Data Visualizations in the Wild

Abstract

This assignment asks students to apply principles of information visualization learned in class to a chart, graph, or infographic they find on the internet and to analyze that visualization to determine its credibility. The assignment was designed as part of a credit course on advanced research skills, but could also be adapted for use during a one-shot instruction session, especially if the instructor supplied sample visualizations to students. The goal of the assignment is to reinforce best practices of information visualization and to give students the skills needed to perform their own analyses of charts, graphs, and infographics they come across in their research and in their daily lives.