NIFK19006U Managing and Analyzing Data in Social Science

Volume 2021/2022
Education

MSc Programme in Agricultural Economics
MSc Programme in Environmental And Natural Resource Economics

Content

Are you feeling the constraints of excel spreadsheets?

The amount of data available is increasing dramatically. In your future career as well as doing your Master thesis will require you to handle and extract information from large quantities of data. We have designed this hands-on course to equip you to meet the data challenges ahead.

You will be introduced to concepts, terminology and methods relevant to handling data and spatial information in R and QGIS. At course end, you will have a toolbox of scripts enabling you to optimise data management procedures by looping through data and using vector oriented iterative processes. You will work in R studio writing and debugging code for merging datasets, data cleaning and coding of different types of variables as well as overlaying spatial layers.

You will also be introduced to basic procedures for testing hypothesis. This includes tabulating basic statistical measures, the specification of regression models and interpreting and visualising results. Throughout the course, the focus will be on making the data handling process transparent and reflecting on the implications of data management choices and choice of statistical approach in relation to validity and reliability of the results of the analysis and good scientific practice.

The course aims to develop students’ skills to conduct own data management and analysis through hands-on work is groups. The last week of the course will be independent (supervised) group project work with empirical datasets.

The course uses the free statistical software package R and the geographical information software Q-GIS.     

Don’t be a slave to the spreadsheet. Join our course and become part of an ever-increasing vibrant community using the object-oriented programing environment R as their playground.

Learning Outcome

The aim of this course is to provide participants with tools and experience in managing and analysing data, with a focus on socioeconomic and spatial data, that would be required to conduct a MSc thesis project or do research based on quantitative data in social sciences and beyond.

Knowledge:

Describe different types of datasets and variables (incl. the nature of maps and geodata) and the implications for the choice of appropriate data management procedure and analysis strategy

Show an overview of principles and procedures for importing, merging, coding, transforming and otherwise preparing data for statistical analysis in R and Q-GIS

Know the arguments for using scripts

Possess an overview of basic approaches to quantitative data analysis

Skill:

Apply procedures for managing different types of data in R and Q-GIS in preparation for statistical analysis 

Ability to combine different data sets and produce composite maps from multiple sets of digital spatial data

Implement statistical analysis in R to derive basic cross-sectional and spatial metrics and estimate linear regression models

Solve coding problems in data management and basic statistical analysis in R

Generate figures and graphs to interpret, visualize and present statistical results in a clear and concise manner

Competencies:

Formulate and implement a strategy for solving data management and analysis problems by combining tools from different packages in R or operations in QGIS to address analytical research problems in relation to empirical datasets in the context of social science

Program a script including debugging using internet and other sources to answer specific research questions

Argue convincingly for appropriate choice of data management procedure and statistical methods suitable to answer basic research questions and test hypothesis based on available data and specific empirical problems

No obligatory literature curriculum. Relevant material will be shared through Absalon. 

Basic statistics course recommended and some experience with R and insight in simple data management and analysis expected.

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
The course involves hands-on writing of R code focusing on providing students with practical programming skills. Students will implement codes from packages relevant for data management as well as analysis. Hence, learning outcomes are achieved by students individually, but supported by peer groups, working on scripts with illustrative exercises. Teachers will assist when students are stuck but the objective is for the students to become self-reliant and independent. Hence, students are expected to solve problems by for instance Googling how others before them have solved similar programming problems. Exercises will be based on data sets from small case studies as well as larger surveys focusing on natural resource management problems examined from a natural and social science perspective. During the exercises, the students will accumulate a command library for the relevant tasks applicable to similar data management and analysis project.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 30
  • Preparation
  • 40
  • Practical exercises
  • 40
  • Project work
  • 96
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 15 minutes
Students will be assessed individually based on a short oral presentation, in plenum, of the course project taking departure in their script with data management procedures, and output of analysis such as tables, figures and models testing their research questions and hypothesis.
Exam registration requirements

The exam is conditional on student’s course participation including handing in a written group assignment (the course project) Thursday the third week of the course. Students will select a dataset and develop a data management and analysis strategy for their course project. Students will receive feedback on their project Friday the last day of the course.

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
passed/not passed
Censorship form
No external censorship
One or more internal examiners
Exam period

The exam is scheduled Friday in week 34 - the last day of the course.  

Re-exam

As the ordinary exam.

If the student has not handed in a written assignment (i.e. the course project) then it must be handed in three weeks prior to re-exam. It must be approved before the exam.

Criteria for exam assesment

To pass the course the student must convincingly fulfil the learning outcomes described above and display command of the packages and individual commands and procedures covered by the curriculum.