Data Literacy Posts

Two field researchers reviewing data with quote: "Our definition and framework start with the existence of data itself—the ability to identify data as data.”
October 7, 2025

Defining Data and Data Literacy, Step 1 

by Amanda Laury Kleintop  

When I, along with my CEL Scholar colleague Dr. Cora Wigger, describe our CEL project about data literacy and data justice to colleagues, we’re confronted with the same problem: every academic in every discipline defines “data” differently. As a historian…

Students can struggle to understand that who collects, who reports, and who disseminates information can all be different. These are questions students must learn to ask of their data, and answering those questions is a skill they must spend time practicing.”
August 5, 2025

Learning Your Data: Teaching with Data Biographies 

by Cora Wigger

“It’s not ethical to use a dataset without spending time getting a very good understanding of what the data means.”  Heather Kraus When I started teaching an applied statistics class for undergraduates, I resolved to give my students as much…

"Instead of saying ‘it’s biased,’ we want students to be able to explain how something is biased, how we can learn from it, and how to use that knowledge to take steps to keep improving upon our understandings of the world.”
July 22, 2025

Data Literacy in Engaged Learning: Understanding Bias

by Amanda Kleintop and Cora Wigger

Over my career as a student and professor, I (Amanda) have come to learn, with the help of my colleague Dr. Cora Wigger that understanding bias in research is essential to understanding causes and perpetuation of racism. In my first…