Introductory biostatistics primarily are taught to future data consumers (versus producers). These courses often ask students to use software for data analysis, yet the vast majority of these students will never analyze data. We believe a literacy-focused course in biostatistics, anchored in reading and interpreting statistical results in research articles, better serves students who primarily need to evaluate evidence to communicate with data. 

In this seminar, we will draw on our experiences with a variety of biostatistics students (non-majors) to discuss a definition of biostatistics literacy and ways to train data consumers. We will also present materials from a Biostatistical Literacy course that we have implemented at separate institutions, including a collaborative activity designed to develop students’ literacy skills. To conclude, we will discuss how our literacy course could be adapted to a wide variety of disciplines, course formats, and student populations.