Preparing future statisticians to communicate the data

In the context of global education and the rapid advancement of data analytics, STEM educators face the challenge of preparing future statisticians to communicate the data. In a project that intersects the realms of mathematics and rhetoric, we collaborate with faculty from the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia. Our purpose is to explore the genre of the statistical consulting report and use a genre approach for the writing pedagogy targeting graduate students in statistics. Through observation, interviews, and discourse analysis of texts and contexts we attempt to locate the consulting report within the organized activities of statistics, create new writing strategies for student-consultants, and change the way statistical consulting is taught. This project allows us to reflect on the evolution of our own position from an outsider to an insider and to assess the impact of collaboration on our professional identity. It also enables us to better collaborate with colleagues from other faculties and across the disciplines in the future.