Written Communication to Achieve Data Literacy Goals in a Probability and Statistics Course

Sheila Gobes-Ryan; Kingsley Reeves; Elizabeth Vicario; Walter Silva Sotillo; Victor Ventor; Ardis Hanson

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: LEES 6: Writing & Communication
Page Count: 20
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40823
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40823
Download Count: 295

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Paper Authors

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Sheila Gobes-Ryan University of South Florida

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Sheila Gobes-Ryan, is a Professor of Instruction in the College of Engineering at the University of South Florida. In addition to engineering education research, she is also interested in organizational communication at the intersection of workers, workplace, and technology, an interest that originated from her years as a workplace strategic planner. She has served on the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) Board of Directors, as Co-Chair of the Workplace Environments Network, and is currently Co-Chair of the Communication Network. She is a member of the National Communication Association and the American Society for Engineering Education.

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Kingsley Reeves University of South Florida

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Kingsley Reeves is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida in the Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Department. His current research interests focus on the lean six sigma philosophy and applications of traditional industrial engineering methods to solve problems in the education service sector. He is also active in engineering education research with a focus on the formation of ethical engineers. Kingsley is also a current RIEF mentee.

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Elizabeth Vicario University of South Florida

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I am a PhD student at the University of South Florida in Environmental Engineering. My research interests are in climate resilience, community education, and decentralized water supply and sanitation. I currently work as a teaching assistant for USF's Probability and Statistics for Engineers course, where I have helped my supervisor develop a transdisciplinary curriculum designed to integrate information and data literacy into the course. This summer I will participate in an NSF IRES grant in Ghana, where science education students from USF and the University of Cape Coast will implement an environmental science and engineering curriculum to high school students. I hope to incorporate education and capacity building into my research and future career in water and sanitation development.

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Abstract

Abstract Educational best practices indicate that engineering students learn professional communication skills most effectively within their engineering courses. To provide for this practice and document its accomplishment, the College of Engineering at [Blinded University] has leveraged an opportunity provided for in the University's General Education program to build communication competencies into several general-audience Engineering courses. The Probability and Statistics for Engineers course taken by most engineering students was approved as an Information and Data Literacy (IDL) course in the [Blinded University] General Education program. The certification stipulates specific learning objectives in information and data literacy that demonstrate communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving competencies, which are based on modified elements of the AAC&U Value Rubrics. Probability and Statistics for Engineers has been taught as a General Education offering for four years. During that time, significant revisions have been made to focus its IDL learning objectives on enhancing students' ability to use probability and statistics professionally while at the same time meeting the specific IDL objectives agreed to in the certification process. Incorporating communication competencies as part of the information and data literacy components of this quantitatively rigorous course requires a clear understanding of the IDL objectives and the types of communication strategies that can be particularly valuable in this type of course. Additionally, at a practical level, it required developing material accessible to students in all college majors and at all student progression levels. This paper will outline the implementation and evolution of the IDL approaches in Probability and Statistics for Engineers through the experiences of three of the faculty teaching the course, a teaching assistant who has been grading for several semesters, and an educational practice administrator assisting with the course. The paper will also include practical course challenges, and how our understanding of the AAC&U rubrics has challenged and enriched our course approach. Our paper will discuss learning outcomes possible for integrating writing assignments into a quantitative course. These include 1) clarifying the role of this vital core topic in students' professional futures, 2) developing competencies in reading data representations, 3) learning to interpret problem statements to devise quantitative strategies for addressing questions, and 4) understanding how to speak as a professional engineer to various audiences about issues of probability and statistical data generally. Our integration of information and data literacy into a foundational quantitative course has allowed us to build specific and unique learning outcomes critical to students' future professional life.

Citation
Format

Gobes-Ryan, S., & Reeves, K., & Vicario, E., & Silva Sotillo, W., & Ventor, V., & Hanson, A. (2022, August), Written Communication to Achieve Data Literacy Goals in a Probability and Statistics Course Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40823

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Abstract
Educational best practices indicate that engineering students learn professional communication skills most effectively within their engineering courses. To provide for this practice and document its accomplishment, the College of Engineering at [Blinded University] has leveraged an opportunity provided for in the University's General Education program to build communication competencies into several general-audience Engineering courses. The Probability and Statistics for Engineers course taken by most engineering students was approved as an Information and Data Literacy (IDL) course in the [Blinded University] General Education program. The certification stipulates specific learning objectives in information and data literacy that demonstrate communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving competencies, which are based on modified elements of the AAC&U Value Rubrics.
Probability and Statistics for Engineers has been taught as a General Education offering for four years. During that time, significant revisions have been made to focus its IDL learning objectives on enhancing students' ability to use probability and statistics professionally while at the same time meeting the specific IDL objectives agreed to in the certification process. Incorporating communication competencies as part of the information and data literacy components of this quantitatively rigorous course requires a clear understanding of the IDL objectives and the types of communication strategies that can be particularly valuable in this type of course. Additionally, at a practical level, it required developing material accessible to students in all college majors and at all student progression levels.
This paper will outline the implementation and evolution of the IDL approaches in Probability and Statistics for Engineers through the experiences of three of the faculty teaching the course, a teaching assistant who has been grading for several semesters, and an educational practice administrator assisting with the course. The paper will also include practical course challenges, and how our understanding of the AAC&U rubrics has challenged and enriched our course approach. Our paper will discuss learning outcomes possible for integrating writing assignments into a quantitative course. These include 1) clarifying the role of this vital core topic in students' professional futures, 2) developing competencies in reading data representations, 3) learning to interpret problem statements to devise quantitative strategies for addressing questions, and 4) understanding how to speak as a professional engineer to various audiences about issues of probability and statistical data generally. Our integration of information and data literacy into a foundational quantitative course has allowed us to build specific and unique learning outcomes critical to students' future professional life.
AU  - Sheila Gobes-Ryan
AU  - Kingsley Reeves
AU  - Elizabeth Vicario
AU  - Walter Silva Sotillo
AU  - Victor Ventor
AU  - Ardis Hanson
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Written Communication to Achieve Data Literacy Goals in a Probability and Statistics Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/40823
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--40823
ER  -