Combining Statistics and Information Systems: The La Salle Experience

Authors

Joseph R. Troxell, La Salle University

Abstract

In attempting to meet accreditation standards, La Salle University combines a second semester statistics course with an introductory course in information systems, as part of a two course sequence in statistical information systems. Of importance is finding ways to integrate the material from these separate disciplines. Instructors begin to do this integration in the first semester of this two-course sequence by emphasizing two points. First, the statistical data found in the text are presented as part of a data base, not just as columns of numbers. Second, a statistics computer package used in the course is used to demonstrate features of a management information system (MIS), and is not just a tool for data analysis. This article discusses these two points from a first semester perspective as an integrative way of combining material from two separate courses. In the second semester, data bases and management information systems are fully discussed as topics in their own right. Another method used in the second semester to integrate the two courses is the use of class projects, with details of one project discussed.

Recommended Citation

Troxell, Joseph R. (1990) "Combining Statistics and Information Systems: The La Salle Experience," Journal of Information Systems Education: Vol. 2 : Iss. 4 , 17-20.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol2/iss4/3