Maple-based procedures were developed over the past two summers to provide support, in particular, for students' interpretation and understanding of correlational analyses. The concept of bi-variate correlation is typically demonstrated to Research Methods students by using SPSS to compute a correlation coefficient and by having students compute, by hand, Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients. In either case, the emphasis is upon statistical computation. By using Maple procedures, we hope to alter students' perceptions through the presentation of several procedures that are all based upon scatter plots which represent the qualitative relationship between two variables. By using a set of Maple procedures like the one demonstrated, students develop multiple cognitive representations of concepts pertaining to correlation.
Maple adds a visual and dynamic representation to the computational ones produced by students.
Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences Statistics is an upper-level course in our department, designed to help support students' independent research and prepare students for graduate school. In addition, understanding the use of statistical analysis as a research tool remains an important objective. However, more emphasis is placed on understanding conceptual bases for statistical testing. Maple-based procedures have been designed specifically to support this objective, primarily by allowing students to actively explore the definition and application of sampling distributions, which are at the heart of hypothesis testing. In addition to using animations as the basis for promoting discovery of statistical principles in class discussions, students regularly completed written homework assignments.