Letter pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Collaboration To Meet the Statistical Needs in the Chemistry Curriculum Marie Davidian*,† and Charles Kutal‡ †
Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States Department of Chemistry, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
‡
ABSTRACT: Recent articles have recommended adding statistical topics to the chemistry curriculum. This letter to the editor recommends: (i) collaboration between statisticians and chemists; and (ii) emulating existing successful models to meet the statistical needs in the chemistry curriculum. KEYWORDS: General Public, First-Year Undergraduate/General, Second-Year Undergraduate, Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary, Curriculum n editor’s choice article in Science, “Stats for Scientists”,1 asks, “What would happen if...science departments began teaching core math skills in the context of science curriculums?” We applaud the recognition of statistics as a “core skill”. Statistics is the science of learning from data.2 Many scientists identify knowledge of statistics as a crucial need for the quantitative skills of students because statistical reasoning is pervasive in current scientific practice and is expected to increase as reliance on data-driven methods becomes even more prevalent. It is indeed a core skill, and should be taught as such. Chemistry, the field highlighted in “Stats for Scientists”,1 typically has not required statistical course work for the major. The work cited in the editor’s choice article, a proposed chemistry−statistics curriculum outlined by Nicholas Schlotter,3 explains why: [The mathematics] requirement is usually met by taking the calculus course series.... as many as three semesters.... To require a course in probability and statistics reaches the breaking point for required courses in an already heavily course-intensive major. Statistics traditionally has not been part of the mathematics curriculum,4 but the precollege scene is changing dramatically: 45 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards,5 which have a strong statistics strand for grades 6−12, and there has been a dramatic rise in the number of U.S. high school students completing advanced placement statistics. Statistics educators are actively introducing innovations in undergraduate instruction.6 We welcome the opportunity to look for ways to meet the statistical needs in the chemistry curriculum through collaborations between statisticians and chemists. It can be done; successful models can be emulated.7−9 A national panel of statistics and chemistry educators to develop collaborative solutions could be a good way forward.10
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Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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REFERENCES
(1) McCartney, M. Stats for Scientists. Science 2013, 339, 628. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/339/6120/629.2 (accessed Dec 2013). (2) Davidian, M.; Louis, T. A. Why Statistics? Science 2012, 336, 12. https://www.sciencemag.org/content/336/6077/12.summary (accessed Dec 2013). (3) Schlotter, N. E. A Statistics Curriculum for the Undergraduate Chemistry Major. J. Chem. Educ. 2013, 90, 51−55. (4) Moore, D. S. Should Mathematicians Teach Statistics? Coll. Math. J. 1988, 19, 3−7. (5) Common Core State Standards Initiative. http://www. corestandards.org/ (accessed Dec 2013). (6) Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education. http://www.causeweb.org/ (accessed Dec 2013). (7) Depeltau, A. M.; Joplin, K. H.; Govett, A.; Miller, H. A., III; Seier, E. SYMBIOSIS: Development, Implementation, and Assessment of a Model Curriculum across Biology and Mathematics at the Introductory Level. CBE Life Sci. Educ 2010, 9, 342−347. http:// www.lifescied.org/content/9/3/342.abstract (accessed Dec 2013). (8) Project MOSAIC. http://mosaic-web.org/ (accessed Dec 2013). (9) Manduca InSTaRs. http://www.kenyon.edu/academics/ departments-programs/biology/manduca-instars-3/ (accessed Dec 2013). (10) ASA Statistics Education and Chemistry Work Group: Christine Franklin (University of Georgia); Daniel Kaplan (Macalester College); Robin Lock (St. Lawrence University); Rebecca Nichols (American Statistical Association); Deborah Nolan (University of California, Berkeley); Dennis Pearl (The Ohio State University); Michael Posner (Villanova University); and Randall Pruim (Calvin College).
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
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[email protected]. © 2013 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
Published: December 17, 2013 12
dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed400516y | J. Chem. Educ. 2014, 91, 12−12
