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\centerline{\frtrm SESSIONS ON SOFTWARE FOR TEACHING STATS\&CO.}

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{\noindent\frtrm Software to be reviewed:}

\item{---} MacAnova, by Michael Greenacre

\item{---} StatGraphics, by Pedro Delicado

\item{---} Minitab, by Albert Satorra

\item{---} SPSS, by Alicia Coduras

\item{---} Lisp-Stat, by Frederic Udina

\item{---} STATA, by Angel Lopez

\item{---} Microsoft Excel, by ?????????

(other suggestions?)

\medskip\hrule\medskip

In order to give some common structure to the software for teaching
statistics sessions, I propose to follow losely the following guide.

Each presentation will last about 30 minutes. The software will be
presented using some screen projecting device. Some discussion can
follow.

It will be preferable to have a handout with brief answers to the questions
outlined below.


\medskip
{\noindent\frtrm Points of interest in the review:}
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\item{1.--} A brief introduction showing how to do, using XXX, the basic
tecniques we teach to our students. This includes

\itit Entering data from the keyboard.

\itit Performing data description over it.

\itit Showing data graphically.

\itit Building some model like simple regression.

\itit Reading data from an ascii file.

\itit Some descriptive analysis on time series.

\itit Writing results and log to a text file.


\item{2.--} Extensibility of the system: if the program
can't do some kind of graph, some kind of computation or some kind
of model, how to write some `program' (macro or script) to do it?


\item{3.--} Availability of the software: do we have it? How much it
costs? In what operating systems can it be run? It is posible for the
students to have it at home? How much RAM and disk space it needs?


\item{4.--} What the program can be used for?. Initially we are
interested in teaching three introductory courses: An\`alisi de dades,
Probabilitat, Estad\'{\i}stica. How can XXX cover these courses?. Can
it be used for more advanced courses like Multivariate Analysis in the
`segon cicle'?

\item{5.--} When your students will go out to the real world, what the
value of knowing XXX will be?

\item{6.--} Sell your proposal: What XXX can do that the other
programs can't? What XXX do much better that the other proposals.

\item{7.--} Be honest: what is the weakest point of your proposal?
What's the aspect you hate of XXX?
 
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\hfill  UPF, November 1995


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