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Building Statistical Understanding through Progressive Coursework and Project-Based Learning
Lisa Marie Walters, Reneta Barneva, Jennifer Cameron

Last modified: 2018-11-15

Abstract


Individuals who make organizational decisions are often college-graduates who have had statistical courses ranging from introductory coursework to advanced work where statistics are used to solve problems with fixed and known outcomes. This work explores using project-based learning in a course designed to provide data-driven recommendations for a live organization by using the Six Sigma problem-solving cycle. The students use data to define the organizational problem; measure the current state; analyze root and contributing causes; and offer improvement actions.  Students use both Excel and Minitab, determining the most appropriate tools to employ in each stage to best interpret the data voice and arrive at sound conclusions.  Credible, sound solutions are derived for the organization’s challenges, thereby providing the students with a much more realistic model of what they may face when met with a management problem in their career and building their confidence in solving organizational problems with data.


Keywords


Six Sigma, Minitab, Excel, Statistics, Project-Based Learning