Provides the dataset and investigates the resulting scatterplots and boxplots for the following scenario: In 1970, Congress instituted a random selection process for the military draft. All 366 possible birth dates were placed in plastic capsules in a rotating drum and were selected one by one. The first date drawn from the drum received draft number one and eligible men born on that date were drafted first. In a truly random lottery there should be no relationship between the date and the draft number. However, this dataset suggests that men born later in the year were more likely to be drafted.
Type of Material:
Data set with background story and analysis, including important graphs.
Recommended Uses:
Could be used for a basic statistics class to discuss different methods of visualizing data. Could be used in class or as part of an individual or team project.
Technical Requirements:
Web browser, statistical software for analyzing the data
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Students will learn strategies for finding non-random patterns in data sets. They will also understand why non-random sampling is biased. Students will also learn more about organizing data, scatterplots, correlation, and boxplots.
Target Student Population:
Students in an introductory statistics course.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic knowledge of boxplots, scatterplots, and correlation coefficients.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The story provides some wonderful context surrounding randomizing, scatterplots, and boxplots. The dataset that accompanies the story will allow instructors or students to experiment with other methods to group and visualize the data. It is an interesting real-world data set that illustrates important concepts about the results of non-random sampling and the good graphical display of data.
Concerns:
The lesson could have more instructions on exactly how it could be used in the classroom.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Learning goals are stated, the scenario is provided, the dataset is given, and the resulting graphs are presented in compact and succinct manner. It is a good data set that students can be given to discover patterns on their own, or a teacher can use it in class as a good demonstration/discussion.
Concerns:
Would have been useful to have had some follow-up questions on grouping data and different ways to visualize these data.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Because it only requires a web browser, the instructor should not have a difficult time using it. The dataset may be easily copied and pasted into any spreadsheet.
Concerns:
A casual user may not know where to click to get the actual data set (Datafile name: Draft Lottery)
It would have been beneficial for the data to have been given in a multitude of formats (e.g. Excel, SPSS)
From the dataset, the link back to the story Draft Lottery 1970 is broken.
Depending on the class, students may not have the skills to uncover the interesting patterns in the data on their own and may need some guidance.
Creative Commons:
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