I'm beginning to collect "course profiles". These are like personas, but for courses rather than users. Here's another...Behavioral Statistics
• Required for Psychology and Sociology majors
• Sophomore or junior year
• Attempts to enhance the "science" image
• Uses large, messy data sets
• Emphasizes hypothesis testing
• Often introduces SPSS
Professors
• Psychology or Sociology Professors
• Most would rather avoid this course
• Often push practice, practice, practice
Students
• Social Science Majors (75% Psych)
• Fear math
• Lack math background, skills
• Would like to avoid this course...
• ... but are required to get through it
Challenges
• Both profs and students want to avoid this course
• Students fear math, lack math skills
• Course pushes rigorous statistical analysis
• Profs push practice, practice, practice
• = Ugh!
Wow, you had a busy statistics oriented weekend I think your characterization is mostly correct. What I would change: 1)I would not include the "uses large, messy data sets" because I don't think that is something most behavioral statistics courses do. 2) I also would not include "attempts to enhance the "science" image. Intro Psych attempts to enhance the science image and many of the decisions that are made by behavioral statisticians are made to enhance the scientific rigor of psych but I don't tihnk most behavioral stats classes address those issues. 3) I think the fear of math is a much bigger issue than lack of math background.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for all your help.