Teaching the Charms of Quantitative Methods to BIG Students
ANNEMARIE JEANNET INTRODUCED AN INNOVATIVE TEACHING METHOD, BASED ON THE USE OF STATA SOFTWARE AND ON ACTIVE BASED LEARNING. HER STUDENTS REACTED WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM"All students have a feel for statistics, it’s just a matter of finding the right teaching method." This is the spirit that Anne-Marie T. Jeannet, a research fellow who came to Bocconi after getting a Ph.D. at Oxford, brought to the second part of the course Quantitative Methods for Social Sciences, taught in the Bachelor in International Politics and Government (BIG). The course, under the direction of Lorenzo Peccati (Department of Decision Sciences), introduced a new teaching method, based on the use of the computer and of Stata, a statistical software for data analysis. "It is a pedagogically innovative method that follows the rules of active based learning, an increasingly used technique in the US like at Stanford and Cornell Universities for science and quantitative subjects, which actively involves students in the learning process and which is based on a sense of confidence built with students, who, in this case, are newbies at statistics”.
The questions raised during classroom exercises addressed the theme of politics, major issue in the BIG curriculum, from the very first lessons. In this way, students became familiar with the subject, answering questions like: how do you measure corruption? How do you measure homosexuality and discrimination in politics? And the panic about terrorism and immigration? "In the first 15 minutes I usually explain some theory and submit a provocative question. Then the students divide into groups and work on a solution. Meanwhile, I walk around the desks and share in their thought processes. At the end we all discuss the results together," continues Jeannet. According to her, Stata is an important tool, but it is secondary to the reasoning behind statistics, which can be understood through day by day exercises. “That is why I did not explain how to use the software during a separate laboratory, but integrated it into the lessons”, she adds.
The evaluations were positive: "All students passed the course with quite a high average," said Jeannet with satisfaction. Her satisfaction is shared by the students themselves, such as Maria Vittoria Longoni, who sent a mail to thank the teacher at the end of the course. "I'm finally able to see the beauty behind numbers. I'm working with my team on a project for the management course, and I decided to be in charge of the statistical part. That is something I never thought I could do, much less enjoy," she says. "We are all impressed: we expected an abstract course, but Anne-Marie managed to transfer statistics into everyday life."
by Benedetta Ciotto
