Data Cleansing and Visualization
Summary
Materials
Instructional Activities and Classroom Assessments
- Next Steps (5 minutes)
- Challenges with Processing Data (20 minutes)
- Chart Types (20 minutes)
- Homework
Learning Objectives
Essential Knowledge
- DAT-2.C.1 The ability to process data depends on the capabilities of the users and their tools.
- DAT-2.C.2 Data sets pose challenges regardless of size, such as:
- The need to clean data
- Incomplete data
- Invalid data
- The need to combine data sources
- DAT-2.C.3 Depending on how data were collected, they may not be uniform. For example, if users enter data into an open field, the way they choose to abbreviate, spell, or capitalize something may vary from user to user.
- DAT-2.C.4 Cleaning data is a process that makes the data uniform without changing their meaning (e.g., replacing all equivalent abbreviations, spellings, and capitalizations with the same word).
- DAT-2.D.1 Programs can be used to process data to acquire information.
- DAT-2.D.2 Tables, diagrams, text, and other visual tools can be used to communicate insight and knowledge gained from data.
- DAT-2.D.3 Search tools are useful for efficiently finding information.
- DAT-2.D.4 Data filtering systems are important tools for finding information and recognizing patterns in data.
- DAT-2.D.5 Programs such as spreadsheets help efficiently organize and find trends in information
- DAT-2.D.6 Some processes that can be used to extract or modify information from data include the following:
- Transforming every element of a data set, such as doubling every element in a list, or adding a parent's email to every student record.
- Filtering a data set, such as keeping only the positive numbers from a list, or keeping only students who signed up for band from a record of all the students.
- Combining or comparing data in some way, such as adding up a list of numbers, or finding the student who has the highest GPA.
- Visualizing a data set through a chart, graph, or other visual representation.
- DAT-2.E.1 Programs used in an iterative and interactive way when processing information to allow users to gain insight and knowledge about data.
- DAT-2.E.2 Programmers can use programs to filter and clean digital data, thereby gaining insight and knowledge.
- DAT-2.E.3 Combining data sources, clustering data, and classifying data are parts of the process of using programs to gain insight and knowledge from data.
- DAT-2.E.4 Insight and knowledge can be obtained from translating and transforming digitally represented information.
- DAT-2.E.5 Patterns can emerge when data are transformed using programs.
Details
0. Before class
- Decide how much time you will give students to collect responses to their surveys.
- Enter the amount of time you will give students to collect responses on the second slide of the PowerPoint.
- Watch the video on the For Teacher - Analyzing Data in Excel page.
- Review resources on Survey Chart Help page.
1. Next steps (5 minutes)
- Explain to students the next steps for the project:
- Monitoring the survey responses.
- Promoting the survey to increase response numbers.
- Set a goal of at least 50 responses.
- Tell students how long they will have to collect their responses.
2. Challenges with processing data (10 minutes)
- Discuss the challenges with processing data.
- Discuss what cleansing data is.
- Play the Flash Fill and Auto Fill videos on the website.
- Encourage students to practice cleansing data with the Excel spreadsheet on the Sample Survey Responses page.
3. Chart types (10 minutes)
- Explore Chart types in Office webpage.
- Discuss the types of charts students learned about on the webpage.
- Encourage students to practice creating charts with the Excel spreadsheet on the Sample Survey Responses page.
4. Homework
- Reflect on what they have learned working through the data science process by completing the Data Science Process Reflection page.