Statistical Thinking in Computer-Based Learning Environments

The theme of technology is particularly important for statistics education because of the role of technology in changing views of statistical knowledge, pedagogy and learning. The interactive multimedia technology of today allows for the creation of powerful learning environments where the focus is on the process that produced the data and its associated variation and the statistical thinking required to solve the problem. However, despite this optimistic view, students' self-regulation and intrinsic motivation seem to be key concepts for learning in complex interactive computer-based learning environments. We conclude with observations of teachers and students working with applets. More of these evaluations should be published and/or made available to the statistical community so that both positive and negative teaching experiences can be shared. Copyright 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2007 International Statistical Institute.