Web-based tools for the teaching of statistics using R and MATLAB/Gnu Octave Sigbert Klinke Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Ladislaus von Bortkiewicz Chair of Statistics Applicable Semiparametrics - 12 October 2013
Introduction Lecture Teaching material R extension Exercises End The web as hub Teaching statistics Lectures Teaching material Exercises Exams The teacher: spider or fly? Source: Wikimedia Commons S. Klinke Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
The university uses methods like a thousand years ago Source: Spiegel Online 19.03.12 Thrun teaches since 2012 at Udacity, an online university Can we stream our lecture to internet? Yes, we can! Technical solutions WatchMyCam BigBlueButton Adobe Connect
Limitations and solution Limitations Bandwidth for streaming Tunining image and voice Maintaining another server and software Solutions DFN provides a Adobe connect server for free Intended for web conferencing
Experiences Since summer 2012 streaming of lectures 50 lectures streamed STAT 101 and 102 50-100 viewers recording possible, not done yet Problems anonymous student logins connection
CD MM*Stat CD (1998) by Härdle et al. book structure chapter and sections hyperlinks different kind of examples XploRe server on CD multiple choice exercises various languages problems JScript used only IE 5ff no maintenance!
ZWiki A wiki is usually a web application which allows people to add, modify, or delete content in a collaboration with others. wiki requirements math (via L A TEX) exercises (quizzes) integration of statistical software prequel wiki (2003) with Zope, ZWiki and LatexWiki plugin stopped in 2005 (no maintenance!) integration of XploRe and R
MediaWiki Mediawiki offers quizzes math rendering a lot more extensions other wikis possible DokuWiki TWiki for more see wikimatrix.org our wikis (2005) Teachwiki StatWiki
Maintain content not software MM*Stat wiki (2006) save the content of CD use Quiz extension for exercises statistical software? R extension for Mediawiki several web-based interfaces for R R-php RStudio web server Integration of videos
R extension Klinke & Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia (2007) Embedding R in the Mediawiki, SFB 649 Discussion Papers. development start in 2006 goal generate tables generate figures output raw & graphics HTML wiki how many distribution function tables to display? limited interactivity
Workflow R raw <R>...</R> <M>...</M> R extension Octave HTML MediaWiki running R or Octave code on a web server is a security risk!
Examples
Introduction Lecture Teaching material R extension Exercises End Security Highly dangerous system calls eval calls Further risks file I/O reading data? user interaction graphical user interface system information Defence scan input (forbidden routines) scan output (PHP, JavaScript) virtual machine Source: Wikimedia Commons no 100% security S. Klinke Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Homework & written exams Source: Wikimedia Commons Homework planned in 2014 lead students to statistics earlier experience show: 60% of students are not teamworking Exams number raises: +40% in last term two exams after lecture then nine months break Solution: put exercises online
MAUTS From: 2 Oct 2013 Moodle - the CMS of HU Berlin offers a Test module allows for random questions answer format: numeric, free text, (multiple choice),... MAUTS project transfer >400 STAT 101/102 exercises to Moodle generate tests for specific topics and an exam
Exercise analysis Error rate (STAT 102) Number of wrong answers 0 5 10 15 5 Distributions 6 Sampling theory 7 Estimation methods 8 Tests 9 Regression 60% 5 2050% 5 22 6 6 5 21 5 19 6 5 5 36 6 9 7 17 5 30 5 39 5 38 6 7 5 29 5 03 5 34 9 12 7 097 33 7 27 7 39 5 35 6 11 7 23 7 247 43 7 21 7 42 9 6 5 15 5 31 9 11 8 29 8 25 8 20 9 13 7 34 8 27 9 3 7 44 5 28 5 33 5 04 5 02 5 05 8 28 8 26 8 17 8 31 9 8 8 33 5 16 5 40 5 14 5 11 5 425 24 5 32 5 06 8 32 8 15 7 20 9 2 9 10 8 18 8 11 7 45 8 88 9 7 36 8 35 7 15 7 036 13 5 18 6 3 5 26 5 27 6 8 8 347 37 9 4 7 25 8 10 7 13 8 4 8 13 9 7 7 10 7 07 7 41 8 12 7 22 7 16 7 18 7 295 07 8 7 5 12 5 23 5 085 43 5 17 5 13 5 09 5 10 6 1 7 38 7 19 7 30 8 2 7 11 8 14 9 1 8 30 8 22 7 12 8 1 7 32 7 02 7 06 7 14 7 28 8 6 70% 5 25 5 41 40% 30% 20% 10% 5 37 6 10 10 20 30 40 Number of trials
Q&A Questions & Answers (2002) multiple choice exercises from written exams multiple exercise generation analyse and react on student answer
exams package of R Developed by Grün and Zeileis (2009) Random selection of exercises Uses L A TEX & Sweave Generates L A TEX PDF Moodle... Individual E-exam myexam <- list( list.files(path, "^stichprobe"), c(list.files(path, "^maxlik"),...), list.files(path, "^missing"), list.files(path, "^outlier"), list.files(path, "^robust"), list.files(path, "^univariate"), list.files(path, "^transformation"), list.files(path, "^verteilung"), list.files(path, "^test_allg"),... list.files(path, "^prak") ) exams(myexam, n=30,...)
End of talk Webcast of lectures: recording? Collecting our statistics videos Extending the R extension e.g. Gretl, PSPP What else can be done? Streamlining the R extension E-exam & homework (2014) Translation of MM*Stat Deepening of MM*Stat