Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011 - rees2009

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) Página 588 de 957
Improving the Learning Process in Statistical Decision-Making Laboratory
Javier Portillo
javierp@grpss.ssr.upm.es
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid
Spain
Juan Besada
besada@grpss.ssr.upm.es
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid
Spain
Ana Bernardos
abernardos@grpss.ssr.upm.es
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid
Spain
Abstract: Statistics has been traditionally a difficult subject to teach and learn.
Even the students with good mathematical skills may have problems in
understanding the main principles of randomness, distribution functions and
statistical significance. Additionally, it is not strange that students which have a
good understanding about probability theory does not know how to use it in the
statistical problem (i.e. once a random sample has been obtained, and the aim is
to infer the values of parameters or distribution functions which better model
the obtained data, in order to make decisions based in this information). This
paper proposes a work in progress to improve the student understanding and
involving in the process of statistical decision making, participating in a
statistical decision making laboratory. The method is based in the following
principles:
• The use of real economic data in order to predict the behavior of economic
indexes, allowing the students to compare the real results with the results of the
laboratory work. This comparison should be realized in a formal way, using
decision theory principles (hypothesis test methodology).
• The use of the same statistical tools learned in the course in order to analyze
and compare the results presented by the students. That is to say, if the numeric
results from different students or student groups are very sparse, this fact
perhaps indicates a por work definition by the teacher. If the results obtained
are very homogeneous but are far from the real world results, this perhaps
indicates a common basic problem in the presentation of the theory and the
laboratory work to the students. This is an important point, since the students
use the tools used in the laboratory to evaluate the performance of their
laboratory results, and to propose improvements, which is a clear motivation
point.
Proceedings of Research in Engineering Education Symposium 2011
Madrid, 4 th - 7 th October 2011