Using a Shared Experiment to Bind the Class Together Amy Wangsness Wehe Fitchburg State University

Gummy Bear Experiment Designed by George Cobb and Weiwen Miao. I used a handout given to me by Sharon Lane- Getaz from St. Olaf College in MN. Students launch gummy bears from different ramp angles and different fulcrum positions and measure the distance the gummy bear traveled.

The Experiment Done with “random” groups of 3-4 on Day 2 of the class. Students used a random number generator to choose conditions– fulcrum position, number of blocks, and person in group. Each group did a total of 30 trials. Since it was random, there were varying numbers of each condition.

Purpose– My point of view Give students a common experience to draw on throughout the semester. Use the experiment as a reference when talking about new material. Get students working together and talking on the first day (Day 1 of the class ended up too full to complete the experiment).

What the Students Said It was a nice introduction to the class. It gives us a go-to example that we all understand. To give us a preview of a basic experiment, how to collect data and analyze it, etc. To become more interactive with learning. To learn how to properly record and use an experiment.

What the Students Said It gave us a real life scenario that we could use and think about and connect to the course material. Give a hands on experience with course material. To show us how to collect data. To see how far the gummy bear will land.

What the Students Said I thought it was a great data set to go back to and use as an example of whatever new topic we were learning. Ice Breaker between us as students because we were assigned to groups. An introduction to some of the material. A real life example of how statistics is used to better understand data?

References Cobb, G. W., & Miao, W. (1998). Bears in space: Activities to introduce basic ideas of design. In L. Pereira-Mendoza, (Ed.) Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Teaching Statistics. Voorburg, the Netherlands: ISI. Thank you for attending this talk. My address: