Strategies in an Introductory Statistics Unit to Promote Interaction between Local and International Students

Abstract

This paper reports on a case study undertaken for a project which explored changes in teaching practice and procedures to promote opportunities for interaction between local and international students. Incorporating new activities or approaches to teaching style can be problematic for content-focussed units, such as in the mathematical or physical sciences. This study outlines how a variety of opportunities for interaction were employed in an introductory level statistics unit. Activities were integrated into existing unit structures, with different strategies devised for lectures, tutorials and the unit’s online learning management system.