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DARE – JRN 222 NEW MEDIA

The target course was JRN 222 New Media, a multimedia storytelling class. Students were mostly freshmen or sophomores. Very few were STEM majors, many were interested in communications, most had very limited experience with data analysis.

1) INTERVENTION GOALS:

• Shift student attitudes about working with data and address math anxiety.

• Engage students in the research cycle, from hypothesis to survey to analysis and visualization.

• Teach students to how to: read tables, work with percentages, perform basic tasks in spreadsheets, use pivot tables to analyze data, and visualize results in tables and graphs.


2) LESSONS:

• Students seem more engaged with data they have gathered themselves.

• Survey is helpful, but primary focus on data analysis skills, with survey development secondary.

• Scaffolding, step-by-step, process is important to avoid overwhelming students.

• Pacing, drills and repetition were key for familiarizing non-STEM students with QR.

• For non-STEM students, shifting attitudes toward data analysis most important.


3) SURVEY TOPIC & TASKS

In the first survey we analyzed the impact of Covid on relationships and found some interesting insights. However, not everyone this age is in a relationship so I picked a subject that would be more broadly relevant. Food prices were very much in the news so I wanted our class to explore how this impacted New Yorkers. As I have not done a lot of survey development, I also sought input from Esther.

• Pick a topic that will engage students in the research process

• Avoid overly ambitious survey topics

• Consider survey respondents

• Keep focus on end goals for your group

• Consult DARE team for tips and materials


4) PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL IMPACT AND RELEVANCE OF QR

My first step in this process was to focus on why QR matters professionally and personally for my students.

AM/NY Article
Correction

This example is getting a bit dated but is relevant to this group as the story was likely written by a young journalist.  It also illustrates the possible pitfalls of sticking to the ‘I’m bad at math’ myth. I also explain that knowing how to find, analyze and visualize data is the number one way to guarantee employment in a competitive field.

I used some materials from my past experiences with QR workshops such as having students think about numbers every New Yorker should know, roughly by heart.

Numbers We Need to Know

This semester I had them read and analyze this story:

New York Is Rebounding for the Rich. Nearly Everyone Else Is Struggling

Again, with the idea to help them understand the world they are already experiencing as New Yorkers. The Bronx and Brooklyn were also among the top 10 counties in the country in terms of income inequality.

NYC Had 32K Trash Complaints – Worst Offender is Bronx Zip Code

This Bronx is burning — our nostrils.

Callers from the 10468 ZIP code — Kingsbridge, Marble Hill and Fordham Manor — have logged more 311 hotline complaints in the last year than anywhere else in the Odorous Apple, where garbage complaints citywide have more than doubled in recent years, The Post has learned.

I also would pull out items I’d see on social media. Or showcased misleading use of data in articles.

I showed them lots of examples other important data stories in the news, showcasing a wide range of ways to visualize data.

I began the semester with my public documents module where I have students write about their neighborhoods using Census data and public records. It’s an exercise that students usually enjoy as it allows them to see their neighborhoods in new ways.

Pelham Parkway

5) REPETITION OF CONCEPTS, DRILLS

Develop sense of competence and confidence by layering repeated drills over the semester on key concepts. I rearranged my course syllabus so that I could spread out the scaffolded assignments and include additional drills.

Repetition is key for liberal arts students doing quantitative work because they quickly forget when they don’t use something often. It takes a few exposures to concepts for them to begin to sink in.

We began with numeracy for journalists where I combine basic math with many examples of data storytelling.

Numeracy for Journalists – Quizzes mean, median, percent, rates

There were a few concepts that students struggled with and so I repeatedly drilled students on these.

In the second intervention we spend more time discussing independent and dependent variables.

Esther created a powerpoint and videos that were extremely helpful.

 Reading Tables – Understanding the Base Population – Denominator

Row vs Column Percentages

Making Bivariate Tables Using Spreadsheets

Pivot Table Exercises

Visualizing Data
 
Selecting the right visualization for your data
Examples data visualizations in the news
Pie Charts and Bar Charts

6) FINAL ANALYSIS
– Most students were able to create table, chart and brief analysis
– Given step by step instructions
– Students seem empowered by their ability to complete the exercise and excited about their data viz