Wesleyan University is launching a free online statistics course called “Passion Driven Statistics.” The course, which is offered through Coursera, will allow students to explore their own research questions as they develop skills in data analysis and basic statistics.
Using SAS On-Demand software, students will use the six-week online statistics course to generate a hypothesis, conduct tests and present their findings. The course, which began on March 25, is led by Lisa Dierker, a psychology professor at Wesleyan who has worked for three years developing a curriculum designed to interest students in applied statistics. She uses a project-based approach and allows students to find data sets they are passionate about while learning the discipline of data analysis.
Coursera is a popular platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs)— online classes open to large-scale participation — and although this isn’t Wesleyan’s only Coursera offering, this is the first MOOC to use the SAS On-Demand software program. Dierker got permission to use the software from Jerry Oglesby, the senior director for global academic and certification programs at SAS.
“This is one of the first online courses where they will actually try to do some analytics,” Oglesby told Forbes. By contrast, most previous statistics courses had been more “philosophical” and did not use actual software to do the work of applied statistics. SAS On-Demand is the company’s free offering that students can continue using for research projects long after the course is finished.
In this course, students will develop skills in data management, graphing, exploring data documentation and visualization. They will also learn how to present their statistical results at the end of the course. In addition to viewing the lecture videos and reading class texts, students will learn by choosing their own research data to explore, based on their personal passions. After choosing a research question, they will construct a testable hypothesis, prepare and analyze relevant data and present research findings on student project blogs. Students will be evaluated on quiz scores, the applied research assignments and a final presentation of their independent research project.
Students who complete the class successfully will receive a Statement of Accomplishment signed by Dierker.
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