Are you interested in putting your research and analysis skills to use by engaging in a real project? If so, there is a seminar next quarter that might be right for you.

In Winter Quarter 2012 the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA), in collaboration with researchers from Statistics Canada and the UW Statistics Department, will hold a seminar course utilizing comprehensive data from three surveys of operators, users and non-users of public access computing venues (i.e. libraries, telecenters, cybercafés). The surveys were conducted in Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, and the Philippines. The result is a richsource of data on demographics, usage needs/behaviors, and services in thesecountries. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to the research and learn and apply quantitative research skills in a variety of ways.

Please see the attached course description (also pasted below) for more information.

For questions or further information on the seminar, including registration, contact Araba Sey (arabasey@uw.edu) or Chris Rothschild (chriskr@uw.edu).

INFX 571 C/D: TASCHA Research Seminar

Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) research seminars at the Information School offer students an opportunity to gain practical research experience with one of our many projects investigating the design, use and impact of information and communication technologies in communities facing social and economic challenges.

This Winter 2012 section focuses on the Global Impact Study of Public Access to Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs), a five-year, $7.2-million international research project sponsored by the Global Libraries initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The goal of the study is to generate evidence about the scale, character, and impacts of public access to information and communication technologies. Looking at cybercafés, telecenters and libraries, the study investigates impact in a number of areas, including communication and leisure, culture and language, education, employment and income, governance, and health.

Seminar Focus: Analysis of Survey Data on Public Access ICTs

The Global Impact Study comprises a variety of research activities, including a comprehensive set of surveys of public access venue owners/operators, users, and non-users at more than a thousand public access venues in Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, and the Philippines. The result is a rich source of data on demographics, usage needs/behaviors, and services in these countries. The seminar will focus on analysis of the survey data. This is a great opportunity to learn and apply quantitative methods in a real research context with real data. The seminar will be led by George Sciadas (Statistics Canada), Hil Lyons (UW Center for Statistical Consulting), and Araba Sey (TASCHA).

Students may contribute to the research in a variety of ways including: review of literature on public access ICT use in a variety of social settings; data coding and recoding; exploring the data from different topical angles; identifying useful subsets of the data; learning about and applying appropriate statistical methods; and analyzing, summarizing and interpreting results. Students will work individually or in teams to do all of the above, carving out a well-defined project to be completed by the end of the quarter.

Student Expectations

Students will gain new skills in working on this project. However, the seminar is not intended to be solely a learning experience; activities are intended to feed into the project’s survey data analysis strategy and produce tangible outputs for the project. Participation will involve an active application of the skills and knowledge that students already have.

Necessary Skills for the Course

A variety of skills and background will be useful for the course due to the number of components in conducting real research. Skills need not be uniform for all students, as diverse skills and backgrounds can complement each other. It is not necessary to be a statistics expert for this course, but familiarity with quantitative social science research and statistical software (e.g. SPSS) is a plus. Creative thinking, self-motivation, and the ability to thrive in collaborative settings are also highly valued.

For questions or more information on the seminar, including registration, contact Chris Rothschild (chriskr@uw.edu) or Araba Sey (arabasey@uw.edu).

Melody Clark

Research Coordinator | Global Impact Study

Technology & Social Change (TASCHA)

melclark@uw.edu | 206.685.7819

Twitter: @ictimpact