Summary

Data literacy-the ability to work with, communicate about, and utilize data to solve problems and answer questions-has become an essential skill for students and professionals alike. Statistics are a ubiquitous feature of our lives: We encounter them as students, consumers, citizens, and professionals. Becoming more data literate means learning to appreciate the power and persuasion of data while also being aware of its limitations.

The Facts On File Guide to Data Literacy introduces readers to the essential elements of exploring data and the lifecycle of a data investigation. Using specific examples, readers are guided through fundamental data literacy skills, such as reading, analyzing and placing data in context; communicating with numbers, tables, graphs, and words; asking the right questions; and becoming critical consumers of data.

Topics covered include:

• What is Data Literacy?
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Working with Data
• Data Summarization and Analysis
• Exploring and Presenting Data with Tables
• Exploring and Presenting Data with Graphs
• Exploring and Presenting Data with Words
• Using Data to Support a Thesis
• Data Pitfalls and Cautions

A glossary of terms and worksheets on analyzing a data source, organizing data questions using the Five Ws, and selecting the right graph for the data complement the text.

Specifications

eBook

About the Author(s)

Marc Isaacson is assistant professor at Augsburg College, in the Department of Business Administration and MBA Program, where he teaches courses on management information systems, introductory statistics, business analytics, and statistical literacy. Isaacson is a founding member of the National Numeracy Network. Since 2005, when he developed and taught the first online course on data literacy at Capella University, he has conducted numerous workshops on data literacy for students and professionals.

Milo Schield, Ph.D., is the statistical literacy coordinator with the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of New Mexico. He served as director of the W. M. Keck Statistical Literacy project at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, where he developed, wrote the textbook for, and taught the statistical literacy course. He is a fellow of the American Statistical Association, the U.S. representative of the International Statistical Literacy Project, the president of the National Numeracy Network, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. He has published over 70 articles on statistical literacy and operates the Web site www.statlit.org.