Presentation of Graphical Information

Assignment
Description
OverviewFormatting Guidelines
Overview
Graphics are a common way to convey statistical information in an easily digestible way. That said, not all graphics clearly display statistical information.
A learning objective of this course is to be able to be critical of and differentiate between a variety of statistical tools. Consequently, the intention of this assignment is to build literacy around statistics and how they are represented (e.g., in graphics or tables).
Instructions
STEP 1: Review
Begin by viewing the video “How to Spot a Misleading Graphic”Links to an external site..

STEP 2: Find a graphic

STEP 3: Write

STEP 4: Proofread & Submit
Rubric
Rubric for Application Assignments
Rubric for Application Assignments
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeArgument 5 pts
Full Credit
Argument is on-point, clear, logical, and well-articulated 2.5 pts
Partial Credit
Argument is somewhat ambiguous or not fully developed 0 pts
No Credit
Argument is weak, unclear, irrelevant, or disrespectful
5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSupporting Material 3 pts
Full Credit
Material strongly supports argument and is drawn from supplemental material and/or text 1.5 pts
Partial Credit
Material is inadequate for supporting argument 0 pts
No Credit
Material does not support argument
3 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCompleteness 2 pts
Full Credit
Fully and directly responds to the prompt 1 pts
Partial Credit
Responds partially to the prompt or does not address all elements of the prompt 0 pts
No Credit
Does not address any of the requirements of the prompt or is totally inaccurate
2 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeReadability and Grammar 2 pts
Full Credit
No discernible spelling and/or grammatical errors. 1 pts
Partial Credit
Includes incomplete sentences or bullet points; 1-2 spelling and/or grammatical errors 0 pts
No Credit
The response is unintelligible or indecipherable; multiple spelling and/or grammatical errors
2 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeNumber of References 1 pts
Full Credit
Meets required number of references 0.5 pts
Partial Credit
Less than the required number of references 0 pts
No Credit
No references
1 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeAssignment Length 1 pts
Full Credit
Meets length requirement with no “fluff” 0.5 pts
Partial Credit
Very close to length requirement, but not quite 0 pts
No Credit
Inadequate length
1 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCitations 1 pts
Full Credit
Consistently uses APA format 0.5 pts
Partial Credit
Uses APA format, with some errors 0 pts
No Credit
Does not use APA format
1 pts
Total Points: 15
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Begin by viewing the video “How to Spot a Misleading Graphic”Links to an external site..

Next, find a graphic in news media that displays some sort of statistical information in graphical form (i.e., not a table or frequency distribution) that was published in the last month. Be sure to reference the data of the publication in your paper. Here is an example sentence (which you can use) “In the article ‘How is the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Going in Your State?’, published on May 7th, 2021…”

Once you choose a graphic, analyze the graphic then discuss why the graphic is unclear, confusing, or misleading. In your discussion, be sure to discuss your reasons for why the graphic is unclear, confusing, or misleading terms of labels, numbers, scale and context which were discussed in the video “How to Spot a Misleading Graphic.”
As an example of the types of questions to raise in your analysis, I point out a couple of issues I have with the graphic below (which states lead in vaccinations). I’ve put these issues in bullet-point form. Note that in your paper, you cannot use bullet points and should instead convey and elaborate upon your reasons for why the graphic is unclear, confusing, or misleading in essay form. If you want to see the full article, read “How Is The COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Going In Your State?”Links to an external site..
• Why are the sizes of the circles representing states different? What does that convey to the viewer/reader? There is some text describing the size of the circle, but hard to read and easy to miss.
• What is the y-axis? What is higher on the graphic or lower on the graphic? The scale of the graphic is unknown.
• The different colors of blue overlap in space on the graphic; I don’t know what the blue gradient means. The labels for the colors are missing.
• Proofread your assignment for spelling, grammar, APA, and content. Consider reading it aloud to yourself to more easily identify errors.
• Submit your assignment according to the Formatting Guidelines. Assignments should be submitted as a Word document (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text file (.rtf).