Explaining Technical Concepts Through Humor: The Case of Bayes' Theorem
Maxim Elias, Elie Gray, Luc Rouge, and David Stolin
TBS Business School, France
Volume 18: 2024, pp. 184-200; ABSTRACT
Many technical disciplines, including operations management, struggle to engage
learners deterred by mathematical formulae. To advance inclusion in such fields, it is important
to find ways to overcome this obstacle. A carefully implemented humorous presentation can
provide insight into a formula, illustrate its application, and make it memorable. To exemplify
this approach, we present a short video (https://youtu.be/uq1wJ8mwD54), made in collaboration
with a professional comedian, using humor to explain Bayes’ theorem in an accessible and
engaging manner. We evaluate the video’s impact through a controlled experiment, with results
showing the humorous approach significantly improves student comprehension, retention, and
engagement compared to conventional instructional videos. We further discuss the video’s
creation and underlying logic, and offer guidance for educators interested in using humor to
make other technical concepts accessible.
Keywords: conditional probability, educational video, active learning, decision making.
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