The DUCK project aims to develop online training modules on Data Understanding and Communication to be implemented in CPD, VET and HE environments to develop the skills of teachers and trainers (and their students) of analyzing and presenting data, enriching their teaching practices and employability.
Industries generate more and more data (see Internet of Things, BigData, etc), and along with it the requirement of not only technical, but also strong analytical skills. Business Intelligence technology makes complex data analysis easier to perform without the need of low-level programming skills. Thus, understanding and communicating data become critical for companies, and data scientists are becoming a very scarce resource, and lack of data communication and visualization skills, including data storytelling and infographics, lack of knowledge of basic tools to analyses and present data become a serious problem for the modern labour market.
The skills of the teachers and trainers to analyse and communicate data is not just a question of the quality and the presentation of their research: it is also important to note that this issue is not only concerns the data that they have to analyze for their research work but they also have to analyse data regarding their students and their students’ needs. “Teachers are expected to analyze and interpret assessment data and make various inferences and/or decisions based on the data (e.g., student strengths and weaknesses, appropriate interventions to implement). The underlying theory is that by informing with data decisions related to instructional goals, methods, and time allocation, teachers can better target their instruction to students, ultimately resulting in higher levels of achievement.
The project will carry out:
A detailed needs analysis and best practices report on the state of the art in data understanding and communication (DUC) and especially DUC in continuous professional development (CPD) field. A thirty hours (three module) modular DUC course for teachers and trainers with guidelines of the methodological use and localization in English, Polish, Hungarian and Spanish (see the description of the original aim here). A Lessons Learned Kit (LLK) that will explain not only the benefits of the final products but also shed light on the process of developing them. A project portal and online resource center with DUC examples and activities as OERs. The resource center will be continuously enriched by new uploads, providing an affluent online learning environment for the online course. See project results for details.