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Web-Based Instruction

Instructional Web Sites

Three online instructional modules teach students how to use sophisticated analytical tools to perform basic social science functions.

  • Conducting a Literature Search
  • Investigating the concept of social capital
  • Analyzing Voting Behavior in the 2008 election

Exploring Data Through Research Literature external link

This instructional module teaches students how to conduct a literature search in the social sciences. It includes three exercises that require students to explore research on social science topics by using ICPSR's Bibliography of Data-Related Literature. The exercises show how researchers pose their questions, conduct secondary analysis on existing datasets, and confirm conclusions by analyzing data from multiple sources.

Investigating Community and Social Capital external link

This module introduces the methods of quantitative social science research with a case study examining Robert D. Putnam's arguments about the decline of social capital, as discussed in his influential book Bowling Alone. Students learn to replicate and extend Putnam's analysis. Students learn about units of analysis, levels of measurement, and longitudinal versus cross-sectional analysis. Exercises include creating line graphs to look at change over time, creating measures such as a social capital index, and running crosstabulations and correlations. This resource is intended to enhance courses in disciplines such as political science, public administration and policy, and sociology.

Voting Behavior external link

These modules, examining US voting behavior, are part of a series of Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political Science (SETUPS), sponsored by ICPSR and the American Political Science Association. The modules are based on the American National Election Study (ANES) data. They provide background on the elections, explain the dataset of voting behavior, and show students how to analyze the data and interpret the results.

Webinars

ICPSR conducts online webinars about using data in social science research. The recorded webinars and the accompanying PowerPoint presentations can be viewed or downloaded at the Data User Help Center.

These topics are currently available:

  • Finding what you want on the ICPSR Web site
  • Analyzing ICPSR data online
  • Creating setup files for SPSS
  • Debugging SAS, SPSS, and Stata code
  • Using ICPSR data to teach deviance and other social science concepts
  • Enhancing analysis of racially and ethnically underrepresented populations in the U.S.

Data Use Tutorial

The ICPSR Data Use Tutorial is a concise guide to finding, downloading, and importing data into statistical analysis software.