During the JSM's Section on Statistics and Data Science Education virtual Birds of a Feather sessions, Tatiana Krikella and I co-led a discussion on GenAI's role in introductory statistics courses for science students.

Abstract:

The use of Generative AI (GenAI) in the classroom and in assessments is drastically different depending on the instructional team. Yet, we know that undergraduate students are increasingly interacting with GenAI tools in various ways – for personal reasons, academic work or related tasks, coding, brainstorming, and more. This Birds of a Feather session invites educators to discuss the evolving landscape of statistics education for scientists, with a special focus on the emerging role of GenAI tools.

We will explore questions such as:

• What fundamental learning outcomes should be prioritized for science students taking introductory statistics courses?
• How can GenAI tools be used to effectively support achieving these outcomes? And how can they support (or hinder) the development of statistical thinking and literacy?
• What are the ethical and pedagogical implications of using GenAI?

Whether you are designing curriculum, teaching statistics courses for scientists, or simply curious about the intersection of education and AI, join us for an open, collaborative discussion. We look forward to your contributed perspectives and questions as we navigate these ideas as a community.

This abstract was crafted in part by the help of Microsoft CoPilot.