There are large classes of about 200 students from the biological sciences. For this class, the sampling bowl was used as part of a classroom demonstration, followed by the computer demonstration to the class, and lastly followed up by a few short questions for the next assignment where students had to do two simulations using different sets of simulation parameters and comment on the results. In other computer-aided exercises in our classes, we have found that students tend to accept the results uncritically, feeling perhaps that if the computer has produced the answers, the answers must be correct, regardless of any input errors they may have made. They were also interested in seeing how this simple method was used in estimating salmon spawning populations. Reviews of the computer simulation were mixed.
Instructors can customize material easily.
Workshops can be updated quickly and easily, and updates are immediately available. It is suitable for distance education courses. It can be enriched with hyperlinks to supplemental material. We believe that these advantages outweigh the concerns that a computer must be available to access the material and that some students are uncomfortable with using a computer. The concept of a sampling distribution is the one of the most difficult concepts for students to grasp in an introductory course.