The Power of Doing: A Learning Exercise that Brings the Central Limit Theorem to Life

This article demonstrates an active learning technique for teaching the Central Limit Theorem (CLT) in an introductory undergraduate business statistics class. Groups of students carry out one of two experiments in the lab, tossing a die in sets of 5 rolls or tossing a die in sets of 10 rolls. They are asked to calculate the sample average of each experiment. An easy-to-use Excel template is designed to calculate the averages from the students' dice rolls. Empirical histograms are generated dynamically for both sample sizes of 5 and 10 rolls, visually demonstrating the convergence toward a bell-shaped distribution for the sample means. Our classroom experiences with the learning approach show that most students view it as fun and valuable to their learning of the concepts underlying the CLT.