In this course, you will learn how to effectively explore, identify, and communicate key insights from environmental data to diverse audiences through visualization and presentation. Classes consist of lectures on key principles of effective communication, data management, and visual design, coupled with discussions, peer critiques, and hands-on visualization activities. Throughout the semester, we will introduce a variety of tools (including R, Tableau, Excel) and use these tools to develop and experimentally test alternative visualizations.
Next offered: Fall 2027
By the end of the course, students will:
Desberats, N. 2023. Practical Charts. From bookstores, Amazon, Yale library, or direct: https://practicalcharts.com/
Dougherty, J. & Ilyankou, I. 2021. Hands-On Data Visualization: Interactive storytelling from spreadsheets to code. O’Rielly. https://handsondataviz.org/.
Wilke, C. 2019. Fundamentals of Data Visualization. A primer on making informative and compelling figures. O’Reilly. https://clauswilke.com/dataviz/
Williams, R. 2015. The Non-Designers Design Book, 4th ed. Peachpit Press.
Rougier, N.P., Droettboom, M., Bourne, P.E. 2014. Ten simple rules for better figures. PLOS Computational Biology 10(9): e1003833. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003833
Hattab, G., Rhyne, T.M., Heider, D. 2020. Ten simple rules to colorize biological data visualization. PLOS Computational Biology 16(10): e1008259. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008259
Schwen, L.O. 2020. Ten simple rules for typographically appealing scientific texts. PLOS Computational Biology 16(12): e1008458. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008458
Bourne, P.E. 2007. Ten simple rules for making good oral presentations. PLOS Computational Biology 3(4): e77. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030077
Lortie, C.J. 2017. Ten simple rules for short and swift presentations. PLOS Computational Biology 13(3): e1005373. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005373
Naegle, K.M. 2021. Ten simple rules for effective presentation slides. PLOS Computational Biology 17(12): e1009554. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009554
Erren, T.C., Bourne, P.E. 2007. Ten simple rules for a good poster presentation. PLOS Computational Biology 3(5): e102. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102
Schwabish, J. 2021. Better Data Visualizations. A guide for scholars, researchers, and wonks. Columbia University Press.
Wong, D. 2013. The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics. W.W. Norton & Company.
Harford, T. 2021. The Data Detective: Ten easy rules to make sense of statistics. Riverhead Books.
https://www.practicalreporting.com/featured-blog-posts
https://www.datawrapper.de/blog
https://www.junkcharts.com/
https://filwd.substack.com/
https://flowingdata.com/
Throughout the semester, we will introduce a variety of tools (including R, Tableau, Excel) and use these tools to develop and experimentally test alternative visualizations.
Grolemund, G. 2014. Hands-On Programming with R. https://rstudio-education.github.io/hopr/
Hadley, W., Çetinkaya-Rundel, M., & Grolemund, G. 2023. R for Data Science. https://r4ds.hadley.nz/
Healy, K. 2018. Data Visualization: A practical introduction. Princeton University Press. http://socviz.co/
Schwabisch, J. 2023. Data Visualization in Excel: A guide for beginners, intermediates, and wonks.
Camões, J. 2016. Data at Work: Best practices for creating effective charts and information graphics in Microsoft Excel. (Voices That Matter) 1st Edition.
Knaflic, C.N. 2015. Storytelling with Data. https://www.storytellingwithdata.com/
Evergreen, S. 2016. Effective Data Visualization. The right chart for the right data. 2nd ed.
Schwabish, J. 2017. Better Presentations. A guide for scholars, researchers, and wonks. Columbia University Press.
Evergreen, S.D.H. 2018. Presenting Data Effectively: Communicating your findings for maximum impact. https://stephanieevergreen.com/