Community-Driven Projects - Data Sharing Systems: Supporting Quantitative Analysis across the Curriculum

Project Name: Data Sharing Systems: Supporting Quantitative Analysis across the Curriculum
Project Lead: Emmanuel I. Kaparakis, Director, Quantitative Analysis Center, Wesleyan University
Key Collaborators:

• Grinnell College, Katie Dunn, Reference & Instruction Librarian; Fred Hagemeister, Curricular Technology Specialist for the Sciences and Social Studies
• Kenyon College, Michael Roy, Vice President for Library and Information Services
• Oberlin College, Peter Naegele, Psychology Department Research Technician
• Wesleyan University, Steven Bischof, Science Librarian, Lisa Dierker, Associate Professor of Psychology; Chair, Quantitative Analysis Center Advisory Board, Henk Meij, Applications Technology Specialist

Summary: This project seeks to establish a study group that through surveys and focus groups will document current practices, identify common grounds and outline a framework for the development of a shared infrastructure. This exploratory work will be the basis of a subsequent proposal to fund the development of appropriate systems which will be submitted for consideration in early 2008.
Key audience: Librarians, academic technologists, faculty, and institutional research staff.
Intended outcomes: A primary outcome of this project will a report documenting findings. This report will be distributed though the web sites of the participating institutions as well as NITLE and organizations such as “Academic Commons.” Collaborators will also attend and discuss the report at the upcoming NITLE event on “Developing and Supporting Data Fluency” (March 13-15, 2008, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN).
Project timeline:

• October 2007
  • Preliminary conversations of working group via videoconferencing on focus group protocols and survey design.
• November
  • Regular meetings of working group via videoconferencing
  • Development of survey questions and pilot testing
  • Kick off meeting of participating schools and first set of focus groups
  • Finalize survey instrument
• December
  • Regular meetings of working group via videoconferencing
  • Analysis of evidence from first set of focus groups
  • Survey launch
• January
  • Regular meetings of working group via videoconferencing
  • Analysis of survey responses
  • Second meeting of participating schools and second set of focus groups
  • Development of recommendations and next steps
• February
  • Publication of findings
• March
  • Presentation of findings at the “Developing and Supporting Data Fluency” meeting (Macalester College, St. Paul, MN.)