The August 2009 edition of MSOR Connections will focus on the use of the statistical package Minitab within teaching and learning in Higher Education. From its initial implementation in 1972, Minitab has become widely used in Business, Industry, and Higher Education. Obviously for a package that started life in 1972, there has been much published work on its use. However with the increased sophistication of the package and with the increasingly sophisticated IT skills of the students, it is a good opportunity to review the use of Minitab in Higher Education, and look at any innovative approaches and areas of use.
The focus of the issue is on the use of Minitab 15 to aid the teaching and learning of Statistics. Examples of areas of interest include the following:
- The use of Minitab in introductory statistics modules, including those taken by non-specialist students.
- Level 2 Statistics and higher for specific topics; for example ANOVA, Time Series, etc.
- Advanced topics for particular non-specialist students; for example Statistical Process Control, Experimental Design for Engineers.
- Examples of the use of Minitab in Problem Based Learning activities.
- Extending the scope of Minitab with user written macros. These would be published within the article; the macros should run under Minitab 15.
The MSOR Network welcomes contributions for MSOR Connections from those using Minitab within their teaching. To submit an article, or to express an interest in submitting an article for this Minitab Special Issue, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it using the heading “Minitab Special Issue” in the subject field. General guidelines for authors submitting to MSOR Connections are available by visiting www.mathstore.ac.uk/newsletter.
The Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education is conducting a project to investigate the use of statistical software in the teaching of Statistics, and initially we are focusing on the use of Minitab. In addition to the above special edition of MSOR Connections, we plan to hold workshops and to resume the successful Day Break programme, concentrating on the use of statistical software in the teaching of statistics (see http://rsscse.org.uk/activities/he-activities/daybreak for details of previous events in the Daybreak programme). If you are interested in participating in this project, please contact us by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
