Statistics is sometimes perceived as dry or only tangentially related to engineering practice. This card seeks to inspire curiosity and show the value of statistics through two activities that are intended for use in a first or second term statistics class. The first activity is an in-class discussion that would be implemented early in the class (first or second week). The second is a class project that requires 3 to 4 weeks (3 weeks allows for peer review of an initial draft, 4 weeks allows for revisions to be made in response to both peer and instructor reviews). The project requires that students have enough understanding of statistical tests that they are able to apply these methods to a dataset of their choosing. As such the project could be implemented relatively early in the term for a second class in statistics but would likely need to be implemented towards the end of a first class in statistics.

In the first activity, the in-class discussion, students are exposed to a literal life or death situation, the hazard posed by carbon monoxide intoxication. As part of a class discussion, students are guided in identifying how statistics can inform engineering practice in addressing this risk. The discussion requires about 15 minutes of class time.

In the second activity, the class project, students are asked to conduct a small project the demonstrates how statistics can be used to create value. The students identify a dataset, formulate questions that can be addressed through statistical analysis of that dataset, employ suitable diagnostics to identify the appropriate statistical methods, implement those methods, and interpret the results. Particular attention is given to making sure that students perform the necessary diagnostics so that they are using the appropriate statistical methods for analyzing their data. The student project requires at least three weeks:

Week 1: Students are assigned the project (10 minutes of class time).

Week 2: Students submit project and peer review preliminary results from fellow students (roughly 45 minutes of class time, mostly in small groups reviewing each others' work).

Week 3: Students submit revisions to their project, which are briefly reviewed by their peers. Small edits may be made if needed and the projects are then submitted to the instructors (roughly 45 minutes of class time, mostly in small groups reviewing each others' work).

Week 4 (optional): The instructor may allow students to revise their projects in response to the instructor comments, in which case a third submission is allowed, and an additional week would be required (half a week for the instructor to provide feedback and half a week for the student to respond to the feedback). Typically no additional class time is allowed as students will receive feedback in the form of the graded assignment from the instructor and would need to schedule time outside of class or come to office hours if additional instructor feedback is desired. 

This card includes sample lecture materials, an assignment description with a rubric, and examples of student submissions.