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Paper/Sources: https://goo.gl/CA4tFS

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Slides: https://goo.gl/RvtRdW

Kirksville, Missouri, USA

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K. Scott Alberts, PhD salberts@truman.edu

Hyun-Joo Kim, PhD hjkim@truman.edu

Jillian Downey, PhD jdowney@truman.edu�

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Statistics IS a Liberal Arts Major

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Purpose of Higher Education

"Get a good job!"

"Learn, Seek Truth, Be a Leader and Citizen"

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Western Thought thinks about this a lot!

  • Classical Antiquity, Plato, etc.
  • Renaissance through the Enlightenment
  • early 1900s African-American education
  • Today!

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Stats majors get jobs. So What?

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Is Statistics merely Vocational Training?

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Also, what's wrong with vocational training?

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What are the liberal arts, anyway?

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About Truman

  • Formerly Northeast Missouri State University
  • Public, Residential
    • ~5200 Undergrads, ~250 grad st, ~300 faculty
  • Highly Selective
    • ACT average = 27 (~1270 SAT)
  • Public Liberal Arts College
  • Brand New Statistics Major !!
    • Theoretical
    • Applied
    • Data Science

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A new major in Statistics

  • Stats supports other departments
    • General education
    • STAT-adjacent majors
  • Other departments support us
    • We split from Math/STAT/CS first. Why?
  • Major design
    • How much math does STAT need?
    • How much CS does STAT need?
    • How much "other stuff"?

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Liberal Arts: 4 Models

  1. Classical Disciplines
  2. Big Ideas
  3. Broad Education
  4. Liberal Learning

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I. Classical Disciplines

  • Trivium: Three Basic Arts
    • Logic: The art of thinking
    • Grammar: The art of combining symbols
    • Rhetoric: The art of communication

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  • Quadrivium: Four Basic Number Sciences
    • Discrete: Arithmetic (pure) & Music (applied)
    • Continuous: Geometry (pure) & Astronomy�

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II. Big Ideas:

Beyond preparing students for a single “vocation,” students should focus on the illumination of the human condition and the meaning of life.

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II. Big Ideas, 2

Students should take much of their coursework outside of their major field of study, and find ways to connect that outside knowledge to the “Big Ideas” of their major and those of society. (AAC&U 2007)

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III. Broad Education

Students should take much of their coursework outside of their major field of study, and find ways to connect that outside knowledge to the “Big Ideas” of their major and those of society. (AAC&U 2007)

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III. Broad Education -2

  • Statistics is a key part of bigger discussions, and we must make sure students are aware of these “big ideas.”
    • How are statistical assumptions crucial to scientific consensus about climate change?
    • How can data be used to develop models for disease?
    • How are the now-discredited ideas of Eugenics still influencing discussions a century later?
    • Can the “Green Revolution” continue indefinitely to feed a growing world population? Should we still consider Malthusian ideas of a maximum human capacity of our planet?�

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IV. Liberal Learning

Focuses on broad learning objectives beyond a disciplinary perspective, such as critical thinking, communication skills (speaking, writing, etc.), and problem solving, to create an educated person prepared to be an active citizen leader in a free society. (AAC&U 2007, Roche 2010)

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IV. Liberal Learning, 2

We've been talking about this stuff all week:

  • Communication
  • Empathy
  • Teamwork
  • Agile Expertise - preparation for future
  • Making a Difference
    • Changing worldview
    • Insight for making better decisions

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Looking across the 4 models

These aren't really 4 orthogonal models:

Liberally trained graduates:

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  1. Think and understand deeply;
  2. Experience the World broadly;
  3. Empathize and Consider other worldviews;
  4. Communicate well;

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And also have subject expertise, presumably

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Does STAT do those things?

  • Think and understand deeply;
  • Experience the World broadly;
  • Consider other worldviews; empathize; &
  • Communicate - speak, write, cooperate

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And also know statistics, math, coding, etc.

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So what?

Statistics majors certainly have great job prospects.

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Are they prepared to work with team members, clients, society?

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Are they also prepared for leadership, public service, law school, the "life of the mind"?

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For your Consideration

  • Do the required mathematical theory courses and coding skills relate to statistical ideas?
  • Are your statistics students getting sufficient chances to write, speak, and work in teams? Empathize?
  • Is ethics incorporated multiple times into both lower and upper level statistical coursework, dealing specifically with statistics and data-related issues?
  • Do we have a chance to move students away from techniques, computer packages, and data sets to consider larger picture, including discussion of “Big Ideas?”�

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Our Major

  • Three Tracks in our New Statistics Major !!
    • Theoretical
    • Applied
    • Data Science
  • Seminars: New Student, Intermediate, Senior
  • Capstone Options:
    • Research, Internship, or Course
    • Writing, Speaking, Reflection
  • Ongoing Course Redesign at all levels

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Paper/Sources: https://goo.gl/CA4tFS

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These Slides: https://goo.gl/RvtRdW

K. Scott Alberts, PhD salberts@truman.edu

Hyun-Joo Kim, PhD hjkim@truman.edu

Jillian Downey, PhD jdowney@truman.edu

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Statistics IS a Liberal Arts Major