Overview
- In this activity (a mini-project) students will use various graphical displays to explore associations between three variables (age, health perception, and regular physical activity) in a large national health statistics survey dataset.
- The 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) combines survey questions and physical examinations to collect data on 6,033 adults aged 20 years or older. For more information on the dataset (modified for educational purposes and shouldn’t be used for research) and on the NHANES (CDC original data available here), see the links below.
- This activity connects back to visual data explorations in previous modules.
- C2, C4, C5, C6, O1, O4 ← Link to EBTP descriptions
Prerequisite assumptions
There is no preview activity associated with this mini-project. Students should be able to identify different variable types, choose an appropriate graphical display, use technology to create a graphical display, and interpret a graph in the context of the data. Additionally, they should feel comfortable with skills obtained during the previous What to Know and Forming Connections pages in this module.
- Use a scatterplot to identify relationships and trends.
- Use the correlation coefficient to describe the strength in a linear relationship between two variables.
- Ask appropriate questions to think critically about complex graphical displays.
- Interpret different components of a complex graphical display.
- Explain the overall purpose/intention of a complex graphical display.
- Demonstrate how to use a rating scale to critique a complex graphical display.
Intended goals for this activity
After completing this activity, students should understand that graphical displays can be used to communicate information about a single variable or the relationship between two or more variables and that creating effective graphical displays is typically an iterative process. They should be able to create an appropriate display to visualize the distribution of a single variable (univariate graphs) or the relationship between two or more variables (multivariable graphs), write a short report to communicate statistical results to a general audience, and apply principles of making effective graphical displays to improve an existing graph.
Synchronous Delivery and Activity Flow
The sample activity delivery below assumes a face-to-face class meeting but can be adapted to a fully online or hybrid delivery by using break-out rooms for pairs and small groups.
Frame the activity (15 minutes)
- Question 1 – 3
- The goal of these questions is to help students prepare for the mini-project, which includes more open-ended instruction than seen in previous activities and assignments. Students will use the same dataset and a similar rubric for all three projects.
- Question 1 C4, O1, O4
- The primary goal of this question is to ensure that all students are able to access the dataset and data dictionary. It also helps students review categorical vs. quantitative variables.
- Include a demonstration on how to access and download the dataset spreadsheets for the project as you see fit.
- Question 2 O1, O4
- The goal of this question is to make sure all students have identified the appropriate technology required to complete the project. Give students a few minutes to think about this question individually before discussing it as a group.
- Briefly discuss or demonstrate how to copy and paste data from the spreadsheet into the data analysis tool, as you see fit.
- Question 3 C2
- The primary goal of this question is to introduce students to the grading rubric and ensure that all students are aware of the expectations for the project.
- Show students where they can access the grading rubric, and then give them a few minutes to read the rubric and write their responses to Question 3.
- Use the rubric provided here [insert pdf of the rubric found at the end of the DC instructor page] or your own.
- Discuss the responses to Question 3 as a class.
- Give students a few minutes to read the remaining project instructions and ask questions.
- Questions 4 – 7 C2, C5, C6
- These questions make up the mini-project. Students will complete the remaining questions outside of class.
Wrap-up/transition
- Assign homework or What to Know pages for the Forming Connections activities you plan to complete in the next class meeting. C2
