Enhancing Online Teaching of Business Statistics: A Pedagogy Before Technology Approach

Bopelo Boitshwarelo; Maneka Jayasinghe

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v25i1.7285

Authors

Bopelo Boitshwarelo University of South Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1478-9818
Maneka Jayasinghe Charles Darwin University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3613-4073

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v25i1.7285

Keywords:

constructive alignment, online learning, pedagogy, statistics teaching, transactional distance

Abstract

Learning statistics can be challenging for many students, due to their inability to engage in statistical reasoning and application of techniques. This challenge becomes compounded in online learning contexts where students are spatially and temporally separated from the teacher. This paper describes and explains a case of theory-driven interventions designed to enhance the learning experiences of students enrolled in two similar business statistics units, one for undergraduate and the other for postgraduate programs. The paper based its claims primarily on the analysis of data from a student evaluation of teaching survey. This study affirmed the importance of a pedagogy-first approach. It argued that the interventions, which were effective in enhancing the student learning experience, were underpinned by a robust pedagogical analysis of the teaching and learning issues using both constructive alignment and transactional distance theory lenses.

Author Biographies

Bopelo Boitshwarelo, University of South Australia

Dr. Bopelo Boitshwarelo currently works as Lecturer, Academic Development in the Teaching Innovation Unit, University of South Australia. A senior fellow of the Advance Higher Education, Bopelo has worked over 24 years in educational development roles in the university sector in Australia and Botswana. Bopelo has been involved in cross-institutional initiatives such as the South Australia and Northern Territory Peer Excellence Network (SANTPEN), a network promoting capacity building in SoTL. He has also been an AAUT (Australian Awards for University Teachers) assessor since 2018. His research interests are in the areas of online and blended learning, assessment (particularly online quizzes), and academic development.

Maneka Jayasinghe, Charles Darwin University

Maneka Jayasinghe is Head of Business and Accounting and Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Faculty of Arts and Society, Charles Darwin University, Australia. She is an Applied Economist, and her research interests include Consumer Demand Analysis, Poverty and Wellbeing, Energy Economics and Tourism Economics. She has published numerous articles in leading international refereed journals such as Energy Economics, Journal of Travel Research, Applied Economics, Economic Record, Social Indicators Research, International Journal of Tourism Research and a number book chapters with leading publishers.

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