ESDS user support materials and resources:

how to use them

Support Services

Royal Statistical Society, London13 February 2009

ESDS Support and resources

Aims:

• Encourage– researchers to consult existing data sources– use of real data in teaching and learning

• Make obtaining data more straightforward

• Promotion… exploit existing and new networks

• Provide online resources

• Provide user support and training

Supporting the user

• User support

• Data catalogue

• ESDS guides

• Theme based information, e.g. health

• Advice for data creators and depositors

• Support & training for the secondary use of data for research, learning and teaching

• Teaching datasets/online samplers

• Online data analysis tools

• Publicity & promotion, e.g. news & events

• Service-specific web pages

User support and resources

From the Support link:

• Advice for new users• Help Desk (email: help@esds.ac.uk)• Information on training• JISC mail lists• Information for Social Science Data

Resources (SSDR) site representatives• Frequently Asked Questions • Specialist data services – own support

pages

Online guides

Available for:

• Analysis & methods (including SPSS, Stata, Weighting)

• Specific datasets• Creators and depositors• Learning and teaching• Online data services• Preservation and technical• Themes (e.g. social inequality, CO2

emissions)

Teaching datasets

• Tailor-made datasets

• Guides to using data in teaching

• Guides to using software and exemplars

X4L project: Survey Data in Teaching: enhancing critical thinking and data

numeracy

• Aim: to increase the use of real data sources and improve the data literacy of students from age 16 up

• Uses the study of crime in society to show how existing data sources can be utilised; relevant to a range of social science disciplines

• Outputs are a variety of free teaching and learning resources relating to social science and statistics. Materials are based on learning strategies that encourage the teaching of research methods within a substantive context

• Modules available in a variety of formats and designed to be used as part of standard classroom teaching or as additional/self-paced learning activities

Workshops & training

Service specific and joint workshops:

• Awareness days for new users

• Thematic data resources events

• Data confrontation: specific datasets; data handling skills; methodological issues; analytic skills - introductory and advanced level

• ‘Train the trainers’ workshops

• Online training materials

Outreach & Publicity

We do get out there a lot!

• conferences and workshops

• from 1 August 2006 – 31 July 2007, ESDS contributed to 176 workshops and conferences

• We trained over 300 people at 23 workshops

We are pro-active and re-active, so ask us if you want to have a workshop!

Data series oriented workshops and user meetings e.g.

• GHS User Group – March

• ESS/ISSP hands-on workshop – April

Managing and sharing research data

• Modularised workshops: consent and disclosure – March

• Data exchange tools – May

• Self-archiving and deposit: UKDA-store launch - June

Methods and teaching

• Re-using qualitative data – March, September

• Interviewing methods – May, October

Annual Conference

• International - December

Examples of events

Outreach & Publicity

Publicity

• Posters• Online guides• Brochures • Publicity database• ESDS Newsletter – UK Databytes

(published quarterly)• Articles in magazines• Via the web site

ESDS Specialist data services

Specialist data services:

– ESDS Government– ESDS

International– ESDS Longitudinal – ESDS Qualidata

•Dedicated web sites•Data and documentation

enhancements•Tailored user support•Outreach and training

ESDS Government

• Guides, e.g. Analysis guides, thematic guides

• List of government teaching datasets

• Publications database

• Mapping tool for ONS Vital Statistics (CommonGIS)• Search for variables across datasets

• List of variables that are consistent over time for specific surveys

• Survey pages for each dataset: provides the following links for each: questionnaires, starting analysis, citing this data, variable search (for selected series), FAQ

• Recent data releases

• Recent publications

ESDS Longitudinal Data

• Step-by-step guides to each dataset

• Teaching guides, e.g. BHPS guide using Nesstar

• Database of comparable indicators

• Links to other longitudinal data resources, e.g. ‘Keeping track – a guide to longitudinal resources’

• Workshops, e.g. Introductory workshop to Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) – 24 March

ESDS International data

• Dataset user guides

• Software guides, e.g. Beyond 20/20 – the online tool used for many international datasets

• Case studies

• Learning & teaching resources, e.g. Countries & citizens: Linking macro & micro data

• Directory of international data resources

ESDS Qualidata

• Dataset user guides

• Thematic resources – Criminology, Health studies, Oral history

• Re-use publications

• Case studies of re-use

• Teaching guide on interview styles

• Frequently Asked Questions

ESDS support summary

• Encourage:– researchers to consult existing data sources– use of real data in teaching and learning

• Make obtaining data more straightforward• Promotion… exploit existing and new

networks • Provide online resources• Provide user support and training

What else can we provide?

QUESTIONS

1. Come up with the 3 most common questions that you are asked in your work that are relevant to ESDS?

2. What do you think are the most important types of data for your community?

3. Name 3 things you would like from us, in order to help support your knowledge of/use of ESDS.