Data Analysis Workshops Half-Day or Full-Day

Overview

Ever feel like you’re swimming upstream in data? Need to make sense of spreadsheets, but not sure where to start? Have a gut feeling that you’re not getting the most out of common software programs like Microsoft Excel? This workshop is for you! We’ll cover beginner, intermediate, and advanced data analysis skills from vlookup to pivot tables. The workshop will utilize sample spreadsheets that are commonly encountered by researchers, such as survey data, outcome data, demographic data, and more.

After this hands-on workshop, participants will be able to:

• Merge data from multiple sheets and files into a single master spreadsheet;
• Organize spreadsheets by adding filters and freezing panes;
• Clean and recode raw data to get it ready for analysis;
• Run descriptive statistics, frequencies, and inferential statistics;
• Explore data more fully through pivot tables;
• Think creatively about what patterns the data might show; and
• Visualize data through effective and easy-to-ready charts.

Target Audience

Beginner and intermediate Excel users who use spreadsheets for anything from storing statistical data, analyzing survey results, budgeting, or organizing participant contact information.

Agenda

Each segment begins with a demonstration, followed by hands-on practice using one of the sample datasets described below.

• Importing and Merging Data (e.g., combining several spreadsheets or files together into a master spreadsheet that can be used for analysis)
  • Text to columns
  • vlookup and hlookup
• Housekeeping
  • Data management best practices (e.g., contiguous cells, raw and clean data sheets)
  • Freezing panes
  • Adding filters
  • Setting up Tables
• Data Cleaning
  • Checking for missing data
  • Checking for duplicates
  • Recoding variables (e.g., IF and nested IF functions)
• Data Analysis
  • Exploring preliminary patterns (e.g., spark lines, conditional formatting)
  • Interval or ratio data (e.g., central tendency, dispersion, quartiles)
  • Nominal/ordinal data (e.g., frequencies via countif, countifs, sumif, sumifs)
  • Inferential statistics (e.g., t-tests, statistical plug-ins)
  • Pivot tables for near-instant analysisVDesign principles and best practices
  • Five big-picture strategies for creating visualizations in Excel (e.g., invisible segments)
  • Hands-on tutorials (e.g., dot plots, slope graphs, small multiples bar charts, panel line graphs)Data Bisualization (optional module)
• Individual Work Time and Consultations

Length

Half-day or full-day. Longer workshops allow for more hands-on practice.

Datasets

We can use one of my sample datasets or apply the skills to your organization’s data. Sample datasets include:

• Census data with county-level population trends for DC, Maryland, and Virginia (e.g., number of males and females, breakdown by age categories).
• Alumni donations to a university (e.g., number of donors and donation amount by graduation year).
• Professional society membership patterns (imaginary individual-level dataset including demographic fields such as birthdate, address, gender, and race/ethnicity).
• Responses to an end-of-program satisfaction survey (a dozen closed-ended opinion questions on an agree/disagree scale plus several open-ended questions).

About the Instructor

Ann K. Emery, M.S. is an independent consultant who specializes in data analysis and visualization. She is Co-Chair of the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) Data Visualization and Reporting Topical Interest Group, Secretary for the Washington Evaluators, Advisory Board Member for AEA’s Potent Presentations Initiative, member of the Nonprofit Technology Network’s Research Committee, and a past conference planner for the Eastern Evaluation Research Society. She has taught workshops about data analysis, data visualization, and dashboards for dozens of nonprofits, foundations, and professional societies, and co-authored the Data Visualization Checklist with Stephanie Evergreen.

| www.annkemery.com | (703) 419-3914

Learn More

Please contact me to discuss your desired customizations and my rates and availability.