In-Person PAA MIM: Census and ACS in the Classroom, A “Hands-on” Workshop for College Teachers

2024 Population Association of America Meeting in Columbus, OH

Wednesday, April 17, 1 pm- 3:30pm

This free in person workshop at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America will focus on how professors can integrate the analysis of US Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data in relevant, user-friendly ways in a variety of undergraduate courses. 

Participants will learn about the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN) https://ssdan.net/   directed by Dr. William Frey at the University of Michigan. Related supplemental material on Census and population topics produced by the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) will also be presented by Dr. Mark Mather of PRB. Professor Andrew Beveridge will demonstrate and provide hands-on training for the popular Census and ACS interactive data and mapping tool, Social Explorer.

The workshop will begin with an overview of the SSDAN project and data analysis materials. Brief tutorials on the easy-to-use DataCounts and CensusScope.org software tools will follow, with examples drawn from existing U.S. Census and ACS access tools. Dr. Mather of the Population Reference Bureau will introduce participants to several of PRB’s most popular classroom products, publications, and website applications related to the Census, ACS and topics that can be taught using these data. Professor Beveridge will introduce participants to the features of Social Explorer through a demonstration. Social Explorer has received recognition as a Webby Award Honoree for Education and as an Outstanding Reference Source Award from the Reference and User Services Association.