Description
Project – Uses & Abuses of Statistics
This writing assignment is intended to develop skills in evaluating resources, effectively apply statistical research, and think critically about data and its impact in our society. It is important to not only to collect data and calculate measures, but to interpret, evaluate, apply to make meaning of statistics in real life applications.
General Instructions:
This writing assignment should be approximately 500 - 600 words in length. Please double space and use a 12-pt font. The submission is expected to be well-written, meeting college level writing standards. As appropriate, cite sources used in meeting the assignment using APA style formatting for footnotes and works cited. You must include at least three sources that are not encyclopedias, though an encyclopedia can be used as an additional resource. The textbook also may be used as an additional resource beyond the three required resources. While an online search can be part of your research, an academic search utilizing the College resources is expected.
This assignment is to be completed with a partner or small group in order to brainstorm and share ideas. One member of the team must post their group members at the designated discussion board. Likewise, only one member of the team submits the project in the designated submission drop box but all member names must be on the submission files. Once the groups are selected, group discussion boards will be created where your interactions and ongoing work should occur. The instructor will be included in each group to monitor progress and interactions, and to confirm participation of all participants. A peer evaluation will also be part of each member’s final grade.
Be sure to follow the instructions carefully and meet required deadlines.
Specific Topic Instructions:
There has been a great deal of discussion recently about fake news. It brings to light the importance of fact checking. Statistics can be used to support arguments as long as they are obtained from appropriate unbiased resources, objectively selected and reported, and correctly interpreted. Statistics can also be abused and misleading, which is the focus of this project.
Begin with an essay, introducing the topic discussing the uses of statistics in society, noting the value of this field when applied appropriately. This introduction should be based on your research.
Then continue your research, learning about how statistics can be misused and abused. You need not identify every way statistics can be misleading but you should discuss two or three ways. Be sure to include definitions and explanations of statistical vocabulary and measures to demonstrate your understanding of the topic. Provide general examples as part of your explanation.
Next, research a current issue that is supported by statistics and interpret the information provided in the your source. Discuss and evaluate whether the data seems accurate and legitimate. What facts and characteristics did you review? What questions did you ask yourself? What information may be missing or is, in fact, provided? Does the data seem to be a valid use, or a misuse of statistics? Cite what you learned in your research.
Finally, using the current example you provided, create a chart or graph using technology (Excel is recommended) to summarize relevant data two ways – one with an accurate representation of what is being reported and the second purposely being misleading what and how you choose to present the information. Briefly explain your approaches and why each is accurate or misleading.
Last, draw some conclusions about statistical use in our world today. To summarize, the project should include:
• Introduction. State the value of appropriate use of statistics.
• Report ways statistics can be misused and abused. Summarize and explain the statistics
you include, providing examples.
• Research a current issue supported by statistics and interpret results. Specifically discuss
it in terms of uses and abuses of statistics.
• Use technology to represent source statistics (chart/graph recommended) both accurately
and in a misleading way based on your research, explaining your work.
• Conclusions. What can you conclude and why? Support your statements about the use of
statistics and what informed consumers/public should know.
• Citations – make certain that citations are provided appropriately within the essay, as well
as providing a works cited page at the end using APA style formatting.