Groupwork in Stats is going to be interesting if first day is any indication

[Izulde]

So for the first day of Statistics today, each group is given a bag of 16 items. We're to do 12 draws of n=2, 12 of n=3, 12 of n=4, etc, up to n=8, counting how many objects are red each time and then write conclusions based on the results.

So my group does 1 of n=2, 1 of n=3, 1 of n=4, etc up to 8, which I thought a bit odd, but didn't say anything.

Until they started discussing the results.

Me: Um, guys, we're supposed to do 12 of each. Like of 12 times of 2, 12 times of 3, etc. Otherwise it's too small a sample size.

Group: Ohhhhhhh.

So then they start doing the whole 1 of n=2 and so on thing again.

Prof comes by and watches a bit while we go through an n=4 and n=5.

Prof: What's going on here? You're supposed to do 12 of a number before going on to the next number.

Group: *blank stares*

Me: Well, we started off doing it that way, so in order to preserve the integrity of the experiment and not invalidate the results, we're doing it the same way.

Prof: Well-said! Carry on.

After we got the full sample done, the girl who was originally the recorder handed me the paper and said, "You're writing up the conclusions."

Fun way to start the semester.

[Lathum]

I hate group projects.

your classes start late

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I hate group projects.

+1

Glad I took stats as an independent online class to end my undergrad career. No way I wanted any parts of this classroom silliness for that class. Yuck.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I hate group projects.

your classes start late

I hate them, too. To me, there's no bigger waste of time than groupwork.

And yeah, they do start awfully late this semester, which put a major crimp in some of the grad schools I was hoping to apply to, but I'm taking a fatalistic line there.

[k0ruptr]

I hate working with stupid people in group projects.

[RPI-Fan]

Sounds like a 7th grade class to me?

Fortunately my professors didn't waste our time with bullshit "experiments" like that, even in introductory classes. If you can't learn the theory behind basic statistics without some experiment you have no business discussing statistics whatsoever. Nothing bugs me more than people using statistics who have no clue behind the theory of them.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Sounds like a 7th grade class to me?

Fortunately my professors didn't waste our time with bullshit "experiments" like that, even in introductory classes. If you can't learn the theory behind basic statistics without some experiment you have no business discussing statistics whatsoever. Nothing bugs me more than people using statistics who have no clue behind the theory of them.

Oh, I imagine the difficulty will get ramped up in the coming weeks. I'm assuming this was just the usual first day cupcake that you often get in frosh-dominated Gen Ed courses. Also, Statistics is the most-taken Gen Ed Math requirement here and it's also the most failed Gen Ed class on campus.

I've been dreading this course because math is my weakest subject, but I did have a Stats class in high school (12 years ago) and I actually like statistics, so hopefully it'll go better than I think it will.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Sounds like a 7th grade class to me?

Fortunately my professors didn't waste our time with bullshit "experiments" like that, even in introductory classes. If you can't learn the theory behind basic statistics without some experiment you have no business discussing statistics whatsoever. Nothing bugs me more than people using statistics who have no clue behind the theory of them.

But most colleges and universities these days force students to take it regardless. So the professors are forced to dumb it down to teach the people that are required to take it to graduate.

[Pumpy Tudors]

While I appreciate that there are people like Izulde who will speak up in front of their group like that, I couldn't bring myself to do it, especially not on the first day. It's not that I was shy or anything. It's just that I didn't want people expecting me to give all the answers. I had too many classmates who were quick to dump off their work on somebody else.

Sometimes, when I think about college, I really miss it. This time, I don't.