Abstract:

According to Baharun & Porter (2009), students’ approach to empirical research methods and statistics is often fear-laden as they perceive it as a very difficult subject. In addition, multi-skilled students’ cohorts demand appropriate approaches.

Teaching empirical research methods and statistics effectively has thus become a pedagogical challenge, struggling with different kinds of problems such as: lack of engagement, working at higher level of abstraction in statistics or combining quantitative and qualitative paradigms.

We introduce medox, a modularized e-platform hosted by the Goethe-University Frankfurt, which aims to facilitate students’ learning, reduce drop-out rates in early levels of higher education, and improve social and scientific skills by integrating technology with traditional and peer teaching methods.

This paper describes various medox modules, such as: indexed e-lectures or structured and scaffolded exercises concluding solutions. Furthermore, we discuss the role of students as ‘producers of knowledge’ (Ryan, 2013) within a peer teaching framework in medox.