An electronic workbook to study statistics: Design and evaluation

The present contribution focuses on an evaluation study in which a so-called Electronic Workbook was designed, developed and experimentally implemented in the first-year statistics course of the Faculty of Policy Sciences at the University of Nijmegen. The Electronic Workbook was developed as a potential solution to a four-fold problem statement (study postponement by students, limited relevance of the course within the curriculum, lack of exploration possibilities, lack of insight into study progress by teachers). The Electronic Workbook was experimentally implemented as a regular part of the statistics course and evaluated during two consecutive academic years. The evaluation results show that students appreciated the possibility of active exploration provided by several types of support devices. They were fairly positive on being responsible for their own study activities. The aims - to gain insight into study progression and to meet the problem of study postponement -were achieved only to a limited degree in the first evaluation study. Due to some major changes in the educational set-up of the second evaluation study, students were more actively and regularly engaged in the statistics course.