HOW CAN WE CAPTURE AND PRESENT QUALITATIVE DATA IN SUPPORT OF A COMMUNITY CHALLENGE RELATED TO SUSTAINABILITY, IN ITS MOST HOLISTIC DEFINITION OF THE TERM (ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL/ECONOMIC)?
Project Description: Capturing data through surveys or ‘counts’ is cheap and easy, which is great because we need numbers to help us make good decisions. In addition, the power of stories, quotes, and personal accounts from real, live people in our community can bring the data to life and help us present this information to decision-makers in an engaging and compelling way. We are looking to support your challenges related to improving sustainability locally.
My students can help most in one of these two scenarios:
1. You have a question and need ‘data’ but the data can’t easily be captured or presented in numbers. You need another form of measurement. You need to capture qualitative data.
2. You have a question AND you have numbers, and you know that bringing your quantitative data to life by adding the personal, human element to it will enhance your ability to present it in a way that will ‘speak’ to an audience, a decision-making body, or otherwise. You want to complement your quantitative data with qualitative data.
Faculty: Kate Whalen, McMaster University
Course Code: SUSTAIN 4S06 – Leadership in Sustainability
Deliverables: Primary Research (ie. conducting surveys and/or collecting data) and Secondary Research (i.e. review of literature and finding information from books and online). Other: Both an accessible, one-page, lay summary as well as an academic, publishable quality research report. All studies will be reviewed and approved by Research Ethics.
Project Start Date/Availability: Sept 2020 - April 2021
Location: Ward 1 & Ward 2
City Strategy Priority: Community Engagement and Participation, Economic Prosperity and Growth, Healthy and Safe Communities, Clean and Green, Build Environment and Infrastructure, Culture and Diversity.