From Evidence to Scholarship

Transforming Undergraduate Student Research in the Digital Age

Paideia 2015 Classes

A selection of classes offered by CIS and Library staff for Paideia 2015.  For course details, visit the Paideia 2015 website (login required for full schedule).

Visual Design for Presentations 
In the academic world, teachers use visual aids (mostly PPT or Prezi) for their classes and also for conference presentations, while students use visual aids for class presentations and many will use it at work place after they graduate. In this lecture, we will discuss the design of visual aids in presentations. The way information is processed in the brain will be used as the guide of visual design. Some basic design principles will be shared, and we will look at some slide examples together. 

R for Beginners 
Join us for a 90-minute session -- a combination of presentation, hands-on work, and individual exploration -- where we will learn the basics  of how to use R, an open-source statistical package that is increasingly used by researchers across academia as well as in industry. We will analyze real-world datasets and address research questions, learning R along the way using a bottom-up approach. This class is designed for students who are new to R. (Note: You may bring your laptop if you wish.)

Introduction to Analysis Using Stata 
Getting ready to dive into your thesis? Prepping for a methods course, or just curious about technology and stats and looking to pick up new skills? Come build your familiarity with Stata, a statistical package used by the Economics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology departments at Reed. This one-hour course will take you through the basics of working with data in Stata, including creating and/or importing datasets, conducting analyses of your data, and visualizing your results. All students will work hands-on in Stata during our session.

Introduction to Analysis Using Stata (Psych Edition) 
Getting ready to dive into your thesis? Prepping for a methods course, or just curious about technology and stats and looking to pick up new skills? Come build your familiarity with Stata! This one-hour course will take you through the basics of working with data in Stata, including creating and/or importing datasets, conducting analyses of your data, and visualizing your results. All students will work hands-on in Stata during our session. Examples will be tailored to common Psychology student/staff needs, but workshop is open to all.

Data Science and Visualization 
This workshop is designed to introduce novice and advanced data users to methods of cleaning, manipulating and visualizing data. We will introduce a philosophy of data analysis and visualization that will equip attendees with an analytical framework to apply across software platforms and research projects. Using RStudio, a front-end user interface for R, and the dplyr and ggplot2 packages attendees will work together to apply this philosophy to a data set of admission and financial data from every four-year college in America. This class is designed to be relevant to both novice and experienced data analyzers.

Getting IN the map: Mapping, GIS and geospatial analysis 
Maps can be very useful for visualizing data and putting questions into spatial context. Using a geographical information system (GIS), you can also gain insights into the complexities of the data behind the map. Join this class to learn about what a GIS is and how it functions, how geospatial analysis might apply to your discipline, see some analytical tools in action, and maybe even map some local data. This is an introductory workshop (demonstration/lecture/hands-on) aimed at people with little-to-no GIS/geospatial experience. 

What if Google gets hit by a truck? Or how to prepare your stuff for long-term digital access  
What if Google gets hit by a truck? Our lives are full of important papers and digital content that we want to access for the foreseeable future. Library staff will help determine the best formats for your digital materials, share tips on prepping files, and talk about options beyond Google for long-term access. We’ll discuss the best way to digitize your papers or photos and prep it for storage. This session will be an informal discussion with time to do some hands-on work. Bring a project or your questions about digital preservation. SNACKS PROVIDED.

Putting Your Tablet to Work: Recommended Tools, Apps, and Resources 
Are you thinking about getting a tablet but not sure it's worth the investment? Do you already have a tablet and want to use it more effectively for your coursework and research? Come to this session to see how you can use a tablet to take notes, annotate and organize your course materials, create and deliver presentations, and more. The demonstration will be iPad-based, but I will focus on cross-platform apps whenever possible and provide Android equivalents.

The iPad as a viable performance/DSP/production tool 
Using a few specific apps like Animoog, iDensity, Audiobus, and Multitrack DAW, we will explore the iPad as a serious tool for music. We’ll learn about Animoog and iDensity as performance tools and learn about recording into Multitrack DAW to make a finished product. I will use the PARC iPads to create a hands-on learning environment. Limited to 8 people!

Open Access: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Affects Reedies 
The term “open access” can refer to 1) A movement that promotes the idea that scholarly journal articles, books, theses, data, and dissertations can and should be freely available to everyone; 2) A publishing model that requires authors to pay to have their books or articles published in exchange for free distribution to readers; 3) The idea that scholars should retain ownership of their work rather than signing away the rights to a journal publisher. At this session, librarians and participants will discuss each of these models and how they affect Reedies as students and scholars. We’ll also discuss ways in which we can or should promote open access at Reed. Coffee and snacks will be provided to fuel the discussion!