This version of Workshop Statistics incorporates instructions specific to the Minitab software (Macintosh and Windows platforms, Professional and Student versions) while maintaining all the distinctive features of the original text. The book continues to focus on active learning, conceptual understanding, and genuine data, but now efficiently integrates Minitab instructions into the activities. This union enhances students' ability to explore statistics visually, to investigate long-term behavior of sample statistics, and to focus on interpretation of results over computational manipulations.

 By no means is this text intended as a user's manual for Minitab; in fact, we make use of just a fraction of Minitab's capabilities. Instead we focus on helping students to use Minitab as a tool for analyzing data as well as an aid for discovering statistical concepts and exploring statistical principles. We chose Minitab as the software package because of its accessibility and user-friendliness to those not familiar with computers. Other appealing features of Minitab include its widespread use in both academic and industrial settings and its macro and simulation capabilities.

 We intend for this text to be flexible enough to support a variety of implementations for instructors and students with varying degrees of access to computing facilities. In particular, with few exceptions we recommend that students investigate a concept through hand-drawn displays and calculator-assisted computations before proceeding to Minitab to check their work or to explore larger data sets. On most homework activities, whether or not a student should use Minitab is left to the instructor's discretion, but we provide reference to the relevant Minitab worksheets. Our goal has been to provide detailed enough instructions that students can complete Minitab assignments, with a minimum of instructor support, outside of class time if necessary.

 While the most obvious and substantial changes from previous versions of Workshop Statistics involve Minitab instructions, several other updates and changes have also been made. Some of the data sets have been updated to more current data. We have also added Minitab terms to the index and a glossary where students can record important terms and definitions. Suggestions to both instructors and students for successfully implementing the workshop approach have also been included.

 Support materials available for use with this text include downloadable Minitab worksheets and macros for all platforms. Our Web sites also offer a variety of teaching resources ranging from an instructor's guide and answers for selected activities to sample exams and syllabi.

Acknowledgements:

 I want to thank instructors around the country who have provided helpful feedback on earlier versions of Workshop Statistics to myself and Allan Rossman.
 

Jim Albert	Clark Engel	Ned Schillow
Skip Allis	Christa Fratto	Brian Schott
Patricia Bassett	Steve Friedberg	Bernie Schroeder
Charles Bertness	Brian Gray	Joanne Schweinsberg
Chuck Biehl	Dorothea Grimm	Sallie Scudder
Jim Bohan	Bill Halteman	Mike Seyfried
Cheri Boyd	Alice Hankla	Sue Suran
Gordon Bril	Bruce King	Sam Tumulo
Julie Clark	Larry Langley	Kathryn Voit
Benjamin Collins	Suzanne Larson	Barr von Oehsen
Al Coons	Todd Lee	Don Weimer
Carolyn Cuff	Jerry Moreno	Rhonda Weissman
Christine Czapleski	Sue Peters	Jean Werner
L.J. Davis	Gina Reed	Sheila Young
Carolyn Dobler	Bill Rinaman	Thomas Zachariah
	Charlie Scheim	John Zhang

 

I also thank Minitab's Author Assistance Program, particularly Christine Sarris and Jeff Hartzell, for their help in the preparation of this Minitab version.

I thank Springer-Verlag for their support, especially Jerry Lyons, Sabrina Paris, and Lesley Poliner. I also appreciate the continuing support from the Workshop Mathematics Program, directed by Nancy Baxter Hastings and managed by Joanne Weissman, and the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education.

I would like to thank Allan Rossman for his extraordinary vision and for allowing me to share in this creative process. I also thank my husband Frank for his patience, understanding, and culinary skills. Thanks also to Tigger and Lucky for their late night company.