Homework #4


Bruce Bayley
Ann Kitchen


Site: Rice Virtual Lab in Statistics (http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~lane/rvls.html)

Overview

This site provides an excellent teaching tool for the introductory statistics instructor. It begins with a link to Hyperstat Online, an online statistics book with links to other statistics resources on the web. It then moves onto Simulations/Demonstrations section that allows the viewer to select a particular statistical topic, for example "Mean and Median," for in an informational, textual format, as well as real time, user defined simulations of the discussed topic. A third segment to this site is the "Case Studies" section where the viewer can see real life applications for all of the previously outlined statistical functions. The final segment of this site focuses on "Analysis Lab" that allows the user to use basic statistical tools to obtain examples of descriptives, histograms, boxplots, stem and leaf, t-tests, correlations and regressions, and ANOVAs.

Applet

Case Studies. - Case studies was a particularly interesting applet in that it allows the statistical instructor the opportunity to answer the question, "So how can I use this in real life?" Each case study uses a variety of statistical techniques that allows the viewer to see how they can actually be applied to a real life situation. Viewers can select a case study based upon a desired statistical term or they can review each of the eight scenarios and find a study that most closely matches a research topic they are interested in. Each case study begins with a research question(s) and then goes on to list the concepts that are used during the analysis. An example would be as follows:

Smiles and Leniency
Will a smiling person accused of a crime be treated more leniently than one who is not smiling? If so, does the type of smile make a difference?
Concepts: quantile/boxplots, contrasts among means, Dunnett's test, Bonferroni correction

Once a case study has been selected, the viewer can read through a variety of categories, such as:

Background - gives the viewer background information on the study
Experimental Design - provides the view with the experimental design of the study
Materials - in the above example of "Smiles and Leniency," the viewer is given pictorial examples of the four smiling styles
Descriptive Statistics - descriptives of the data set. This section also explains how the descriptive statistics were obtained and gives sample questions that provide immediate feedback as to if the viewer was correct or not.
Inferential Statistics - provides inferential statistics of the data set. This section also explains how the descriptive statistics were obtained and gives sample questions that provide immediate feedback as to if the viewer was correct or not.
Interpretation - explains to the viewer how to interpret the results. One nice feature to this component is the ability to actually try a simulation and see how and why the various outcomes might occur.
Instructions for JMP - explains how to run the analyses using JMP in both a textual and pictorial format.
Instructions for SAS - gives the viewer the SAS codes for performing the analyses JMP Output - gives the viewer the actual JMP output, with links on how to obtain them.
SAS Output - gives the viewer the actual SAS output.
Raw Data - provides the viewer with all of the raw data analyzed in the study to obtain previous outputs.
Hear the author speak (2MB) - with the appropriate audio extension, the viewer can hear the author talk about the study.

Advantages

  1. This site was very easy to navigate, providing a nice mixture of text and graphics.
  2. The site was organized well, providing numerous links to additional information and or clarification of every topic that is discussed.
  3. Provides the viewer with very applied examples that not only allow the viewer to see how the results were obtained, but what would happen when the figures are changed.
  4. Certain sections (e.g., Inferential Statistics in the Case Studies segment) provide questions and answers about a particular topic. This allows viewers an opportunity to test their understanding of the presented material.

Disadvantages

I could not see any true disadvantages to this site. It was very comprehensive, informative, and well thought out. I have even recommended it to a former statistics professor interested in using web-based programs for statistical instruction.