Peer Review

Passion-Driven Statistics

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Reviewed:: Feb 11, 2020 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

Wesleyan professor Lisa Dierker, Ph.D. is the author of a compelling, project-based research and statistics curriculum entitled Passion-Driven Statistics. Passion-Driven Statistics aims to get students involved in the research process and inspire their interest in statistics by letting them formulate the research questions that especially capture their attention.

The Passion-Driven Statistics website offers the following description:

"Passion-Driven Statistics" is a multidisciplinary, project-based curriculum that supports students in conducting original research, asking original questions, and communicating methods and results using the language of statistics. The curriculum supports students to work with existing data covering health, geography and earth science, government, business, education, genetics and more. From existing data, you’ll be able to pose questions of interest to you and then use statistical software (e.g. SAS, R, Python, Stata or SPSS) to turn raw data into useful information."

The Passion-Driven Statistics project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Type of Material:

Collection

Recommended Uses:

The Passion-Driven Statistics website includes a downloadable 15-chapter e-book (The Passion-Driven Statistics E-Book--Second Edition) that contains the entire Passion-Driven Statistics curriculum and which can be customized for individual instructor use. A comprehensive library of instructional videos is embedded within the e-book and featured on the website. Instructors who will not be offering the full course will find the videos valuable as stand-alone resources that can be assigned for students to review at home (or as a component of primary instruction in an online course). Each video is typically 20-30 minutes and covers one target topic.
The website links users to Schoology which houses a full complement of supporting materials for a course based on Passion-Driven Statistics. These materials can be accessed by signing up for a free account with Schoology. A registration code is supplied on the website.
Note: The website also offers a link-out to a five-part Coursera course series that features Passion Driven Statistics.

Technical Requirements:

All provided learning materials can be viewed using all browsers (e.g., Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, MozillaFirefox).

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Students will learn how to analyze data and report research findings in a subject area in which they have a particular interest (or passion).

Target Student Population:

Undergraduate and Graduate Students

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

Basic math background and computer proficiency are helpful for understanding the statistics. No prerequisite knowledge is needed for videos addressing more conceptual topics.
Background in a field and a passion for that field will enhance application of the project-based approach.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The depth and breadth of the topics covered are superior. The videos are particularly effective. Each video targets a single topic making it ideal for use in a module structure. Information is accurate, current, and presented in a manner that is transferable across institutions and courses. The range of statistical programs covered (SAS, Stata, R, SPSS, Python) is impressive. Videos are made specifically for online viewing; quality is clear and presenters are easy to understand.

Concerns:

None.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The Schoology site offers extensive course support materials--syllabus, lessons, PowerPoint slides, data code books, files/handouts.
The videos--available on the Passion-Driven Statistics website-- are effective instructional resources and are ideal for out-of-class viewing (either as instruction before class or for review). Presentations are engaging and likely to hold students' interest despite the perception that statistics is a dry topic.

Concerns:

Users must set up a free Schoology.com account to get access to additional instructor resources. Only the e-book and video library are available without an account/subscription/enrollment.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The Passion-Driven Statistics website is clear, professional, and easy to navigate. There are no distracting advertisements. All links are functional. Videos and audio are clear. The Schoology site also is easily navigable.
The Passion-Driven Statistics website provides clear information on Creative Commons licensing.

Concerns:

None.

Other Issues and Comments:

This is a phenomenal resource for faculty teaching statistics. The concept and approach are exceptional. The videos are excellent and can be utilized easily across statistics courses. The site has value for those teaching face-to-face or online.

Creative Commons: