Data and Tech Training Catalog
In 2016, NNIP and Microsoft’s Civic Technology Engagement Group launched a project to expand training on community data and technology for government and nonprofit staff members. It includes a brief summarizing the training landscape and action steps for various stakeholders, a guide for organizations interested in providing training, and a fact sheet summarizing results from a survey on current content and practices.
This catalog highlights examples of training courses from around the country that advance data and technology literacy. It includes descriptions and downloadable materials for primarily in-person trainings that have been conducted by local data intermediaries, nonprofits, universities, government agencies, and others. We encourage you to browse and adapt the materials to embark on training for your own community. If you would like to contribute a course to the catalog, send a note to [email protected].
Unless otherwise noted, this materials contributed to this catalog are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which means you can share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material).
Assessing Community Needs and Resources
Accessibility of material, Qualitative Data Collection, Community-Engaged Methods
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Community Tool Box
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Qualitative Data Collection
Avoid Data Pitfalls
Learning how to think critically about data
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The Polis Center at IUPUI
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General Data Literacy
Civic Data and Excel
Introduces Excel as a powerful tool for analyzing and visualizing open data
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Microsoft
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Local Data Website
Software
Software
Civic Innovation Fellowship
Offers a unique example of training college students to empower neighborhood-based elected officials on use of data and technology
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BetaNYC
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Work-related Task
Complete Count Committee 2010 Training
Provides background and training on Census-specific tasks
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Robert Goodspeed and Tia Costello
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National Data Source
Conducting a Community Needs Assessment
Offers strategies and methods for crafting needs assessments based on national, state, and local data resources and primary data collection methods
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The Children’s Trust
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Work-related Task
Data 101 with Community Facts
Illustrates basic data concepts using a local data portal by having participants complete a “data plan,” going from a basic question to data-informed analysis
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Shift Research Lab, The Piton Foundation
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General Data Literacy
Local Data Website
Local Data Website
Data 101: Data Visualization, Data Literacy, and Storytelling
Teaches foundational data literacy, including exploration of basic concepts in data visualization, storytelling, and mapping—all using printed materials without computers
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Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
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General Data Literacy
Data Analysis Basics: Using Excel Or Google Sheets
Learn to analyze data with accessible tools
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
Data Literacy
Introduces the Four C’s of understanding data—correlation, characteristic, comparison, and correlation—and has in-class exercises that can be adapted to other local websites.
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Data Spark, University of Rhode Island
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General Data Literacy
Local Data Website
Local Data Website
Data Playbook (beta)
A great source of tested materials on a variety of aspects of basic data literacy
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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
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General Data Literacy
Data Sharing, Storage, & Consent
Describes the importance of data collection and security
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Community Research Institute, Grand Valley State University
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Work-related Task
Data Training for Cities in South King County
Teaches participants to use qualitative and quantitative data to tell compelling stories about their communities and engage key stakeholders
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Public Health– Seattle and King County
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General Data Literacy
Local Data Website
National Data Source
Work-related Task
Local Data Website
National Data Source
Work-related Task
Data Usability: Designing Data for Consumption
Introduces city employees to time-saving data management, cleaning, and design concepts to simplify reporting and data analysis. Also included post-training survey to measure impact.
