With funding from an NSF Course and Curriculum Development grant, the statistics group has been working to develop a new curriculum for introductory statistics for engineering, science and management students which can serve as a national model. The goals are to promote critical thinking, and to demonstrate the role of statistics in scientific investigation. The curriculum features nineteen one-week modules. Each module is keyed to a project or a laboratory experience. Laboratories involve computer-aided data analysis, computer simulation or physical experimentation, conducted either by individuals or teams.
Projects rely heavily on student initiative and are always done in teams.
The modular structure allows faculty to tailor the course to individual student needs. The learning environment is problem-driven and alternative modes of delivery are emphasized. The computer is used extensively for data analysis and visualization. They also provide a medium for simulation to demonstrate concepts. The success of the curriculum project resulted in the creation of a multimedia computer classroom in 1995 with partial funding from an NSF ILI grant.