Crafting Data Stories

Overview

This course aims to teach learners how to find and analyze data effectively to craft compelling data stories. By the end of the course, students will be able to think with a data frame of mind, find interesting datasets, conduct exploratory analysis, work with complex data relationships, and craft narratives based on data results. The course covers skills such as scraping data from websites, building data biographies, cleaning and prepping data, working with multiple variables simultaneously, and using tools like Tableau Stories. The teaching method involves a combination of theoretical concepts, practical exercises, and real-world examples. This course is intended for journalists, data analysts, researchers, and anyone interested in telling stories with data.

Syllabus

Module 1: Finding your best sources: Topics and datasets

This week you will learn
How to think with a data frame of mind
Where to find interesting and useful data
What different types of data can tell you
How to scrape data from websites

Module 2: The Secret to a great data story: Data biographies

This week you will learn
Why taking the time to deeply understand your data is essential
How to build a data biography
To understand sampling and margins of error
How to clean and prep your data efficiently and effectively

Module 3: Finding potential stories in your dataset: Exploratory Analysis

This week you will learn
To distinguish between different types of data
How to conduct exploratory analysis of numbers
Where to start with analyzing text data
To develop your ideal story analysis plan

Module 4: The plot thickens: Next steps in analysis for your data story

This week you will learn
To work with many variables at the sample time
How to avoid common mistakes in your analysis
What it means to build and use a data model
To understand and use cause and effect in data
The different types of data narratives

Module 5: More advanced analysis for your data

This week you will learn
The details of working with complex data relationships
To build a multivariate model for your data
How to craft a basic map
The importance of mediators and confounders in your data story

Module 6: How to craft a narrative based on your data

This week you will learn
The first steps in writing about data results
How to use Tableau Stories to create action and plot
Best practices for explaining uncertainty in your stories
To harness the power of different types of data storytelling