Rob Schoen is an associate professor of mathematics education at the Florida State University. His research interests focus on student and teacher cognition and the evaluation of educational interventions. His research methods often use randomized controlled trial research designs and involves the development and use of educational and psychological measures.
Why did you decide to go into Statistics/Statistics Education?
I believe statistics provides a powerful and interesting way of viewing the world. I also think statistical literacy holds the potential to enhance individual employability, support many aspects of the economy, and maintain a healthy democratic government system.
What's a class/workshop at your workplace/university that you wish you could take and why?
I wish I could take a course that teaches me everything I need to know about data management and how to get my colleagues to use consistent and excellent standards of practice in data management for the purpose of collaboration and data sharing.
What advice would you give to someone who is new to teaching statistics?
Have your students collect data, ideally involving something personal to them. That process might help them to better understand about researcher degrees of freedom and uncertainty in measurement, and it might motivate them to care more about meaningful analysis and interpretation.
What is your go-to source for data?
My own data sets, especially the ones we have shared (because they have better documentation and are clean and ready to use).
What statistics class(es) are you currently teaching? What statistics classes do you enjoy teaching the most?
All my statistics teaching nowadays is informal. I enjoy when my graduate students level up in their ability to use software to clean data, specify and run models, and create visualizations with understanding.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
My hobbies include gardening, cooking, traveling, riding mountain bikes, and playing music, especially when my children can be involved in those things with me.
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