USCOTS 11: The Next Big Thing

The fourth biennial United States Conference on Teaching Statistics (USCOTS 11), which targets teachers of undergraduate and AP statistics, will be held May 19–21, 2011, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Teachers from two-year colleges are particularly encouraged to attend.

The theme for USCOTS 11 is “The Next Big Thing!” The conference will focus on teaching methods and preparation, technologies, resources, and curricular directions on the horizon. USCOTS is a working conference, with many opportunities for hands-on activities, demonstrations, networking, and idea sharing. Participants will receive the latest information about research and best practices in teaching statistics. Also, leaders in statistics education and assessment—including Allan Rossman, Beth Chance, Dennis Pearl, Wayne Stewart, Bob delMas, and Robert Gould—will give plenary talks. Finally, a conference banquet will be hosted by SAS on their nearby campus.

Proposals

Proposals for the Posters and Beyond (P&B) session are being accepted now. The P&B session provides an opportunity for conference participants to display a poster of their ideas or provide a small demonstration of their favorite examples, activities, and teaching methods. Due to limited space, the session will be limited to 80 presenters. Abstracts for posters or demonstrations submitted before February 1, 2011, will receive feedback from the session organizers by March 1, 2011. Final abstracts should be submitted by April 1, 2011. Abstracts submitted between March 1 and April 1 will be considered, but will not receive feedback from the session organizers. Posters and Beyond is a peer-reviewed opportunity, thus the P&B team will make all decisions about inclusion in the program. Applicants will be notified of whether they have been selected by April 19, 2011.

USCOTS breakout sessions are by invitation only and have been selected by the USCOTS Program Committee.

Registration

Registration for USCOTS 11, which includes conference lunches and a banquet dinner, is $160 before April 1, 2011, and $220 thereafter. There is a $20 discount for participants from an institutional member of CAUSE.

Registration grants are available on a limited basis (does not include hotel and travel). The registration fee will be waived for a limited number of participants for whom the fee would be a burden. Priority will be given to graduate students planning a career in teaching, high-school teachers, and those participating in the P&B session.

Abstracts for the P&B session and applications for registration grants may be submitted upon registration for the conference. Visit USCOTS to register, and be sure to list your program participation as “submitting a poster or demonstration” if you wish to participate in the P&B session.

For more information about the P&B session, contact Jackie Miller at jbm@stat.osu.edu. For information about the USCOTS 11 program, contact Deb Rumsey at rumsey@stat.osu.edu.