Abstract:

A learning-teaching methodology on the subject of discrete probability distribution based on the simulation of processes is presented. This method has four stages. During the first stage, the students tackle different situations through experience and computer simulations. During the second stage, small teams are formed where they focus on the properties of the processes under study. Later, a theory is stablished and some problems and exercises are done in class. At the last stage, an online conceptual exam is solved by the students.

The interactive applications used were developed through the Visual-Basic script of Excel. The idea consists of generating random numbers that are related to a process with some specific parameters, later, the process is generalized by considering any set of parameters where real time results and data may be observed by the student. Finally, by using Visual-Basic tools interactive sheets are developed, where the input parameter values can be changed at will. After the subject has been studied and discussed, the interactive sheet is complemented by comparing theoretical and numerical results. In this work, we show the development of these Excel sheets and several results with students.

Keywords:

Discrete distributions Excel, Simulation, Probability.