Editorial 18.2: Innovations and challenges in the teaching of statistics to non-specialists

Welcome to this special issue of the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice. Over the past 50 years, great strides have been taken in the use of technology and distance learning across the disciplines and there has been rising interest in research-informed teaching. Correspondingly, there has been a movement towards greater openness on the part of statistical educators to change their teaching practices in an effort to strive for excellence. In this special issue, a variety of approaches to teaching statistics to non-specialists are presented, all of which have a grounding in the pedagogical literature and involve innovative practices within the authors’ own institutions. With the support of a ‘ten tips’ article involving a book review, consideration is also given to maintaining quality standards. This includes recognising the place of statistics among the sciences and ensuring that making the subject accessible does not lead to compromises in student understanding of statistical inference and the conditions for use of basic statistical procedures. The papers are united in addressing challenges in the teaching of statistics to non-specialists and as such, should assist in supporting communities of practice in this teaching area. In adjusting to the varying social distancing measures presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have both observed and participated in new ways of building bridges with students which have unquestionably reshaped the landscape of learning and teaching. Many of us who have found these experiences rewarding will be reluctant to return to status quo as post-pandemic plans unfold, since responding to the need for creativity in distance learning provision has proved beneficial to our own personal professional development in serving the needs of our students. Others may have felt ill-prepared to reconstruct their course content due to a lack of time, training and resources. Either way, I hope that many of the ideas and recommendations provided in this special issue will prove supportive and serve as an impetus to press on in an effort to make the learning of statistics an attractive and rewarding option for non-specialists while maintaining quality standards, particularly where staff resources are limited

Research-Teaching Linkages: Beyond the Divide in Undergraduate Medicine

This survey-based study investigates the plausibility of the existence of a research-teaching nexus specifically within the context of supervised senior undergraduate medical student research. This particular nexus is defined in terms of benefits to teaching arising a) directly, through the supervisor designing the research environment as a pedagogical tool to enhance student learning and b) indirectly, through curriculum revisions arising from student research. Informed by the writings of Marcia B. Baxter Magolda and Ron Barnett, survey questions were designed to measure evidence for higher forms of learning and preparation for a supercomplex world. Supervisors were also invited to reflect on curriculum re-design as a product of student research. The study findings confirm the potential of supervised student research as an effective pedagogical tool in medical education. Nevertheless, there is scope for developing a more cohesive research-teaching nexus through improving supervisor training to provide the necessary rationale for mainstreaming student research

Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, and Medical Students’ Needs for Learning and Using Statistics

Much has been written on the learning needs of dyslexic and dyscalculic students in primary and early secondary education. However, it is not clear that the necessary disability support staff and specialist literature are available to ensure that these needs are being adequately met within the context of learning statistics and general quantitative skills in the self-directed learning environments encountered in higher education. This commentary draws attention to dyslexia and dyscalculia as two potentially unrecognized conditions among undergraduate medical students and in turn, highlights key developments from recent literature in the diagnosis of these conditions. With a view to assisting medical educators meet the needs of dyscalculic learners and the more varied needs of dyslexic learners, a comprehensive list of suggestions is provided as to how learning resources can be designed from the outset to be more inclusive. A hitherto neglected area for future research is also identified through a call for a thorough investigation of the meaning of statistical literacy within the context of the undergraduate medical curriculum

Predicting supervisor capacities to foster higher forms of learning through undergraduate medical student research

The credibility of short-term undergraduate research as a paradigm for effective learning within Medicine has been recognized. With a view to strengthening this paradigm and enhancing research-teaching linkages, this study explores whether particular types of research supervisor are pre-disposed to providing supportive learning environments.  Correspondingly, a novel solution is offered to addressing clinical governance concerns about failings in preparing students for a supercomplex world. While recommendations for addressing these concerns have previously focused on curriculum delivery and assessment, this study affords a fresh perspective through consideration of research supervisor attributes, behaviours and experiences.   Using statistical analyses of response data from a large cohort of experienced research supervisors who completed an online survey, evidence is found to suggest that staff involvement in personal research ought to enhance student learning through research. In turn, the supervisor factors which are most supportive of this effect may vary according to how we measure higher forms of learning. Supervisors are advised to design successive follow-on research projects to facilitate cross-disciplinary research. In preparing medical graduates for survival in a super-complex world, more needs to be done, however, to investigate why supervisors who see their students more regularly are more likely to provide cross-disciplinary research opportunities. By contrast, potential to engage in risk-taking behaviours and maintain or progress to an advanced stage of learning may originate more precisely with the student

Variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK undergraduate medicine and the need for a benchmark

OBJECTIVES: The principal aim of this study is to provide an account of variation in UK undergraduate medical assessment styles and corresponding standard setting approaches with a view to highlighting the importance of a UK national licensing exam in recognizing a common standard. METHODS: Using a secure online survey system, response data were collected during the period 13 - 30 January 2014 from selected specialists in medical education assessment, who served as representatives for their respective medical schools. RESULTS: Assessment styles and corresponding choices of standard setting methods vary markedly across UK medical schools. While there is considerable consensus on the application of compensatory approaches, individual schools display their own nuances through use of hybrid assessment and standard setting styles, uptake of less popular standard setting techniques and divided views on norm referencing. CONCLUSIONS: The extent of variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK medical schools validates the concern that there is a lack of evidence that UK medical students achieve a common standard on graduation. A national licensing exam is therefore a viable option for benchmarking the performance of all UK undergraduate medical students

Medical graduate views on statistical learning needs for clinical practice: a comprehensive survey

BACKGROUND: This paper seeks to contribute to a reputable evidence base for required competencies across different topics in statistics and probability (statistical topics) in preparing medical graduates for clinical practice. This is in order to inform the prioritization of statistical topics within future undergraduate medical curricula, while exploring the need for preparing tomorrow's doctors to be producers, and not merely consumers, of statistics. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive online survey from July 2013 to August 2014 for a target group of 462 medical graduates with current or prior experience of teaching undergraduate medical students of the University of Edinburgh of whom 278 (60.2%) responded. Statistical topics were ranked by proportion of respondents who identified the practice of statistics, performing statistical procedures or calculations using appropriate data, as a required competency for medical schools to provide in preparing undergraduate medical students for clinical practice. Mixed effects analyses were used to identify potential predictors for selection of the above competency and to compare the likelihood of this selection for a range of statistical topics versus critical appraisal. RESULTS: Evidence was gleaned from medical graduates' experiences of clinical practice for the need for, not only a theoretical understanding of statistics and probability but also, the ability to practice statistics. Nature of employment and statistical topic were highly significant predictors of choice of the practice of statistics as a required competency ((F = 3.777, p < 0.0005) and (F = 45.834, p < 0.0005), respectively). The most popular topic for this competency was graphical presentation of data (84.3% of respondents) in contrast to cross-over trials for the competency understanding the theory only (70.5% of respondents). Several topics were found to be more popular than critical appraisal for competency in the practice of statistics. CONCLUSIONS: The model of medical graduates as mere consumers of statistics is oversimplified. Contrary to what has been suggested elsewhere, statistical learning opportunities in undergraduate medicine should not be restricted to development of critical appraisal skills. Indeed, our findings support development of learning opportunities for undergraduate medical students as producers of statistics across a wide range of statistical topics