Activities and Examples: Using Data in the Classroom Today

This collection contains links to on-line activities for teaching STEM concepts with data of all types and examples that describe ways in which on-line, published, and student-collected data are currently used in teaching and learning.

Show more background about the examples

This collection includes both data activities identified from across the web as well as a local example collection.

The initial example collection was created in collaboration with the Geological Society of America where the examples were given in a poster session "Using Data to Teach Earth Processes: An Illustrated Community Discussion" sponsored by the NAGT On the Cutting Edge program. We invite you to contribute additional examples in any of the STEM disciplines.

Each example includes a description of the activity, its learning goals, the context in which it is used, information on the needed data, tools, and activities and suggestions for evaluation.

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Coke vs. Pepsi Taste Test: Experiments and Inference about Cause part of CAUSE Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
The Coke vs. Pepsi Taste Test Challenge has students design and carry out an experiment to determine whether or not students are able to correctly identify two brands of cola in a blind taste test. In the first ...

Reese's Pieces Activity: Sampling from a Population part of CAUSE Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
This activity uses simulation to help students understand sampling variability and reason about whether a particular samples result is unusual, given a particular hypothesis. By using first candies, then a web applet, and varying sample size, students learn that larger samples give more stable and better estimates of a population parameter and develop an appreciation for factors affecting sampling variability.

Using an Applet to Demonstrate Confidence Intervals part of CAUSE Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
Students will utilize an applet to further expand their knowledge of confidence intervals.

Simulating the Effect of Sample Size on the Sampling Distribution of the Mean part of CAUSE Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
A java applet that simulates the sampling distribution of the mean. It allows students to explore the effect of sample size.

Simulating Size and Power Using a 10-Sided Die part of CAUSE Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
This group activity illustrates the concepts of size and power of a test through simulation. Students simulate binomial data by repeatedly rolling a ten-sided die, and they use their simulated data to estimate the size of a binomial test.

Influence of Outliers on Correlation part of CAUSE Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
In this visualization activity, students will observe their instructor create a scatterplot and observe how the correlation coefficient changes when outlier points are added. Students are then given a follow up assignment which guides them through the applet. In addition, the assignment provides insight about outliers and their effect on correlation.

Conservation of energy of while rolling down a hill part of comPADRE Pedagogic Library:Teaching with Data:Examples
Students analyze video clips of kids rolling down a hill on skates, scooters, and bikes to determine whether mechanical energy is conserved.

Simulating a P-value for Testing a Correlation with Fathom part of CAUSE Teaching Methods:Teaching with Data Simulations:Examples
This activity has students use Fathom to test the correlation between attendance and ballpark capacity of major league baseball teams by taking a sample of actual data and scrambling one of the variables to see how the correlation behaves when the variables are not related. After displaying the distribution of correlations for many simulated samples, students find an approximate p-value based on the number of simulations that exceed the actual correlation.

Microsoft Excel Basic Tutorial part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with Data:Examples
This assignment walks students through the creation of an Excel spreadsheet, step by step. It includes numerical fills via copy, creation of fixed and relative formulas, formula fill via copy, and some summary ...