In this article we discuss our observations of the American and British university systems. We don’t claim to be experts on either system and certainly did not complete a comprehensive study of the two systems but we do find some distinctions noteworthy. We share some of the contrasts (not value judgments) we have found most interesting from our recent experiences. Beth has been teaching at small universities in California for 9 years and recently visited the Royal Statistical Society Centre for Statistical Education in April 2002 where she had the opportunity to observe some “typical” class sessions and to talk with faculty members at different universities. Mary completed her education in England taught in a comprehensive school in Sussex for 8 years moved to America and taught at a public “magnet” high school in Virginia for 5 years and then spent the last 2 years teaching at Cal Poly. Clearly these are limited and often out-of-date experiences and we often make very broad generalizations but we hope our comments will encourage further reflection and discussion on how our countries can learn from each other. We especially hope you will tell us where our observations have been short-sighted or out of date.
