Meeting Student Needs for Multivariate Data Analysis: A Case Study in Teaching an Undergraduate Multivariate Data Analysis Course

Abstract

Modern students encounter large, messy datasets long before setting foot in our classrooms. Many of these students need to develop skills in exploratory data analysis and multivariate analysis techniques for their jobs after college, but such topics are not covered in traditional introductory statistics courses. This case study describes my experience in designing and teaching an undergraduate course on multivariate data analysis with minimal prerequisites, using real data, active learning, and other interactive activities to help students tackle the material. Multivariate topics covered include clustering and classification (among others) for exploratory data analysis and an introduction to algorithmic modeling. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.