Vista: Un Software para la Ense anza de la Estadística y la Psicometría

Nowadays, teaching statistics is almost undisputedly always done using some sort of software for carrying out the computations. Indeed, the range of choices available for that purpose is wide and with a lot of variety. The present work describes the capabilities of one of the systems currently available for teaching of statistics: ViSta, the Visual Statistics System. As ViSta’s developers, we wish to point out the following features as specially appealing for using it at the classroom: a) price and availability, it is free and can be downloaded on-line; b) flexibility, it is an open system, extensible and adaptable for different users and needs; c) simplicity, it has a simple and intuitive user interface that facilitates the management, transformation and data analysis; and d) its graphical power, as it implements visualization methods that allow carrying out demonstrations of concepts and data analysis techniques. These capabilities are illustrated using a specific application to the teaching of psychometrics. The limitations and perspectives of development of the system are finally discussed.