Statisticians created the Statistical Analysis and Learning Tool, a data analysis tool. It is designed to engage students in data manipulation, analysis, and interpretation without overwhelming them with complex computations.
Through extensive collaborations with Statistics educators and in class testing by both students and instructors, SALT has been perfected. It is a valuable tool that Statistics instructors can use in and outside of WebAssign. These six tips will help students understand the meaning of data and think statistically.
1. Include SALT questions in your Assignments
Pre-built questions with an embedded “Use Salt” button can be used to integrate SALT into your course. WebAssign automatically pulls the question data into SALT when you choose “Use Salt”. Students can then analyze it.
About a third of all Cengage Statistics questions in WebAssign contain SALT automatically. We will continue to add more. If the problem involves a statistical function that is supported by SALT, you will find SALT. It involves both computations and interpretive parts.
Search the “.S.” abbreviation in WebAssign’s question browser to find SALT questions in your course. Ask your Cengage representative for a complete list of questions with SALT for your title.
2. Schedule the Getting Started Assignment during the first week of class
Do your students frequently ask you how to use certain features in WebAssign. You can assign our pre-built Getting Started assignment. It includes:
Tips to help students interact in WebAssign’s variety of question types
Use My Class Insights for exam preparation
SALT tutorial questions are designed to help students understand the purpose and operation of the data analysis tool in a Statistics course.
Download the Getting Started Assignment from your Course Packs. Or search the Assignment ID (16984807) on WebAssign.
3. Assign SALT Tutorial Question
Even if you don’t schedule the Getting Started assignment for your students, they should still be familiar with SALT. SALT Tutorials are questions that guide students to the right places in SALT to find the information that they need.
Students will receive scaffolded instruction on the content and how to use SALT for computing and analyzing data. This makes them the perfect questions to ask at the beginning of any assignment.
SALT Tutorial questions can be found in the Question Browser by searching for “.ST” or by looking at the chapter section called “SALT Tutorial”.
4. Schedule “Select Your Scenario” Questions
Select Your Scenario questions allow you to personalize your student learning experience. These questions give students three contexts from which to choose and allow them to choose the most relevant scenario. The student will then solve the problem using the support of SALT.
No matter which scenario is chosen, students will answer questions that demonstrate knowledge of a learning objective. These questions are perfect for assigning at the end of a chapter.
Search “.SYS” to find Select Your Scenario questions or the chapter section “Select Your Scenario”.
5. Use SALT in Class With Your Students
SALT is available in WebAssign questions and can be accessed outside of WebAssign at statistics.cengage.com. This data analysis tool can be used to help students in online and in-person classes. Participating in the Beta program for SALT resulted in increased student engagement.
SALT also comes pre-loaded by data sets from Cengage Dataset hub. These data sets are designed to grab students’ attention. You can either use our data sets, or upload your Excel spreadsheets in CSV format. SALT allows you to share various charts and graphs, distribution curves, and other statistics topics with your students.
6. Get SALT Help and Up-to-Date Information
Are you looking for more information on teaching with SALT? You can find help documentation, full lists of features, and frequently asked questions at the SALT hub.