eCOTS 2026: Sparking Joy and Discovery in a World of AI

The 2026 Electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics will be held online from June 15–18, 2026, with the theme “Sparking Joy and Discovery in a World of AI.” 

In a world increasingly shaped by technological tools and artificial intelligence, how can we spark discovery and joy in ourselves and our students? The theme invites us to explore the impact of AI on instruction and assessment for statistics and data science courses. Are there ways to foster wonder, imagination, and critical thinking—with or without AI—and to center human values and interactions in our teaching? 

Members of the organizing committee welcome approaches in which AI is a partner in the human
creative process, as well as those that are complementary to these new tools, where joy, discovery, or both are the focus. 

eCOTS is a biannual virtual conference for statistics and data science educators to share ideas and research on improving how statistics and data science are taught and learned. The conference

covers topics such as pedagogy, technology, content, inclusion, and preparing students for the modern data and computing landscape.  

Proposals for breakout sessions, posters and beyond, workshops, reading groups, regional meetings, and birds-of-a-feather gatherings are being accepted through early January. See the conference website for details, deadlines, and submission instructions. 

eCOTS 2026 Organizing Committee

Nicholas Horton (chair)
Amherst College 

Tyler George
Cornell College 

Juan Gomez
Carmel High School 

V. N. Vimal Rao
University of Illinois 

Kelly Spoon
San Diego Mesa College 

Sara Stoudt
Bucknell University 

Maria Tackett
Duke University 

Allison Theobold
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo 

Jennifer Ward
Clark College 

Jonathan Wells
Grinnell College 

Beverly L. Wood
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University