Kelly is a Senior Lecturer on Statistics at Harvard University but spent the first decade of her career in the small liberal arts world (Whitman, Swarthmore, Reed). She is a survey statistician who collaborates with the US Forest Inventory and Analysis Program and US Bureau of Labor Statistics. She is currently serving as chair-elect for the ASA Statistics and Data Science Education Section so if you have ideas for how to make the section better, please reach out (kmcconville@g.harvard.edu)!
What keeps you excited about teaching statistics?
My answer relates to two things: relevance and the changing landscape. The world is full of messy data and we need people who can appropriately extract knowledge from this data. I feel that the ideas and skills I am teaching my students are just so darn useful to them both in their jobs and in their lives. Also, I love how ever-evolving stats and data science ed are as it encourages me to keep learning and updating my lessons.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to teaching statistics?
Network! Join the ASA SSDSE Mentoring Program. After a conference talk, walk up and introduce yourself to the speaker if their work really resonates with you. And, at your own institution, make sure to find a mentor who will help you decide which requests to say “no” to!
What statistics class(es) are you currently teaching? What statistics classes do you enjoy teaching the most?
This next year I will be teaching survey statistics and introduction to statistics and data science. I enjoy teaching intro because even if more students nowadays think stats is an important class to take, they still often come with a lot of negative baggage about their statistics and programming abilities. So, it is very rewarding to help them gain confidence in their abilities and change the stories they tell themselves (and others!) about their own statistical prowess.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking and especially tinkering until I have perfected my recipes for sauces. I am willing to share my tikka masala recipe with anyone with insights into how to make a tasty mole!
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