For some, introductory math classes can be painful.
Oriented towards educating students on the fundamental knowledge of statistics, the Statistics Success Center is a new resource available to Colorado State University students.
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“We know that statistics can be hard,” said Ben Prytherch, the undergraduate advisor and special appointment instructor for statistics. “We’re here to make it easier and more understandable.”
Opened this semester, the SSC is a resource for those who are taking introductory statistics courses. The center hopes to become a commonplace resource for those taking statistics courses.
“Our goal is for students to come out with an understanding of the basics,” Prytherch said. “A lot of that happens in office hours. Some students can listen to the lectures and it makes sense, but that’s not most students. With the Statistics Success Center, we’re putting more students into that environment.”
The Statistics Department Chair, Don Estep, created the SSC because of his experience in tutoring in undergraduate and graduate school. He noticed that in some circumstances, tutoring could be a lot more effective than recitation or in-class questions.
Oftentimes office hours of various teacher’s assistants are in different places at different times. The SSC brings those times and locations together to offer more of a convenience to the students, according to Prytherch. After opening at the beginning of the semester, the SSC has already proven to be a success.
“Thank you Stats Center for helping me understand this literal entire page,” wrote a student on one of the pages of their exam.
The SSC is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. The tutors also offer hours on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Morgan Library. Those who work for the SSC include undergraduate students, graduate students and instructors who are aware of the structure of the introductory classes. This benefits the students by allowing their tutoring to be oriented towards their classes and the working environment is a benefit to those employed as well.
“The tutors work closely together,” Prytherch said. “A lot of the graduate students share an office, and the tutors can learn a lot from each other.”
Those who work at the SSC hope that students who are taking statistics will learn about the resource and utilize it. Caroline Thomas, an undergraduate statistics and biology major in her second year, hopes that her place of work will take off.
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“For me, I’m hoping more people will know about it,” Thomas said. “It’s on its first semester. It’s small still, but it’s off to a really good start.”
In addition, those who work at the SSC also hope that the people who are taking statics will improve on their understanding of stats.
“I’m hoping for people not to be so afraid of stats,” said Lauren Heck, a first-year graduate student studying statistics. “I think if someone’s going into any sort of science, they need to interpret and understand it.”
The SSC, although just starting up, hopes to expand and help those in introductory courses understand the subject.
“Understanding stats makes you a more well rounded person,” said Heck. “Stats is all around us.”
Hours
- Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. –8 p.m.
- Friday: 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Sunday: 2 p.m.–8 p.m. at the Morgan Library
Reporter Julia Trowbridge can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on twitter @chapin_jules.
