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Myrtle Spreadsheet™ is a simple programmable spreadsheet and statistical analysis software specifically designed for learning statistics. It provides the standard spreadsheet functionality one would expect like multiple tabbed sheets, relative and absolute row and column referencing in formulas, and a large catalog of built-in functions. Functions specific to logic and computer science, mathematics, probability, and statistics are available. Students can easily create, customize, and update plots and graphical summaries of their analyses.

Myrtle offers a unique bookmarking facility which allows students to create and reuse named references to their favorite cell ranges. This can help students focus attention on the important relationships among particular rows or columns of data. Bookmarking also prevents much of the frustration students feel when building cell formulas when the data set is large or when multiple sheet tabs must be involved.

Students can develop their own spreadsheet functions to facilitate analyses. A seamlessly integrated scripting facility allows for more advanced analyses and graphics generation. Students easily build personal libraries containing their favorite functions and scripts allowing them to be reused again and again in future projects. Advanced students satisfying a course with an honors option or project component can structure their project around scripting a novel data analysis or implementing a challenging statistical method as a new cell function.

It never hurts to remind students throughout the course that they are learning marketable skills! Myrtle provides a user-friendly scripting language. Scripting provides students a gentle introduction to some basic programming concepts such as control flow, conditional execution, and object-oriented programming (OOP). They can expect to develop highly marketable programming skills.

The compact book Introduction to Statistics with Myrtle™ is not only a manual and programming guide for Myrtle, but also functions as a text for an introductory course in statistics. As a reasonable prerequisite, students should have had a first semester course in calculus. The text begins with a brief pre-assessment quiz which instructors may use to screen for students who may need more review before successfully completing this course. In fact, instructors are encouraged to assign their students to small groups (e.g 3-5 people) whose members have scored over a range from high to low scores on the pre-assessment quiz. This intentional mixing-in across student proficiency levels at the outset of the course can facilitate students helping each other succeed throughout the course.

Lastly, Myrtle may be even be effectively used within flipped course design in which instructors spend classroom time providing targeted tutoring to address the sticking points of individual students rather than lecturing to the class as a whole. Outside of the classroom, students read from the text, attempt chapter review problems, or work on other inquiry, problem, and project based activities. Myrtle's graphics and reporting features allow students to report back to their instructors their mastery of course content.