Making Sense of Data in the Media
Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more This course is open to anyone who wants to know how to make sense of social statistics and economic data in the media. It will be particularly useful to first-year undergraduate students studying social science, as well as school leavers who are thinking about taking a social science or quantitative social science degree. You can use the hashtag #FLstats to talk about this course on social media.
Topics Covered- Recognising the ‘size’ of numbers that are reported in the media.
- How change and risk are reported.
- How social statistics are created, paying particular attention to survey data.
- What we can learn from census categories.
- The different ways that surveys can be conducted and the impact that different formats can have on the results.
- How to draw a representative sample from a population.
- Sources of measurement error in surveys.
- Measuring sensitive or difficult subjects.
- Checking whether data is trustworthy by reviewing the methodology.
- How to calculate the Margin of Sampling Error (MoSE).
- The difference between correlation and causation.
- Where to find existing sources of data.
- How to develop a quantitative research project.
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| Rating | 4.6★ based on 8 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 3 weeks |
| Effort | 3 hours per week |
| Starts | Jan 20 (223 weeks ago) |
| Cost | $44 |
| From | The University of Sheffield via FutureLearn |
| Instructors | Todd Hartman, Mark Taylor, Aneta Piekut, Gioia Iacopini, Joshua Townsley, James Weinberg |
| Download Videos | Only via web browser |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Programming Humanities Social Sciences |
| Tags | C R Politics & the Modern World |
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What people are saying
examples were thought provoking
The examples were thought provoking and manageable.
help me produce sound
I feel confident to use this information in a project I am preparing for to help me produce sound evidence for my area of concern.
media provides valuable resources
I would most definitely recommend it to everyone who likes to understand how the modern world is impacting on us daily, often without enough defenses on our part to protect our own freedoms Making Sense of Data in the Media provides valuable resources (links to reputable data gathering organizations) along with tools for dissecting headlines and content in all forms of media.
often without enough defenses
can directly apply
I particularly liked that the course moved beyond just media style data reporting into data gathering, sampling , etc that I can directly apply to my work when dealing with research agencies.
deep suspicion until
I treat every survey I now read about or see on TV with deep suspicion until I know where it comes from.
might be accurate
The course gave enough resources that one could learn to determine where the data was coming from and possibly why or why not it might be accurate.
most definitely recommend
moved beyond just
futurelearn courses
One of the best of the FutureLearn courses I have done.
it highlighted
IT highlighted the pitfalls to look out for.
comfortable ease
I went through it with comfortable ease.
Careers
An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile.
Lecturer, Social Science and Humanities $28k
Secondary Social Science Educator $58k
Professor of Social Science and History $58k
Social Science Analyst 2 $61k
Secondary Social Science $64k
Social Science Researcher $70k
Social Science Librarian $77k
Social Science Technician $85k
Social Science Adjunct $95k
Associate Professor of Social Science $131k
Chair, Division of Social Science $146k
Chairman, Social Science Department $336k
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| Rating | 4.6★ based on 8 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 3 weeks |
| Effort | 3 hours per week |
| Starts | Jan 20 (223 weeks ago) |
| Cost | $44 |
| From | The University of Sheffield via FutureLearn |
| Instructors | Todd Hartman, Mark Taylor, Aneta Piekut, Gioia Iacopini, Joshua Townsley, James Weinberg |
| Download Videos | Only via web browser |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Programming Humanities Social Sciences |
| Tags | C R Politics & the Modern World |
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