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Where Can and Do Our Students Find Data -- And How Can We Steer them to Reputable Data?

Where Can and Do Our Students Find Data -- And How Can We Steer them to Reputable Data?. Kristin Partlo Carleton College. Hannah’s Story. Junior beginning to prepare for capstone project - wants to work over the summer Started with the data specialist (Paula)

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Where Can and Do Our Students Find Data -- And How Can We Steer them to Reputable Data?

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  1. Where Can and Do Our Students Find Data -- And How Can We Steer them to Reputable Data? Kristin Partlo Carleton College

  2. Hannah’s Story • Junior beginning to prepare for capstone project - wants to work over the summer • Started with the data specialist (Paula) “Somebody in ITS who’s really good with statistics…” • Once suspicious, Paula referred her to me • “How do I search for data that’s complete?” • In the very first stages of forming a topic

  3. Undergrads are just learning quantitative reasoning skills

  4. …So they need lots of help Undergrads are at a stage where they lack: • Knowledge • What data are “out there” • Familiarity with the body of literature in their area • Knowledge of specialized tools • Habits • Ability to use the literature instrumentally • Instinct to look for and use data documentation • Patience to read while searching • Ability to take effective notes • Experience • Don’t come to the service point with clearly defined need • Expectations of the “search” for data • Unproblematized conception of numbers as unauthored facts

  5. Where do they find data?

  6. “Standard” social science data sources

  7. Government Web Sites

  8. IGOs Data Products

  9. Where they find data • “Standard” social science data sources from ICPSR, data archives, etc. • Government web sites • IGOs data products • Research institutions • Data project web sites • Disciplinary associations and tools and journal web sites • Individual researchers’ web sites • Files procured directly by students • IGOs non-data products • Harvested from print sources • Wikipedia • Self-made datasets with GIS-derived variables

  10. But how do they find it? Wouldn’t that be great to know? • Faculty recommendations • Google • Recommendations from other students • My secret wish: ethnographic user studies

  11. What can we do to direct them to reputable data?

  12. Direct and Indirect Strategies Direct • Provide them with tools and strategies • Publicize services and improve approachability and availability Indirect • At sites of support, improve referrals • On campus, get involved…

  13. Data fluency -- developing habits of research • Help them become familiar with using the literature instrumentally (Hannah example) • Model good searching behavior, walking through searches, taking example notes, and articulating clues. This is especially important for teaching students to look for and use documentation (BLS example).

  14. Finding Aids and Search Tools

  15. Publicize

  16. Strengthen Cooperation Among Service Points • Referrals • Training general reference staff and subject librarians about data sources • Team teach when possible

  17. Work with Campus Data Fluency Efforts • Get involved in the QR effort • Communicate with faculty • Know the assignments • Get into classes

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