Integrating Data Analysis into the Undergraduate Curriculum

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Integrating Data Analysis into the Undergraduate
Curriculum

• From Introductory to Senior Level Coursework

Tracy L. Dietz Jana L. Jasinski, Dept. of
Sociology Anthropology, FCTL Summer Workshop
2003
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History

• 13 Discipline Task-force
• 10 years ago
• lack of research experience major challenge of
  undergraduate curricula.

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Issues in Sociology Perhaps Your Discipline

• Not Exposed until College
• Late Declaration of Major
• Lack of Structure
• Large numbers of non-Majors
• Empirical nature introduced late
• Junior or even senior year

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MOST

• Minority Opportunities through School
  Transformation
• Funded by Ford Foundation
• 18 Sociology Departments changed their Programs

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IDA

• Based upon MOST
• National Science Foundation grant to American
  Sociological Association and Social Sciences Data
  Analysis Network

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Training

• 6 Departments per year for 2 years
• We were part of the first training group
• UCF had 8 sociologists attend training at U of
  Michigan

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Philosophy

• Expose students to research
• Early
• Often

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At UCF

• This has been accomplished in
• Honors Introductory Courses
• Large Enrollment Introductory Courses
• Advanced Courses with 50 enrollment
• M and W courses

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Student Feedback

• At UCF
• Generally positive.
• Students reported enjoying the hands-on
  experiences
• Students reported that they learned about
  scientific nature of sociology
• Problems included some of the programs used not
  being user-friendly, lack of data, students
  wanted more time to discuss findings.

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Student Feedback Elsewhere

• While MOST schools have reported higher
  proportions of their students going on to MA
  programs following implementation, too early for
  IDA
• Other programs report similar results as UCF