. Gapminder is a site is not easily summarized. But one that may be of interest to instructors interested in global issues from disciplines as diverse as statistics to history. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=351943 Many Eyes is a beta site created by IBM that encourages users to explore its featured set of tools that can be used to explore data visually. This site has an area for featured data sets and is constantly be updated by its users. In its About Us section Many Eyes proclaims that it "is a bet on the power of human visual intelligence to find patterns. Our goal is to "democratize" visualization and to enable a new social kind of data analysis. Jump right to our visualizations now, take a tour, or read on for a leisurely explanation of the project. " While its use is free Many Eyes does require "an alphaWorks Services Use Agreement" that spells our terms of use,copy right, liability, etc. Users must agree to terms and conditions. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=700818 A repository of tools and educational materials designed to improve quantitative literacy skills in social science courses. Built especially for faculty teaching post-secondary courses in such areas as demography, economics, geography, political science, social psychology, and sociology, the materials include stand-alone learning activities, tools, and pedagogy services. The goal is to make it easier for faculty to bring real social science data into courses across the curriculum ranging from introductory classes to senior seminars. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=82082 Multiple-Choice (MC) items have many advantages that make them widely used and highly regarded. They also have disadvantages, some of which can be reduced by careful attention to good item-writing and item analysis practice. This resource describes advantages and disadvantages of Multiple-Choice Items, General Guidelines, Item Stem Guidelines, and Item Options Guidelines. Links from this page also provide information about item analysis (overall test reliability and about individual items) and descriptive statistics. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=87797 This statistical homepage contains educational material of interest to faculty and students studying statistics. It is intended to augment the author's textbooks entitled "Statistical Methods for Psychology" and "Fundamental Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences." http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=76230 The site contains techniques and computer codes for questionnaire design, surveys sampling, and analysis.