Teaching and Learning Data Visualization: Ideas and Assignments

This article discusses how to make statistical graphics a more prominent element of the undergraduate statistics curricula. The focus is on several different types of assignments that exemplify how to incorporate graphics into a course in a pedagogically meaningful way. These assignments include having students deconstruct and reconstruct plots, copy masterful graphs, create one-minute visual revelations, convert tables into `pictures', and develop interactive visualizations with, e.g., the virtual earth as a plotting canvas. In addition to describing the goals and details of each assignment, we also discuss the broader topic of graphics and key concepts that we think warrant inclusion in the statistics curricula. We advocate that more attention needs to be paid to this fundamental field of statistics at all levels, from introductory undergraduate through graduate level courses. With the rapid rise of tools to visualize data, e.g., Google trends, GapMinder, ManyEyes, and Tableau, and the increased use of graphics in the media, understanding the principles of good statistical graphics, and having the ability to create informative visualizations is an ever more important aspect of statistics education

Interactive and Animated Scalable Vector Graphics and R Data Displays

We describe an approach to creating interactive and animated graphical displays using R's graphics engine and Scalable Vector Graphics, an XML vocabulary for describing two-dimensional graphical displays. We use the svg() graphics device in R and then post-process the resulting XML documents. The post-processing identities the elements in the SVG that correspond to the different components of the graphical display, e.g., points, axes, labels, lines. One can then annotate these elements to add interactivity and animation effects. One can also use JavaScript to provide dynamic interactive effects to the plot, enabling rich user interactions and compelling visualizations. The resulting SVG documents can be embedded withinHTML documents and can involve JavaScript code that integrates the SVG and HTML objects. The functionality is provided via the SVGAnnotation package and makes static plots generated via R graphics functions available as stand-alone, interactive and animated plots for the Web and other venues

'Between a Rock and a Hard Place' : Responses to Offending in Residential Childcare

There is current and ongoing concern regarding the potential criminalisation of looked after young people. This concern has been based on recent research across England and Wales which has identified that young people in care are more likely to be criminalised than their non-looked after peers (The Howard League for Penal Reform, 2016), with retrospective examinations of individuals in young offenders institutions and prisons finding they are disproportionately more likely to have been care experienced (Summerfield, 2011; Carnie and Broderick, 2015; Laming, 2016). In Scotland, less data is available and limited research attention has been paid to the responses by residential childcare workers to offending behaviour. To address these issues, this study aimed to: gather more data about police contact for offending by young people in children’s houses; to explore how practitioners make, and are supported to make, the decision to involve the police in incidents; and to survey what formal policies are in place within each local authority to aid decision making. This was achieved through the collation of ‘police contact data’ for young people placed in local authority run children’s houses over a period of six months; completion of an online survey by house managers asking them to describe the policy and/or practice guidance available to staff in relation to offending behaviour and police contact; and interviews with 27 residential workers, across two Scottish local authorities. In order to provide further context, the remaining Scottish local authorities were contacted and asked to provide written responses regarding guidance available to staff in their area in responding to offending behaviour

Money, Money, Money—Or Not! Budget Realities and Transparency in Collection Development Decision‐Making

Each library’s budget is unique; however, the importance of providing information about the budget is common across all libraries and is a critical factor in how the library is perceived by its constituents. The cost of e‐resources, balancing the collection, and optimizing a flat budget in an era of escalating costs are issues often misinterpreted by the campus community, leading to both misunderstandings and misinformation. Limited budgets, escalating prices, and new acquisitions strategies necessitate clear communication with librarians and faculty about the financial realities and complex decisions surrounding collection development. One academic library used a two‐day workshop format to inform librarians about budget realities in order to provide financial transparency and minimize concerns about budget decisions. Library administrators at a large public university met with librarians to review and clarify funding sources, allocations, expenditures, deficits, high‐cost e‐resources, collection decision factors, and strategies for acquiring content. With a fuller understanding of the complexities of budget guidelines and limitations, librarians brainstormed solutions to real life collection development scenarios. Both an information‐sharing forum and professional development event, the workshop served to update, educate, and generate discussions for both veteran and new librarians. Strategies described in this paper reflect a comprehensive public university perspective and are scalable and adaptable to other types of institutions

Master Gardeners\u27 Role in Encouraging Water Conservation Using a Rain Gauge Network

Simplicity is the key toward New Mexico residents saving water. Farmers, ranchers, and residents are more likely to learn and adopt irrigation efficient technologies that are convenient and not management intensive. They can receive instruction in one such technology through the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network (CoCoRaHS), a community-based network of volunteers working together to measure and map precipitation. The implementation and growth of this network in New Mexico began with the Master Gardeners Program. Through the act of routine measurement and spatial comparison of precipitation, participants may gain a better appreciation of their limited water resources

Reviews for Young People Aged Under 18 in Custody

This Information Sheet is designed to provide information for local authorities regarding reviews for young people aged under 18 in custody