ASA Joint Statistical Meetings 2022 • Washington, D.C. • August 10, 2022
Abstract: Causal questions abound in everyday life, but the rote mantra of “Correlation does not imply causation” that is routinely taught in statistics courses leaves students wanting. If this caution is invoked at every turn, students may understandably wonder whether statistics is able to answer questions that interest them. My teaching in the area of causal inference has been guided by an emphatic desire to unseat this mindset. In this talk, I will discuss the concepts that I cover in a standalone capstone level causal inference course as well as causal ideas that I carry over to introductory and intermediate level courses in the statistics curriculum. My goal is to promote discussion among statistics educators about what causal ideas are most essential for students to grasp to be thriving members of society.