Lies, Damn Lies and Logistics: Teaching and Studying Research and Statistics Online

Abstract

What word in any academic setting generates more instant horror than statistics? Its appalling terms include autocorrelation, heterocedasticity and multicollinearity, which are coupled with horrifying formulas. It does not have to be so horrible! This chapter presents approaches used in hundreds of online classes that are equally applicable to nursing, education, research design, psychology, business administration and many other courses—especially statistics courses. This chapter introduces the *construct of *landmarks, along with their importance and applications. Everything in this chapter is aimed at teaching and learning statistics online quickly and smoothly while avoiding time-consuming gridlocks. The chapter doesn’t present abstract statistics teaching and learning theories or fantasies, but only approaches which have been (sometimes painfully!) battle-tested.

Appendix A

Some (Definitely Not All) Landmarks.

As you run down this list, each of the items should make perfect sense. If something does not, then you have some work to do reviewing them.

• 2 Golfers

• 3 Travellers

• Baselines

• Levels of Measurement

• La Verne University scenario

• Simpson’s Paradox

• Nonparametric Statistics

• Parametric Statistics

• Bias

• Ethics in research

• Baseline Transformations

• The Normal Distribution

• Grading on the curve

• Terms

• 10-Step process

• Statistic

• Parameter

• Test selection processes

• F test (variances)

• Independent t test

• Paired t test

• T test (parameter)

• T test (correlation)

• P values

• Plain English

• Fatal errors in research.