Training official statisticians for adaptive statistical practice

Published in Statistical Journal of the IAOS, 2021

Recommended citation: Damouras, S., Gibbs, A., and MacFeely, S. (2021) Training Official Statisticians for Adaptive Statistical Practice. Statistical Journal of the IAOS, 37(3), pp. 887-898. DOI 10.3233/SJI-210851 https://content.iospress.com/articles/statistical-journal-of-the-iaos/sji210851

Statistics is undergoing what feels like an evolutionary jump and the repercussions are felt strongly by official statistics, which operates at the forefront of societal and economic change. We look at the implications of these developments for the training of official statisticians and highlight key knowledge areas for successfully navigating the emerging landscape. We employ the concept of adaptive expertise to help us identify three qualities that support the independent and lifelong development of practicing statisticians, and propose five teaching strategies for fostering these qualities in the classroom.

Published paper