MIS770 Foundation Skills in Data Analysis

Overview

For this assignment, we will use the ideas and concepts introduced in Module 1 to evaluate the presentation of information. The evaluation will centre on the suitability of Charts, Tables and/or Graphs used to represent, or visualise, data. The source document for these Charts, Tables and/or Graphs will be a published report from a Government or significant Organisation of your choice. (An example of a suitable annual report can be found at the end of this document under “Supporting Materials”.) There are many suitable reports that you can use for your evaluation and you might be comfortable selecting a document that is aligned with your current field of study. For instance, if you were a Business student then you might like to choose a listed (public) company’s Annual Investor Presentation such as the example shown under “Supporting Materials”. These types of reports can be sourced from a public company’s website (usually under Investor Centre) or the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Other suitable sources could be international organisations (e.g. World Health Organisation (WHO)), government departments or enterprises (e.g. Education Departments, water authorities, etc.). When selecting a report to evaluate, ensure that the document is publically available and has a wide selection of Charts, Tables and Graphs.

Scenario

In this assignment, you will undertake two distinct tasks divided as Part A and Part B. First, you will develop a list of generic evaluation criteria that critique valid practices when developing, or constructing, Charts, Tables and Graphs (i.e. visualisations), i.e. Part A. Second, you will use the criteria you have just developed to evaluate the suitability of the Charts, Tables and Graphs (i.e. visualisations) utilised in a publically available report of your choice (subject to theconditions listed later in this document) i.e. Part B.

Requirements

• Part A: Develop Evaluation Criteria Your evaluation criteria need to be objective, in that they stipulate the rules you would use in establishing whether a Chart, Table or Graph utilised in your selected Report, is appropriate for the data being presented. You need to make sure that each of your criterion is written in such a manner that a reasonable person can readily understand, or appreciate, the message being conveyed. You are expected to address approximately 20 criteria.

You should also group your criteria by visualisation type. For example, you might choose “Common”,  “Chart”, “Table” and “Graph”, or some other suitable grouping. You are not restricted to these specific headings. It’s also important that you number each separate criterion as you will need to refer to its specific number when undertaking Task 2.