American Sociological Association August 11, 2009 San Francisco, California

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American Sociological AssociationAugust 11, 2009

San Francisco, California

Organizer: William H. Frey

August 11, 2009

Teaching Quantitative Literacy in Introduction to

Sociology

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SSDAN Materials

• Find this presentation and other training resources at http://ssdan.net/training.html

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Outline• Quantitative Literacy

– Why is it important?

• Resources from the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN)– DataCounts! and WebCHIP– CensusScope

• Coming soon! (ICPSR and SSDAN Partnerships)– Assessment Materials– Digital Library (TeachingWithData.org)

• Resources from ICPSR’s Online Learning Center (OLC)– Learning Modules and Data

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Quantitative Literacy• Importance

– Students are participants in a democratic society– Skills include:

• Questioning the source of evidence in a stated point• Identifying gaps in information• Evaluating whether an argument is based on data or

opinion/inference/pure speculation• Using data to draw logical conclusions

• Student Comfort and Aptitude– Over 50% of early undergraduate students report

substantial “statistics anxiety”– Using only one or two learning modules has

yielded significant increases in students’ comfort• Solution: Introduce students to “real world”

data early and often

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Quantitative Literacy

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SSDAN: Background

• 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

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SSDAN• DataCounts!

(www.ssdan.net/datacounts)– Collection of approximately 85 Data-Driven

Learning Modules (DDLMs)– WebCHIP (simple contingency table software)– 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– Update coming this fall

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Quickly connects users to datasets…

..or Data Driven Learning Modules

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Menu for choosing a dataset for analysis

Brief List of available dataset collections

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WebCHIP Demonstration• Starting with a question

– Do immigrants who entered the U.S. recently earn less than those who entered decades ago? (How does the year of entry affect earnings for immigrants?)

– Does race make a difference?

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WebCHIP Demonstration• Using 2005 American Community

Survey data, we will look at the data set: workim05.dat

• This data set looks at full-time year-round civilian workers age 25+ for race, gender, age, immigration, education and earnings variables.

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• We will use an extract of the 2005 American Community Survey

• What would we expect to see in a table that answers the question?

Planning

Total

Total

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When immigrated

Ear

ning

s

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Planning

Native BornImmigration: Before

1990Immigration: 1990-

2005Total

Less $25,000

$25-34,999

$35-49,999

$50-69,999

$70-99,999

$100,000 and over

Total

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• Now that we’ve seen the variables and their categories, we know the table headers

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Percent-Across Table

Percent-Down Table

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One table for each control variable category (i.e. one table for each race)

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One graph will appear for each control variable category. Select “Next Graph” to view each chart.

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One graph for each control variable category (i.e. one table for each race)

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Quickly connects users to datasets…

..or Data Driven Learning Modules

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SSDAN: DataCounts!Submitting a module:•Sections are clearly laid out•Forces faculty to create modules with specific learning goals in mind.•Makes re-use of module much easier

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

TitleAuthor and Institution

Brief Description

Faceted browsing to refine the search

•Appropriate Grade Levels•Subjects (e.g. Family, Sexuality and Gender)•Learning Time

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Data Driven Learning Modules are clearly laid out•Easy to read•Instructors can quickly identify whether a module would be relevant to a specific course

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SSDAN• DataCounts!

– Collection of approximately 85 Data Driven Learning Modules (DDLMs)

– WebCHIP (simple contingency table software)– Datasets (repackaged decennial census and

American Community Survey)– Target is lower undergraduate courses

• CensusScope– Maps, charts, and tables – Demographic data at local, region, and national

levels– Key indicators and trends back to 1960 for some

variables

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SSDAN: CensusScope

New ACS data with improved look & feel coming Fall 2009

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SSDAN: CensusScope• Charts, Trends,

and Tables• All available for

states, counties, and metropolitan areas

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SSDAN-OLC• SSDAN’s primary focus is to assist in

the dissemination of social data into the classroom with sites like DataCounts! and CensusScope

• Until recently, ICPSR primarily targeted researchers, the OLC now provides a welcomed Instructors’ portal to ICPSR resources and is continuing its outreach to educators

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Student Benefits:• Critical thinking skills• Increases students’ comfort with quantitative

reasoning• Many schools have focus on quantitative

literacy and related skills – ASA charge for exposure “early and often”

• Engages students with the discipline more fully – Better picture of how social scientists work– Prevents some of the feelings of “disconnect” between

substantive and technical courses

• Piques student interest• Opens the door to the world of data

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Looking Ahead

• Assessment Tools and Results

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Looking Ahead• TeachingWithData.org (October 2009)

– Social Science Pathway to the National Science Digital Library

– Virtual repository of resources to support the teaching of quantitative social sciences

• Data-Driven Learning Modules • Data Sources • Pedagogical Resources• Analysis and Visualization Tools• Other Resources useful to instructors

– Collaboration tools– Web 2.0 technologies

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Acknowledgements

• National Science Foundation• Inter-university Consortium for

Political and Social Research• Population Studies Center• Institute for Social Research• University of Michigan

American Sociological Association August 11, 2009 San Francisco, California

Documents

Transcript of American Sociological Association August 11, 2009 San Francisco, California