Functional Education in Statistics and Related Disciplines: Innovative and Reflexive Learning, Teaching and Assessment of Business Intelligence

In delivering a module we want students to become grounded in the core concepts and applications of the module. Particularly, we would want students to have learnt how to continue learning about and critically evaluate situations and problems using the knowledge gained from the module. Based on these images of a perceptive student, this project investigates the background situations and learning experiences of students taking the Business Intelligence module, in the Applied Computing Programme of a university faculty. We wish to ascertain whether or not there are statistically detectable differences in abilities and learning characteristics of students involved in the module. The aim is to use insights from the project to introduce progressive innovations in teaching the module and other modules in Information and Computer Studies. How do we achieve these objectives? Section 3 of the paper qualitatively characterises an integrally excellent higher education graduate and explores how close the Business Intelligence students come to this ideal. This exploration develops images of a perceptive critical thinking and functionally educated ICS graduate. Sections 5 and 6 of the paper identify areas of module delivery and understanding to improve upon via the learning, teaching and assessment process such as lecture notes and lesson designs, embedding critical reflection into the module to facilitate reflexive education and active skills development. Insights underpinning these innovations are obtained from a number of sources including assessment scores, a diary of learning experiences in the module and a survey of students' learning experiences.