Abstract

Statistics is an essential subject in Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes. It equips students with much needed ‘data analysis’ skills useful for successful completion of MBA research projects and, more importantly, in management decision-making. All the same, teaching or learning statistics is frustrating and stressful, to both instructors and students. Recent literature proposes using projects as an effective teaching method for teaching Business Statistics, This paper reports on the author’s experience of using project-based approaches in the teaching of introductory business statistics in the MBA programme at Tshwane University of Technology, a South African university. The purpose of the study was to determine the consequence of using projects in teaching Business Statistics. Specifically, to discover the extent to which projects facilitate the learning of data analysis skills among MBA students. In total, 23 MBA students were exposed to small in-class projects and more intensive group projects. Results suggest that using projects enhances students’ retention of statistical theory and its application in real-life management problems.

Key words: Active learning, business schools, business statistics, statistics, MBA, teaching techniques.