ESSCOTS in the Classroom
RAND's first ESSCOTS system utilized the geographic information system known as ARC/INFO. Used for geographically-based demographics and statistics research, ARC/INFO is a complex scientific program, too sophisticated for even high school use. But when RAND programmers add an educational support system to the software package, ARC/INFO is transformed into a practical and simple teaching tool appropriate for classroom applications. The new ARC/INFO ESSCOTS allows junior high and high school students to postulate statistical theories and examine them through easy-to-use graphical interfaces. For instance, a group of students were asked to examine the question of teenage pregnancy. With the adapted ARC/INFO as their primary research tool, they observed state and county-wide patterns in birth rates, education and income. The program depicted the data in the form of color-coded maps, with different shades representing different densities. The ESSCOTS systemed allowed the students to make educated guesses, research the data and formulate scientifically-drawn conclusions.
