Pedagogy

         MY 6-STEP SIGNIFICANT LEARNING METHODOLOGY FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION

          If you want to use this course as part of a larger learning experience that will make you acquire the best skills and the best knowledge, follow my 6-Step Significant Learning Methodology for Distance Education (6SSLMDE).

          This methodology allows the student to learn as much and as solidly as in a regular face-to-face course. As a full-time college professor, I have taught this Intro Stats course both online and in regular face-to-face versions. Some semesters, in both ways. Prior to Covid-19, the exams were in any case taken on campus under equal conditions. Interestingly, the most impeccable exams were usually done by my distance education students. I consider this to be a proof of how deep and significant of a learning Distance Education is able to bring for students. And I think my 6SSLMDE is crucial at that.

         I certainly expect you to follow it if you are a student enrolled in one of my courses at our college. If you are a professor teaching Stats online, I would encourage you to provide this methodology to your students.

1) Print two copies of the blank handout(s) associated to the chapter. Read the exercises carefully and try to solve those which you think you can solve with your current knowledge. For those which you cannot, try to figure out what you are missing. This step will stimulate your curiosity and will make you aware of what you don’t know.

2) Read the book in search for the knowledge that you need to solve the questions that you did not know how to answer in step 1. Pay attention to how the author solves similar exercises. This step develops your skills as a self-taught person. Remember: when child, you learn to read; when adult, you read to learn.

3) Solve the exercises contained in the handout in the light of what you have understood reading the book. At the end of this step you should have a copy of the handout filled out with your handwritten answers. This step makes you test how much have you grasped from the book.

4) Watch the online lesson in which I solve the questions and exercises in the handout. You may find that some of your answers were wrong or that my answers and solutions are more articulated and involve more level of detail than yours. My level of detail and articulation is the standard of quality that I want you to achieve. This step should give you a good understanding of the concepts we are working with.

5) Grade the handout that you filled out in Step 3) as if you were the instructor grading the work of a student. Use the solutions provided in my online lesson as the answer key. Did you get a high grade? This step will make you aware of how close or far you are from the standard o quality.

6) Use the second copy of the handout (per Step 1 you printed two copies) to solve the exercises as nicely as shown in my online lesson. You could just copy my answers, but be sure to understand the logic and concepts. You can add in the margins additional notes as you would do in a regular face-to-face class. This step will train you at delivering the standard of quality. Also, the final handout with the nice answers written by you will be a great study guide.

You may find this 6SSLMDE time consuming and you may prefer to skip some steps. For example, you may be tempted to take only Step 4. I DO SUGGEST YOU TO THOROUGHLY FOLLOW THE 6 STEPS. Although I agree that they are time-consuming, they will train you so well that they are worth it. Plus they should not take longer than the regular formula that implies commuting to the campus and then back to home.

Remember that in an online course you are not expected to spend less time than in a regular face-to-face course. You are just expected to spend it in a different way.