teachingwithdata.org -- faculty presentation
DESCRIPTION
This is an example presentation for describing TeachingWithData.org to faculty and graduate students.TRANSCRIPT
TeachingWithData.org: Example Presentation for
Faculty/Grad Students
OR Assessment Team WorkshopMay 25-26, 2010
Presentation Outline:
• Introducing the project partners• Introducing TeachingWithData.org– General overview– How/When to use TwD– Finding what you want, wanting what
you find– Future directions
Project Partners• ICPSR • SSDAN• Others involved
– American Economic Association Committee on Economic Education
– American Political Science Association– American Sociological Association– Association of American Geographers– Science Education Resource Center, Carleton
College
Inter-university Consortium for Political & Social Research (ICPSR)
• World’s oldest and largest social science data archive– Began in 1962 as ICPR
• Membership organization with 700+ members worldwide (non-members can use many resources)
• Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research
Current “Picture” of ICPSR• Currently 7,800 studies (64,800 data sets)– Grouped into Thematic Collections– Available in multiple formats– Federal funding allows parts of the
collection to be openly available– Data sources:
• Government• Large data collection efforts• Principal Investigators• Repurposing• Other organizations
Undergraduate Education• Fairly recent attention– Response to faculty– Undergrad users are fastest growing
segment
• NSF-funded projects– TeachingWithData.org (NSDL)– Course, Curriculum, & Laboratory
Improvement project to assess the effect of using digital materials on students’ quantitative literacy skills
SSDAN: Social Science Data Analysis Network
• Started in 1995• University-based organization that
creates demographic media and makes U.S. census data accessible to policymakers, educators, the media, and informed citizens. – Web sites– user guides – hands-on classroom computer materials
SSDAN• DataCounts! (www.ssdan.net/datacounts)
– Collection of approximately 85 Data Driven Learning Modules (DDLMs)
– Datasets (repackaged decennial census and American Community Survey)
– Target is lower undergraduate courses• CensusScope (www.censusscope.org)
– Maps, charts, and tables – Demographic data at local, region, and national levels– Key indicators and trends back to 1960 for some
variables • Kids Count in the Classroom (www.ssdan.net/kidscount)
– Course modules and exercises– Data resources and tools (tables, charts, maps)
SSDAN: CensusScope
• Charts, Trends, and Tables
• All available for states, counties, and metropolitan areas
TeachingWithData.org• National Science Digital Library –
Social Science Pathway• Goal: Make it easier for faculty to
use real data in classes– Undergraduate (esp. “non-methods”)– K(9)-12 efforts
• Includes survey of ~3200 social science faculty
TwD.org (con’t)
• Repository of data-related materials– Exercises, including games and simulations– Static and dynamic maps, charts, tables– Data – Publications
• Tagged with metadata for easy searching
Engaging Students Through Data• Piques student interest• Supporting Quantitative Literacy
– Roughly 30% of 2-year college students and 20% of 4-year college students show below basic or basic quantitative literacy skills:These students could not, for example, estimate if their cars had enough gas to get to a gas station. (The Literacy of America’s College Students, American Institutes for Research, January 2006)
• Engages students with disciplines more fully – Better picture of how social scientists work– Prevents some of the feelings of “disconnect” between substantive
and technical courses
• Opens the door to the world of data
13
When & How to Use TeachingWithData.org
• Short answer: ANY time! and often!• Long answer: Looking for
– Background reading on pedagogical issues relating to quantitative literacy and using data in the classroom
– Background information for teaching concepts– Ideas for creating own course exercises– “Ready to go” exercises– Datasets related to particular topics
• Typically instructors will search TwD first and point students directly to resources, but students can also go directly to the site– Especially useful for graduate students beginning to think about
teaching
Target Audience:
• Site primarily aimed at faculty teaching undergraduate social science courses (also grades 9-12)
• Resources useful in “non-methods/stats” courses as well as “technical courses”– Think about it as teaching substantive
content as well as teaching the quantitative skills
Disciplines:
• Currently covered:– Anthropology, Economics,
Environmental Studies, Geography, History, Political Science, Public Health, Public Policy, Social Work, Sociology
• Not a stretch: – Criminal Justice, Demography,
Education, Foreign Policy, Gerontology, Health and Medical Policy, Law/Legal Services, …
Finding What You Want
• Searching– Simple and advanced
• Browsing– Filtered search to narrow results– Start with discipline or subject OR by
type of resources• Heading links list all, sub-links narrow
search
Data Resources:
• Tables & Figures– Tables– Maps– Charts and other visualizations– Exercises with data
• Datasets– For SPSS, SAS, Stata, and other packages.– Extracts for educational use– Full datasets
Classroom Resources• Teaching Supports
– Lessons/Lectures– Activities/Exercises/Assignments/Modules– Syllabi/Reading Lists
• Reference Shelf– Tools for analysis, visualization, and course development– Events (conferences, webinars, etc.)– Pedagogical resources– Data providers
• Success Stories
Faculty Submission (coming soon)• Submission form– Some elements allow for multiple values– Controlled vocabularies assist search
TwD Next Phases:• Include resources for high school teachers• Ability to link data to analysis and/or
visualization tools• Mechanism for faculty to rate and
comment on resources• Peer-reviewed materials and capability for
faculty to upload their own resources• Community building through professional
associations and networks of users
For More Information:
(Your info goes here!)
Lynette Hoelter Instructional Resources & Development