Libraries participates in Ithaka S+R data literacy study

The Libraries is one of 20 institutions to participate in a nationwide study of teaching with quantitative data that released its results and conclusions this fall. Led by Ithaka S+R, “Fostering Data Literacy: Teaching with Quantitative Data in the Social Sciences” aimed to describe how faculty and students currently use campus and external resources, to identify emergent pedagogical best practices, and to evaluate the support needs of instructors and students in those fields.

A Libraries team completed an NC State-specific version of the larger Ithaka S+R project from May 2020 to September 2021. The team learned the methodology of the larger study and conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with instructors who teach social sciences courses and use quantitative techniques in those courses. Co-authored by Hilary Davis (lead), Cindy Levine, Shaun Bennett, and former Libraries staff Scott Bailey, the final report was shared with the Data Science Academy, Libraries administration, subject liaisons, and the faculty who participated.

“Fostering Data Literacy” explored why and how instructors teach with data, identified the most important challenges they face, and described how faculty and students utilize relevant campus and external resources. Full details and actionable recommendations for stakeholders are offered in the body of the report, which offers guidance to university libraries and other campus units, faculty, vendors, and others interested in improving institutional capacities to support data-intensive instruction in the social sciences.

The Libraries’ Susan Ivey, Karen Ciccone, and John Vickery have also participated in another Ithaka S+R project called "Supporting Big Data Research" which happened simultaneously with the “Fostering Data Literacy” study. Both studies are available to read and to download as PDFs on the Ithaka S+R site.