Statistics Teaching Enhanced by Teamwork – a Multicultural Experience in South Africa ®

Students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) come from diverse cultures and often disadvantaged communities where basic amenities, such as running water and electricity, are not a given. The majority (63% in 2001) of our students had their first exposure to computers at university. In order to fast-track these students to meet increasing technological needs, more effective methods of teaching Statistics needed to be explored. Since 1997 innovative teaching approaches such as collaborative learning, teamwork and the use of mind maps were introduced and used to aid students to become acquainted with the prescribed subject matter. These new approaches were compared to traditional classroom teaching in 1997. These interventions were successful in that students not only studied the prescribed material more efficiently, they also developed skills to function effectively in a multicultural team, preparing them for the working environment in South Africa.