eLearnAfrica
Data Literacy for Journalists
The University of Sheffield
  • Start Date: 23 May, 2022
  • 6 weeks
  • Study Content: Videos


Expand your understanding of data journalism and grow your data literacy skills.

Course Fee: Free
Certificate Cost: See Fees and Eligibility
Enrol Now

Course Description

Understand the role and importance of data for journalism


With a world increasingly driven by data, knowledge of data and skills to handle data have become increasingly important for journalists.


This six-week course from the University of Sheffield and Reach PLC will empower you with the skills to understand, use, and report data accurately and ethically.


After completing this course, you will improve your data literacy and have the foundational knowledge and skills to use data for journalism.


Learn how to use FOI techniques for data collection


The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act is an important tool for journalists that allows access to and publishing of information held by public authorities.


You’ll learn to use FOI to access and collate information and improve your data collection skills to create comprehensive datasets.


Discover how to clean data, perform data analysis and present data


While data is powerful, it is not valuable in its raw form. As a data journalist, you will be required to transform raw data into information that can be easily understood and utilised.


On this course, you’ll learn to identify basic errors in data, prepare data for analysis, and improve your understanding of data. These skills will help you to present data and create valuable insights and information that can be used to enrich journalistic reporting.


Explore data ethics with the University of Sheffield and Reach PLC


Data ethics is an essential topic in data journalism. As a journalist, you need to employ ethical principles and fair practice in the analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data.


With the expertise of your course educators, you’ll be equipped with the skills you need in order to present accurate, impartial, and informative data that protects sensitive and personal information and serves to further knowledge and understanding.


This course is designed for working journalists and students of journalism who want to improve their data literacy and use data in their journalism.


    • Certificate cost may vary. You will be redirected to the host page for cost and payment options.

    • The University of Sheffield

      The University of Sheffield is one of the world’s top 100 universities with a reputation for teaching and research excellence.

      The University of Sheffield’s diverse student population of nearly 25,000 of the brightest students from 117 countries learn alongside over 1,200 of the world’s top academics. The campus is based in the heart of Sheffield, a large, green city in the north of England.

      Leading experts teach on the University’s courses and its students rated their learning experience as the best in the UK in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Awards, 2014-15.

      The University conducts research that matters. In the most recent UK Research Excellence Framework, 86 per cent of its research was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent. The University has five Nobel Prize winners among its former staff and students.

      It uses its research power to tackle big problems; global issues such as climate change and sustainable energy. It is reinventing engineering, changing the landscape of urban regeneration, protecting the vulnerable and standing up for freedom of expression.

      The University remains true to the ideals of its 1905 founders and works hard to ensure that people from all backgrounds have opportunities to learn and the chance to fulfil their potential.

       

    • You may be able to download course materials after enrolling in this course. If not, all of the necessary course materials provided by the course instructor will be available on the provider's course page.
    • COLLABORATION POLICY

      By enrolling in a course on or through eLearnAfrica, you are joining a special worldwide community of learners. The aspiration of eLearnAfrica is to provide anyone with an internet connection access to courses from the best universities and institutions in the world and to provide our learners the best educational experience internet technology enables. You are a part of the community that will help eLearnAfrica achieve this goal. eLearnAfrica depends upon your motivation to learn the material and to do so with honesty and academic integrity. In order to participate in eLearnAfrica, you must agree to the Honor Code below and any additional terms specific to a class.

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      CHANGING THE HONOR CODE

      Please note that we review and may make changes to this Honor Code from time to time. Any changes to this Honor Code will be effective immediately upon posting on this page, with an updated effective date. By accessing the App and/or Site after any changes have been made, you signify your agreement on a prospective basis to the modified Honor Code and any changes contained therein. Be sure to return to this page periodically to ensure familiarity with the most current version of this Honor Code.

      Effective Date: September 22, 2016