Granny_Weatherwax Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) I'm teaching a basic intro to stats course this term. It's not quite remedial but not a full stats class either; students will be required to take a higher level stats class later on. This is the first time I have taught the course so this is my class development semester. I plan on reusing many of the quizzes and exams in future classes. For the midterm, I wanted to do something creative. Instead of having page after page of calculations, I thought I would present a data set based on Star Wars and have the students conduct statistical analyses of that data. I am presenting data based on Darth Vader's study of Stormtrooper marksmanship (we all know the jokes about how they can't hit anything). Here's the intro: Darth Vader conducted a study on Stormtrooper marksmanship. His sample of stormtroopers came from the most recent class of troopers leaving the Imperial Military Academy. Each trooper was provided with an E-11 blaster rifle and a series of 55 static targets which they were required to hit during the exercise. Time began when the subject indicated “GO†with either a verbal command or a hand gesture and ended when the weapon was held in an upright position and the subject stated “Doneâ€. Raw data for the study is provided below: I then give the data on three variables -Hits, Misses, and Time to Complete the Task - for each TK unit. Yay or Nay? Edited March 1, 2016 by ScoutermominIL 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) Yay. I have written physics exam problems involving fantasy characters. They go over really well. So, if I can have dragon riders dropping golden eggs, elves catching rocks thrown by orcs, Legolas and Gimly colliding on a frictionless horizontal iced over pond, and Harry Potter descending into Gringott's by means of an elaborate pulley construction, you can have Star Wars data. I love seeing a student turn the page and suddenly having a huge grin on his face. Edited March 1, 2016 by regentrude 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Mousie Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Yay! I think it's a great idea. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy in NH Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Yes, yay all the way! Great idea! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Sounds like fun! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Another Yay! Stats is all about application. Giving them something fun to apply it to is a huge bonus! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Makes total sense to me! And sounds fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I love it, and when I was in college, I adored professors who got creative instead of giving us the same old same old. A fun test was much appreciated because the little chuckle, the little smirk it provides is a stress release. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Well, I think it bombed. Not one student commented on my creativity. I did have half the class tell me the exam was long; not difficult, just long :( I'll be grading them this evening. I was excited about it and hoped my first stats midterm to go well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Mousie Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Awww! Maybe they're just not used to that sort of thing, and didn't know they *could* comment. Don't give up, though - keep doing it, if only for your own amusement! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Well, I think it bombed. Not one student commented on my creativity. I did have half the class tell me the exam was long; not difficult, just long :( I'll be grading them this evening. I was excited about it and hoped my first stats midterm to go well. :confused1: ​Maybe you have a hoard of Trekkies in your class. No matter, I agree with the PP to keep on making it fun. Soon they will look forward to those questions! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Well, I think it bombed. Not one student commented on my creativity. I did have half the class tell me the exam was long; not difficult, just long :( I'll be grading them this evening. I was excited about it and hoped my first stats midterm to go well. How disappointing. If you'd given it to the members here it would have been a success. Maybe they were too focused on getting through to appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 :confused1: ​Maybe you have a hoard of Trekkies in your class. No matter, I agree with the PP to keep on making it fun. Soon they will look forward to those questions! I am a big Trekkie and the very first data set I created for the class was centered around Star Trek characters - GPA, # of times suspended, and years to graduate from SFA. I even wore a black and red dress that is similar to a Star Trek uniform. One student laughed when she discovered the connection but that was it. I switched to Star Wars thinking it might be more culturally relevant. I'll keep trying. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Harry Potter??? Maybe these students are just wound up a little too tightly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 you can't please them all. I had a student complain on the evaluation that I gave them "stupid made up problems" and that I had taken away the resources they had for doing the homework... yeah right, because if I assign problems from the book, they can google the solution manual... Forget about trying to please them. Do it because YOU find it fun :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I think it's a really cool sounding project. On the other hand, as someone who has taught many English Language Learners, and kids with language based disabilities, I can imagine a student struggling to figure out what a "blaster" or "stormtrooper" or "markmanship" meant, and whether it was important, and losing time for the actual math. It might be that you have a class where every single student is a Star Wars fan, and you know that, then I think it's great. If it's the majority and you've got a few students who aren't, then I'd consider the exam unfair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I think it's a really cool sounding project. On the other hand, as someone who has taught many English Language Learners, and kids with language based disabilities, I can imagine a student struggling to figure out what a "blaster" or "stormtrooper" or "markmanship" meant, and whether it was important, and losing time for the actual math. It might be that you have a class where every single student is a Star Wars fan, and you know that, then I think it's great. If it's the majority and you've got a few students who aren't, then I'd consider the exam unfair. None of them have accommodations. It's mostly adults who are returning to school and needed to work on math skills before entering higher level math like algebra or trig. As far as I can tell, English is the first language for all of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 (edited) Harry Potter??? Maybe these students are just wound up a little too tightly. I think you're on to something. Maybe it was the stress of midterms or a high pressure weather system. Either way, I have graded the exams and cannot be more excited about the grades. The skew is the exact opposite of what I expected. The grades are phenomenal with a class average of 84%. I'm feeling pretty good about it. It means I can actually teach this material with some degree of success. I was quite terrified that I messed it all up. I now have one week to prepare for the rest of the semester. Inferential stats - bring it baby!! Edited March 3, 2016 by ScoutermominIL 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 84% is a great class average! WOOT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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