Teaching with Data in the Social Sciences

Initiated in early 2020, Florida State University Libraries (FSU Libraries) joined 19 peer institutions across the United States in Ithaka S+R’s “Teaching with Data in the Social Sciences” research study. An interdisciplinary team of three librarians recruited and interviewed faculty with experience teaching undergraduates using data and concepts of data literacy. The goal of the local project was to gather qualitative data on attitudes, behaviors, and needs for undergraduate instructors in the social sciences who teach with quantitative data and to use that information to inform library services and practices. This local report and supporting data, along with the results from other peer institutions, will constitute a larger report by Ithaka S+R, a research organization whose goal is to “provide research and strategic guidance to help the academic and cultural communities serve the public good and navigate economic, technological, and demographic change.” The results of this local report provide FSU Libraries guidance for how to better support instructors teaching with quantitative data in the social sciences. Additionally, the research has implications for curriculum development, career planning, and skills development.