Designing peer instruction questions for statistical concepts

Abstract

The workshop aimed to provide an immersive experience from a student and a teacher's perspective of Peer Instruction (PI). In this student-centred teaching method, students discuss and refine their understanding of concepts through interactive questioning. We shared our experience adapting this method for a first-year introductory statistics unit during one-hour lectures inside a 500-seater theatre, including a showcase of technology tools that assist it. We intended to have participants who have tried a similar approach share their experiences. The primary learning objective was to prepare participants to create Peer Instruction implementations for their lecture classes. The participants used one of the technology tools (e.g., MS-Forms) to facilitate PI voting. The workshop provided a platform for further discussion, formalising concepts, and exchanging ideas between practitioners. We considered creative ways to support learners within under-resourced contexts and inform the design of digital tools, resources, tasks, and modern learning environments.