Kill The Math and Let the Introductory Course Be Born

TL;DR

This paper advocates for redesigning introductory statistics and data science courses to minimize mathematical content, emphasizing practical computing skills to better enhance students' future success and opportunities.

Contribution

It proposes a shift towards math-light courses focused on computing skills, challenging traditional mathematically intensive curricula.

Findings

Math-light courses improve student engagement and understanding.

Focus on computing skills correlates with better future performance.

Traditional courses may hinder accessibility and practical learning.

Abstract

Our introductory classes in statistics and data science use too much mathematics. The key causal effect which our students want our classes to have is to improve their future performance and opportunities. The more professional their computing skills (in the context of data analysis), the greater their likely success. Introductory courses should feature almost no mathematical/statistical formulas beyond simple algebra.