This is an example presentation for describing TeachingWithData.org to faculty and graduate students.

1. TeachingWithData.org: Example Presentation for Faculty/Grad Students OR Assessment Team Workshop May 25-26, 2010

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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)

10. SSDAN: CensusScope Charts, Trends, and Tables All available for states, counties, and metropolitan areas

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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, …

18. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. Faculty Submission (coming soon) Submission form Some elements allow for multiple values Controlled vocabularies assist search

27. 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

28. For More Information: (Your info goes here!) Lynette Hoelter Instructional Resources & Development lhoelter@umich.edu