Understanding Data: Praxis and Politics | project website

Understanding data: Praxis and Politics is a one year project funded by the EPSRC ( EP/R045178/1) and the HDI+ network. Here you can find a more detailed description of the grant.

We live in a datafied society where decisions taken by corporations and governments are increasingly data and algorithm-driven. Whilst data are often said to be ‘collected’ as if pre-existing, thus reflecting reality, the processes through which data are generated and communicated are neither neutral nor devoid of adverse effects. Richterich (2018) reminds us that data are socially constructed and embedded in their structures. Data are political. Therefore we need technical abilities and media literacies weaved into a critical approach to understand the socio-political and cultural mechanisms that affect individuals and groups that find themselves increasingly navigating data-driven system in their daily lives.

The project aims to design, develop and pilot an OER (open educational resource) to support educators in improving their critical data literacies. The OER will provide educators with content and analytical tools to think about real-life situations that will connect them with the most recent issues and research in the field.

The OER will be tried out in four strategic pilot institutions that kindly offered their facilities: Tangaza University College, Nairobi; Universidad de la República, Uruguay; Universidad Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona; and Bath Spa University, England. These pilots will allow us to explore what works and what doesn’t in our approach to refine/redesign the OER for a second iteration.