A course in constructing effective displays of data for pharmaceutical research personnel

Interpreting data and communicating effectively through graphs and tables are requisite skills for statisticians and non‐statisticians in the pharmaceutical industry. However, the quality of visual displays of data in the medical and pharmaceutical literature and at scientific conferences is severely lacking. We describe an interactive, workshop‐driven, 2‐day short course that we constructed for pharmaceutical research personnel to learn these skills. The examples in the course and the workshop datasets source from our professional experiences, the scientific literature, and the mass media. During the course, the participants are exposed to and gain hands‐on experience with the principles of visual and graphical perception, design, and construction of both graphic and tabular displays of quantitative and qualitative information. After completing the course, with a critical eye, the participants are able to construct, revise, critique, and interpret graphic and tabular displays according to an extensive set of guidelines. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Question of Ethics

This article identifies three consulting roles—helper, leader, and colleague; recommends that statistical consultants ask more questions about basic mechanisms; suggests that statistical consultants regard their primary responsibility as providing guidance about the scientific method itself; discusses the need for continuing education to help improve consulting skills; and describes Wisconsin's Master's degree examination, which was designed to help students become effective practicing statisticians.     

A Survey of the Teaching of Statistics in M.B.A. Programs

A survey of business schools was conducted to obtain information about the current state of the teaching of business statistics to students enrolled in M.B.A. degree programs. The survey was undertaken for and presented at a June 1986 conference on “Making Statistics More Effective in Schools of Business,” held at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business. Information was elicited concerning both the required statistics sequence and elective statistics courses for M.B.A. students, as well as computer usage in these courses. This article summarizes the information obtained from the survey.     

Bill Cochran: His Contributions to Medicine and Public Health and Some Personal Recollections

There is a tremendous need in our technological society to train statisticians for all sectors of education, government, and industry. Because statistical training has largely been restricted to graduate schools, the profession is losing many good students to other fields of study. Members of the statistics community are encouraged to reach out to high-school students and undergraduate students to increase the awareness of statistics as a scientific field of study and as a professional career. The ASA Council of Chapters has recently completed a slide presentation entitled “Statistical Science: The Profession,” which was professionally developed to aid this endeavor. In addition, high-school teachers, high-school counselors, and professors of mathematics and science education are identified as important audiences for hearing this message and for broadening general public awareness of what our profession has to offer.     

Statistics for Quality and Productivity: A New Graduate-Level Statistics Course

The growing popular realization that American product quality and productivity are no longer without challenge for world leadership presents an opportunity for the American statistical community to make stronger contributions to sound industrial practice than it has in the past. Management consultants, such as Deming and Juran, are promoting philosophies that contain strong statistical components and are being heard by top U.S. executives. There are thus growing opportunities for industrial statisticians. Upon reviewing the content of typical graduate-level statistical quality control courses and books in the light of the present situation, we find them to be inadequate and in some cases to suffer from inappropriate emphases. In this article we discuss our perceptions of what is needed in the way of a new graduate-level course in statistics for quality and productivity (SQP). We further offer for discussion a syllabus for such a course (which is a modification of one used at Iowa State in the 1983 spring semester), some comments on how specific topics might be approached, and also a partially annotated list of references for material that we believe belongs in a modern SQP course.     

The Mean is within One Standard Deviation of Any Median

Statistics education is often restricted to teaching the mathematical equations and theories that form the foundation of statistical analysis. It can be argued, however, that the interpretation of the analysis and the communication of the results are equally important. The interdisciplinary role of statisticians requires us to examine real-life problems critically and communicate analytical results to nonstatisticians in a clear and concise manner. This article discusses the importance of including writing assignments as a routine part of statistics courses and presents benefits of the increased use of writing.     

LogXact 4.1 for Windows

Box's paper helicopter has been used to teach experimental design for more than a decade. It is simple, inexpensive, and provides real data for an involved, multifactor experiment. Unfortunately it can also further an all-too-common practice that Professor Box himself has repeatedly cautioned against, namely ignoring the fundamental science while rushing to solve problems that may not be sufficiently understood. Often this slighting of the science so as to get on with the statistics is justified by referring to Box's oft-quoted maxim that “All models are wrong, however some are useful.” Nevertheless, what is equally true, to paraphrase both Professor Box and George Orwell, is that “All models are wrong, but some are more wrong than others.” To experiment effectively it is necessary to understand the relevant science so as to distinguish between what is usefully wrong, and what is dangerously wrong.

This article presents an improved analysis of Box's helicopter problem relying on statistical and engineering knowledge and shows that this leads to an enhanced paper helicopter, requiring fewer experimental trails and achieving superior performance. In fact, of the 20 experimental trials run for validation—10 each of the proposed aerodynamic design and the conventional full factorial optimum—the longest 10 flight times all belong to the aerodynamic optimum, while the shortest 10 all belong to the conventional full factorial optimum. I further discuss how ancillary engineering knowledge can be incorporated into thinking about—and teaching—experimental design.     

中国高等教育与经济发展的区域协调性

 本文应用因子分析法对我国分地区高等教育与经济发展水平的协调性进行了实证分析。利用31个省区市2006年横截面数据计算了各地高等教育与经济发展的因子得分,进行排序、等级差和相关性分析。研究表明：31个省区市中,高等教育与经济发展协调程度为好和较好的有12个,差和较差的有13个,协调程度一般的有6个,总体协调程度较差。在分析个案原因的基础上,提出高等教育发展规划要更多考虑地方经济发展状况和潜力;鼓励高等教育发展滞后地区的地方政府加大对高等教育投资,支持社会资本进入高等教育领域;适当控制发展过度地区的高等教育规模,并加大中央财政对西部欠发达地区的财政支持。     

新中国成立初期干部理论教育制度化建设及经验探析

中国共产党重视干部理论教育,也注重干部理论教育的制度化建设。1949—1956年中国共产党既继承过去干部理论教育制度化建设的做法,又根据新形势、新情况进一步加强干部理论教育建设,完善干部理论教育制度。不断规范干部理论教育的组织体系、教育内容、教育方式、师资培养和考核等,使干部理论教育制度建设不断科学化、规范化,干部的素质和能力得到了较大的提高,为新生政权的巩固和发展起到了重要的作用。这一时期的干部理论教育制度化建设也形成了诸多基本经验,对新时代干部理论教育制度化建设有重要的启示作用。     

Open spaces for dialogue promoting mental health as a social work education methodology

ABSTRACT

The authors discuss service user involvement as a key approach regarding training of social workers. In many European Union countries this is a stable practice with a lengthy tradition in research and application. However, in Poland it is almost entirely absent and marginalized. This article presents the results of a participatory action research project conducted at the Institute of Sociology of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, the objective of which was to identify and critically analyze the key substantive and formal aspects of training of social workers with the participation of individuals with experience of mental illness. This research project adopted an open approach to cognizing reality based on qualitative co-participatory methods. In the conclusion, the authors emphasize that the fundamental criterion for the success of this particular form of training is voluntary and differentiated participation of students—both in the role of people sharing their own experience and as learners—as well as shaping a culture of open dialogue, educational alliances of recognition and recovery, the foundation of which is axiological experience.