Doing what works in teaching with data: quantitative data and data skills in UK social science higher education teaching

This presentation looks at how quantitative data is being used in social science teaching in UK Higher Education. Discussions on the teaching of research methods have emphasised the role of data as a pedagogical hook; data is important for making research methods engaging and knowable to students. We consider the question of what data lecturers use in their teaching and how and why do they use it. We explored these questions with lecturers in a mixed method study that combined a survey and interviews and found how lecturers identify ‘what works.’ What works is shaped by multiple factors including the work involved in finding and preparing data for teaching as well as wider orientations towards teaching quantitative research and data skills as part of a broader curriculum. The talk concludes with insights into what makes good data for teaching and a discussion of the challenges around introducing programming into the curriculum.