1. It is important in any educational program to evaluate student learning and performance, but there is no single mechanism for accurately and reliably measuring what students know (learning) and what they are capable of doing (performance). In this course, a decision was made to use take-home essay examinations as the mechanism by which the instructor would evaluate student learning and performance related to the books read during the course. Knowing what you do about research design and evaluation, compare and contrast in-class and take-home final examinations as mechanisms for accurately and reliably measuring what students know and what they are able to do.
2. According to its press release, Maverick Trucking is now the fastest growing trucking company in the nation. Through the first three quarters of 2016, Maverick grew by nearly 23%, while the average growth rate for other carriers was only 2.5%. Should you be impressed? Why or why not? (Remember that you can answer, “It depends* and then explain why.)
3. You are planning a family vacation with your spouse and four children. You don’t travel much and the fares and schedules are virtually indistinguishable for the three airlines that serve the destination to which you are traveling. You can’t decide which airline to pick. A friend tells you that she just saw a survey in which frequent flyers picked one airline over the other two. Should you rely on this information? Why or why not. (Remember that you can answer, “It depends” and then explain why.)
4. Ricky Bobby, who surprised everyone with his run of five straight air race victories earlier this season, has fallen on hard times. He’s since finished out of the top three in two races and didn’t even finish another one. His new fiancé, who accepted his marriage proposal shortly after victory number four, is starting to rethink her decision to marry him. What advice can you give her regarding her decision? Should she stick with him or should she dump him? (Think like a statistician, not a marriage counselor!)
5. You’re an intern for an airline. Your boss, the station manager, is worried about weight and balance, and wants to get a better sense of how much passengers actually weigh. You suggest conducting a survey of the first two hundred passengers to check-in at the ticket counter the next day. The survey will ask each passenger to report his or her weight and the weight of his or her carry on bags. You plan to generalize from this sample to calculate an average weight for all passengers. Are you confident in your conclusion? Why or why not?