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DataSF, City of San Francisco
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Software
Desktop GIS 101: Analyzing Data and Creating Maps
Includes detailed exercises to walk students through introductory GIS, mapping, and spatial analysis
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University of Minnesota
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Software
Developing Your Own Community Survey
Learning the basics of survey design
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
Environmental and Sustainability Data Workshop
Introduces beginners to different types of data and their limitations in local use, it also links to research and citations for measuring sustainability
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Data Driven Detroit
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General Data Literacy
Work-related Task
Work-related Task
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
Find Existing Data
Learning the strengths, weaknesses, and costs of readily available data sets
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The Polis Center at IUPUI
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General Data Literacy
Finding And Using Data To Tell Stories
Learning to tell stories with data
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
Frame the Problem
Learning to ask measurable question
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The Polis Center at IUPUI
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General Data Literacy
How to Use Census and Other Data Sites
Trains participants to use American FactFinder to access publicly available datasets for local needs and introduces additional related tools, such as OnTheMap and the QWI Explorer
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Neighborhood Nexus
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General Data Literacy
Local Data Website
National Data Source
Local Data Website
National Data Source
Introduction to Data Analysis with R
Offers advanced training using an open-source software package available for free and applicable anywhere
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US Department of Commerce
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Software
Introduction To Data Visualization
Representing data and visualizations
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
Introduction to Statistical Analysis
Provides materials and a course outline from statistical analysis at an introductory level
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Datapolitan
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General Data Literacy
Quantitative Analysis
Quantitative Analysis
Logic Models: How to Integrate Data Collection into Your Everyday Work
Coaches local nonprofit program staff to understand how to create and measure outcomes using national and local data sources
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Community Research Institute, Grand Valley State University
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Evaluation / Program Mgmt.
Logic Models: What They Are And How They Can Help
Learning the basics of logic models
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
Navigating the Quality of Life Explorer
Offers detailed exercises for navigating the local website to access local data
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City of Charlotte
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Local Data Website
Our Data, Our Analysis
Basic introduction to data and quantitative analysis
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Data Center
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General Data Literacy
Out of the Spreadsheet and Into the Community
Introduces data to nontechnical audiences using open-source tools and creative approaches
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MIT Center for Civic Media
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General Data Literacy
Performance Analytics: Tools & Techniques
Provides local government employees foundational skills to understand and implement open data and performance analytics programs in their communities
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GovEx
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Evaluation / Program Mgmt.
Performing a Community-Based Assessment
Offers a well-documented curriculum for using qualitative and quantitative data to conduct a community needs assessment
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UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
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Work-related Task
Process Evaluation
Basics of data collection methods
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
Research Justice for All
Learning to center community knowledge to achieve research justice
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Data Center
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General Data Literacy
Step-by-step guides on simple technology to better serve voters, candidates, and poll workers
Includes a wide range of introductory training documents for work-specific tasks like social media management, Excel, and Google Forms
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The Center for Technology and Civic Life
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Work-related Task
The Basics: Focus Groups, Listening Sessions And Interviews
Learning about implementing focus groups
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Communities Count
Communities of Opportunity
Communities of Opportunity
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General Data Literacy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to Data Science for Social Good
Provides a comprehensive toolkit to build a data-based project for social good
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University of Chicago
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Quantitative Analysis
Software
Software
Using Census Data for Grant Writing and Community and Neighborhood Analysis
Teaches participants about using both local and national data sets like the American Community Survey and Decennial Census to inform their work, such as understanding the demographics of their service areas.
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CI: Now
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Local Data Website
National Data Source
Work-related Task
National Data Source
Work-related Task
Using Data to Improve Health Services
Includes explanation of demographic and health data and best practices for using data to create community profiles
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Charles Rynerson
Sheila Martin
Sheila Martin
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National Data Source
Using SAVI to Support Grant Applications
Teaches participants how data from a local data website can support stronger grant applications
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The Polis Center at IUPUI
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Local Data Website
Work-related Task
Work-related Task
Using Small Area Data
Shares the importance of neighborhood context in understanding client needs and teaches how to geocode client data and map it alongside neighborhood indicators
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NeighborhoodInfo DC
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National Data Source
Software
Evaluation / Program Mgmt.
Software
Evaluation / Program Mgmt.
We Can Be Surveyors
Learning to include community in survey design
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Data Center
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General Data Literacy
Who’s in Your Neighborhood? Using American FactFinder
Introduces participants to American FactFinder as a tool to find local data relevant to their work
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Data You Can Use Inc.
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National Data Source