New Computer-Based Training for National Center for Education Statistics Complex Survey Data Sets

• Activity Number: 499
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Andrew A. White*+
• Companies: National Center for Education Statistics
• Keywords: Online ; NCES ; File ; Training ; Complex Survey Analysis ; Computer-based

Abstract

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has begun developing online, self-paced, computer-based training (CBT) modules to facilitate and encourage interested researchers, students, policy analystsrs, and practitioners to make hands-on use of its detailed public use and restricted access complex survey data sets. Although NCES also disseminates information from its many data collection programs through publications, online tabulations, and basic online data analysis tools, more advanced research questions and finer grained analyses using our detailed data sets are best addressed by using special survey software that accommodates complex designs through appropriate weighting and variance estimation routines. An update on the development process will be offered including presentation of the basic format, structure, functionality, and content of the CBT modules, along with a draft release schedule for modules pertaining to specific surveys.