Implementing Civic Statistics in Business Education: Technology in Small and Large Classrooms

Abstract

Introducing Civic Statistics is of high importance in business education as its multidisciplinary nature helps students to develop complex and critical thinking and also to link different areas of their studies. In this chapter we share our hands-on experiences on the implementation of Civic Statistics both in large and small classrooms and highlight the differences between the techniques and topics employed in different circumstances. The study materials developed include topics such as the ageing society, poverty and income inequality, social and business networks and even financial literacy, the implementation of which will be discussed in detail in this chapter. The challenges of introducing Civic Statistics in a small or a large classroom in business education are different, and both are described here. In general, we received positive feedback from students: the social themes explored facilitated increased engagement and participation, and students welcomed the topics and tools—even though they are rather unusual compared to their ‘ordinary’ statistics classes.