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IPS215 David Y. et al.
 using appropriate technological resources (e.g. web-based resources)
 using appropriate media resources (e.g. video clips)
Some of these learning and teaching activities may be carried out on a
group basis and, where this applies, learners can also receive feedback from
their peers. Where possible, teachers and lecturers should provide
opportunities to personalise learning and enable learners to have choices in
approaches to learning and teaching. There may be opportunities to
contextualise approaches through mini-projects or case studies.
Teachers and lecturers should also create opportunities for, and use
inclusive approaches to learning and teaching. This can be achieved by
encouraging the use of a variety of strategies suited to the needs of all
learners. Innovative and creative ways of using technology are valuable in
creating inclusive learning and teaching approaches.

3.3 Use of Statistical Software
In order for learners to be equipped with skills in practical data analysis, it
was widely agreed that use of a statistical software package should be a key
part of the course and, for ease of use, Minitab [9] was the initial software of
choice. The introduction of a practical element to the course ensures that
candidates are skilled in applying statistical methods to real world problems
and able to manipulate and analyse large data sets. The use of a propriety
statistical package within the teaching framework also sets this course apart
from the Advanced Higher Statistics course offered by the SQA which is more
focussed on probability theory and the mathematical aspects of statistics and
does not have a practical data analysis component [10].
The key learning outcomes require candidates to be proficient in using a
statistical software package for data manipulation and analysis. The licence
cost associated with Minitab proved to be prohibitive for schools with limited
budgets and R Studio [11] was considered for the practical part of the course.
The main advantage of R Studio is that it is a free, open source statistical
analysis package and therefore makes the course accessible to all schools in
Scotland. The disadvantage is the lack of ease of use. The use of R Studio for
the statistics unit was piloted on a group of local school children, aged 15-17,
at the University of Strathclyde. The candidates were already using Minitab
and subsequently used R Studio to tackle the same research questions. There
was no clear preference among those candidates for Minitab over R. In order
to ensure that the use of R Studio would not be a barrier to learning, and also
to help in training for teaching staff, an online resource was developed for full
implementation of the course using R Studio. The development of this
resource was funded by Q-Step and two interns – both undergraduate
psychology students – produced a web-site with complete teaching and
learning resources using R Studio [12].

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