Speaker: Professor Jim Ridgway
Title: Statistics vs the Apocalypse. Addressing real world questions in teaching
Light refreshments will be served. For catering purposes, please register your in-person attendance: https://forms.gle/cVtwCEmTSVCRBBuJ7
Abstract:
Humanity faces some apocalyptic threats – climate change, epidemics and war. These existential threats dance together in unholy ways with simmering problems such as poverty, migration, inequality and racism. Further, the capacity for co-ordinated responses is under threat. The ecology of data is changing dramatically: yesterday’s data deluge is today’s millpond. Democracy may be under direct threat from misinformation and disinformation – some from government itself – and the use and misuse of AI. So, what can be done? A central concern is empowerment: can we develop a desire to know, the ability to find out, and the willingness to act on findings? Finding out requires knowledge about authoritative sources, and skills to interpret evidence appropriately. The good news is that there is wealth of well-curated, authentic, multivariate data relevant to real world issues that is presented in ways that let users ask their own questions. The less-good news is that interpreting data can be hard. We will start by exploring and answering some fundamental problems in science that arise from a naïve application of statistics – namely, the reproduction crisis in psychology, and the problem of sample bias in medical science. The lecture will then explore some data sets with user-friendly interfaces appropriate for the classroom, on topics that include climate change and disease spread. We will discuss the statistical knowledge and interpretative skills needed to draw sensible and trustworthy conclusions. The message will be that engaging with authentic data on socially important topics is empowering for teachers and students, and can lead to better teaching and learning of statistics.
Date: 7 November 2023, 16:00-17:00
Location: Rolle 018
Light refreshments will be served. For catering purposes, please register your in-person attendance: https://forms.gle/cVtwCEmTSVCRBBuJ7
Speaker: Professor Jim Ridgway
Title: Statistics vs the Apocalypse. Addressing real world questions in teaching
Abstract:
Humanity faces some apocalyptic threats – climate change, epidemics and war. These existential threats dance together in unholy ways with simmering problems such as poverty, migration, inequality and racism. Further, the capacity for co-ordinated responses is under threat. The ecology of data is changing dramatically: yesterday’s data deluge is today’s millpond. Democracy may be under direct threat from misinformation and disinformation – some from government itself – and the use and misuse of AI. So, what can be done? A central concern is empowerment: can we develop a desire to know, the ability to find out, and the willingness to act on findings? Finding out requires knowledge about authoritative sources, and skills to interpret evidence appropriately. The good news is that there is wealth of well-curated, authentic, multivariate data relevant to real world issues that is presented in ways that let users ask their own questions. The less-good news is that interpreting data can be hard. We will start by exploring and answering some fundamental problems in science that arise from a naïve application of statistics – namely, the reproduction crisis in psychology, and the problem of sample bias in medical science. The lecture will then explore some data sets with user-friendly interfaces appropriate for the classroom, on topics that include climate change and disease spread. We will discuss the statistical knowledge and interpretative skills needed to draw sensible and trustworthy conclusions. The message will be that engaging with authentic data on socially important topics is empowering for teachers and students, and can lead to better teaching and learning of statistics.
Dr Malgorzata Wojtys (malgorzata.wojtys@plymouth.ac.uk)