Happy Classrooms, Happy World ( US 2018 230 )

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Level: Intermediate
Robert Carver, Senior Lecturer, Brandeis University International Business School; and Professor Emeritus, Stonehill College
Volker Kraft, JMP Senior Academic Ambassador, SAS

Undergraduate courses in statistics continue to grow and evolve, with an emphasis on teaching statistical thinking and engagement throughout the entire process of statistical investigation. The ASA’s 2016 Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) report challenges university instructors to use abundant digital data and modern software tools to allow novice students to learn experientially, thereby bridging the gap between theory and decision-making with data, fostering intellectual curiosity and exploration of “what if” scenarios, and facilitating the communication of findings and results. It can be challenging to find real data sets that are simultaneously engaging and understandable to undergraduates, as well as suitable to illustrate a thorough statistical investigation. We suggest using data from recent releases of the World Happiness Report to stimulate statistical thinking in an undergraduate first statistics course. The combination of JMP's intuitive, visual design and the global importance of this data can make for a very happy classroom experience. This talk will simulate a classroom demonstration of exploration, question-generation, and analysis, culminating in presentation-ready visualizations.