Reflecting on my teaching experiences, several themes emerged regarding the impact on students' learning. One major theme focused on the pre-existing perceptions and abilities due to Mathematics and Statistics anxiety. Many students enter the classroom with fear and anxiety about these subjects, influenced by their past experiences, values, and beliefs. This highlights the need for greater sensitivity to students' mental wellbeing and the importance of providing differentiated learning styles and appropriate assessments to address their diverse needs.

Another key theme was the lack of collaboration across disciplines. There is a significant gap in how staff within and across disciplines engage with each other to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned in conducting quantitative research. This lack of a community of practice hinders institutional capacity building and affects outcomes in higher education.

Additionally, the importance of ongoing reflective practice was underscored. Both students and educators need to continuously reflect on their experiences. In subjects like statistics and research, which often evoke feelings of anxiety and incompetence, it's crucial for students to acknowledge these issues and work on managing their anxieties as the course progresses. As educators, we must also reflect on our teaching strategies and adjust them to better support our students.

Results from our workshops indicated that more undergraduates (55%) than postgraduates (41.2%) found the sessions very useful. However, a significant number of undergraduates still experienced moderate anxiety about using statistics in data analysis and statistical software like SPSS. This contrasts with postgraduates, who reported less anxiety in these areas.

Overall, these reflections and findings highlight the need for tailored support, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and continuous reflection to enhance students' learning experiences and outcomes.

Impact on my Teaching Practice  

The students' requests, based on survey feedback, have significantly impacted my teaching practice by driving several key changes to enhance the learning experience. In response to requests for more live SPSS demonstrations and exercises, I included screencasts in both undergraduate and postgraduate workshops and class sessions. This adjustment has helped students better grasp practical applications of statistical software. Recognizing the need to manage the extensive content of statistical tests, particularly for undergraduate students, I divided the workshops into multiple days, splitting them into two parts in Semester II, 2021-22: introductory concepts in Workshop I and statistical tests in Workshop II. For graduate students, who requested more targeted areas based on their research needs, I conducted a needs survey and subsequently offered workshops in May 2023 covering advanced topics such as hierarchical regression, mediation, and moderation.

To ensure that students could revisit the material, I began providing slides, notes, and recordings of the sessions, sending these resources along with datasets via email. Additionally, there are ongoing initiatives to facilitate regular workshops to assist all students at the University. This approach has led to several emerging themes in teaching and learning statistics. From an educator's perspective, building a community of practice with student involvement and promoting reflective practice based on both educator and student perceptions have been crucial. Collaboration across disciplines has also been essential for institutional capacity building.

From the student perspective, the delivery and suggested improvements of workshops, heightened interest in quantitative research, and challenges such as statistics anxiety and lack of software training have been key focus areas. Recognizing these challenges, I have reimagined the educational ecosystem by creating multidisciplinary communities of practice and encouraging continuous reflection within the teaching and learning of statistics in higher education. Statistics educators should critically analyze their teaching practices and make data-informed decisions, emphasizing the significance of collaboration, and peer and student feedback to build capacity that aligns with the diverse needs of students. Different departments can reflect on how students build soft skills in statistics for the working world and consider similar approaches to build communities of practice across various disciplines.