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Pennsylvania Data Impact Lab

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90-780

Units: 12

Description

The purpose of this course is to provide a clinical learning environment that involves the use of electronic, relational databases through original data collection as well as data obtained largely from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the US federal government. Students are expected to readily manipulate large, administrative databases to characterize a scio-economic
environment, evaluate it, and analyze the implications for changing key policy variables. They may also engage in survey research and case studies when such public databases are not readily available. Students are expected to develop an understanding of the institutional rules of current law, and predict through the manipulation of data the effects of changes in current law.

The course is organized as follows: a client, a review panel, and a professor responsible for overseeing the project and issuing a grade to each student. The course, 90780 Pennsylvania Data Laboratory, taught by Professor Robert Strauss qualifies as such a required project course for graduation.

 

https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/rs9f/runoff.pdf