Improving the Work Force of the Future: Opportunities in Undergraduate
Statistics Education
With the increased emphasis on statistics in the K-12 curriculum, the strong
interest in the AP Statistics program, and the increased need for statistics
in a wide range of occupations, the American Statistical Association, in
conjunction with other statistical societies, sees a need to promote the
enhancement of undergraduate education in statistics. To this end, it is
organizing a Symposium on undergraduate statistics education to be held in
conjunction with the 2000 JSM in Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon and Sunday
morning. Preliminary details on the Symposium follow.
Program Chair: Richard Scheaffer
Tentative Agenda:
Saturday, August 12, 2000
1:00-1:15 Welcome from ASA (Ray Waller) and COPSS (Marvin Zelen)
1:15-2:00 Keynote Address: David Moore
2:00-2:15 Break
2:15-3:30 Needs of Business, Industry, and Government
3:30-3:45 Break
3:45-5:15 Curriculum Guidelines for Bachelor's Degrees in Statistical Science
Sunday August 13, 2000
8:00-9:15 Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs in
Statistical Science
9:15-9:30 Break
9:30-10:15 First Courses in Statistical Science
10:15-11:00 Making the Case for Undergraduate Statistics to the World at Large
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:30 Wrap Up
a. General discussion
b. Potential workshops as follow up to these sessions
c. Summary and path forward.
An organizing committee for this effort has drafted vision and mission
statements (see below), and writing teams are working on an initial set of
position papers that focus on essential issues for undergraduate statistics
education. Presentations of these papers will be the springboards for panel
and floor discussions in the sessions of the Symposium. Copies of these
papers should be available on Amstat Online prior to the Symposium. A desired
outcome of the Symposium is the planning of additional papers and workshops,
to be delivered over the next two years, concentrating on various aspects of
undergraduate statistics education. These papers and workshops will further
refine the various initiatives and strive for a consensus that will move the
cause of undergraduate statistics education and the vitality of the statistics
profession forward into the 21st century.
The Symposium is not a regular part of the Joint Statistics Meetings and,
therefore, will require a separate registration and small additional fee of
$15.00. Early registration can be accomplished by sending your name and
address to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Registration materials will be available at the
same time as JSM materials, probably around mid-May.
If you teach undergraduate statistics, send students to undergraduate
statistics courses, hire graduates who need statistics skills, or are
otherwise interested in statistics education, please register for the
Symposium. It will provide an exciting opportunity for the statistics
profession to create programs through which the next and current generations
of workers can enhance their statistics skills.
The Vision of the USEI is:
*To create opportunities for students to avail themselves of sound
undergraduate educational programs in quantitative reasoning.
*To give a broad quantitative foundation for further study in specialized disciplines.
*To increase quantitative literacy within the modern workforce.
The Mission of the USEI is to expand and improve undergraduate statistical
education through:
*Organizing symposia and workshops to create guidelines for programs.
*Marketing the potential for, programs in, and products of statistical education.
*Supporting the continuing development and delivery of modern statistics curricula.
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