Integrating Data Analysis Into Undergraduate Courses

A new webinar hosted by the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN) is now available featuring Dr. Jim Jones, professor emeritus of sociology at Mississippi State University.  Jones discusses his successes in helping students in his introductory-level courses use census data and simple analytical tools to become familiar with data analysis.

In his discussion, Jones describes how he tasks his students with invesitgating quantitative data as a way of encouraging them to think originally about sociological issues in order to develop a deeper understanding of the material.  These investigations also foster a greater appreciation of the social sciences and help students improve their critical thinking skills.  Jones’ teaching materials have also been made available for webinar viewers to adopt for their own use.

The video presentation as well as the accompanying slides can be accessed via the links on SSDAN’sData in the News blog .

The module Dr. Jones references in his webinar as well as his teaching materials can be found inSSDAN’s DataCounts! resource.