MIST: MATLAB introductory statistical toolbox

In order to ease the educational experience for engineering students of introductory probability and statistics, an interactive software laboratory illustrating basic concepts and techniques has been implemented. This has been accomplished as a toolbox within the widely available software environment, MATLAB. The authors describe how, by implementing difficult elements of introductory statistics in an accessible environment, students are able to experiment with and internalize these concepts, thus undergoing a richer educational experience. The authors thus report on this MATLAB introductory statistical toolbox, known as MIST.