Making History Count: simple steps towards understanding numbers in history

Status: in progress

Description

The project will develop a set of interactive web-based tutorials covering basic statistical calculations and will present them using historical data in a straightforward manner suitable for complete novices. Self-contained tutorials will be readily understood. They could be used singly to enhance understanding of a specific approach to understanding data, or as a course of instruction, and are intended to make every undergraduate in history and history related subjects entirely comfortable with the elementary manipulation of numbers. The elements proposed can also be embedded within more specialist course, with lecturers turning to one of the tutorials as a means of enriching the understanding of students while simultaneously developing their numeracy skills.

The project will draw historical data from different periods and historical sub-disciplines - from political history, medieval history, economic history, cultural, environmental and other histories. The rationale for this is that over the years teaching experience in labs has shown that historians will pay more attention to the statistical techniques that have a direct dividend to their subject matter. Calculations using national income data is thus discounted by political historians as being the territory of economic historians, and so on.
As a nation, we are more innumerate than we are illiterate. There are almost three times more UK adults (15.1 million) with poor numeracy than with poor literacy skills. Employers have become increasingly concerned about the poor numerical skills of their employees, including graduates, and according to a CBI survey in 2007, one in five was less than happy with the numerical competence of graduates. In England HEFCE are particularly concerned with the poor numeracy skills, and Historical Studies have come under particular scrutiny in this regard.
Yet, the numerical skills they are looking for are quite basic - often no more than the ability to do simple mental arithmetic, interpret data and extract relevant information from tables and graphs. We believe that History is well-placed to equip its undergraduates with the sort of numerical skills that employers demand. Equally we believe that the acquisition of such skills contributes to student understanding of the subject.

We intend to construct a short learning module which will become compulsory for all 3rd year historians, to guide them in the use of statistical analysis for historical research data. This module will be specifically relevant to students enrolled in History subjects, will use examples and case-studies from a History context and focus on techniques which are useful to Historians.
The project will develop a set of interactive web-based tutorials covering basic statistical calculations and will present them using historical data in a straightforward manner suitable for complete novices. Self-contained tutorials will be readily understood. They could be used singly to enhance understanding of a specific approach to understanding data, or as a course of instruction, and are intended to make every undergraduate in history and history related subjects entirely comfortable with the elementary manipulation of numbers. The elements proposed can also be embedded within more specialist course, with lecturers turning to one of the tutorials as a means of enriching the understanding of students while simultaneously developing their numeracy skills.

The project will draw historical data from different periods and historical sub-disciplines - from political history, medieval history, economic history, cultural, environmental and other histories. The rationale for this is that over the years teaching experience in labs has shown that historians will pay more attention to the statistical techniques that have a direct dividend to their subject matter. Calculations using national income data is thus discounted by political historians as being the territory of economic historians, and so on.
As a nation, we are more innumerate than we are illiterate. There are almost three times more UK adults (15.1 million) with poor numeracy than with poor literacy skills. Employers have become increasingly concerned about the poor numerical skills of their employees, including graduates, and according to a CBI survey in 2007, one in five was less than happy with the numerical competence of graduates. In England HEFCE are particularly concerned with the poor numeracy skills, and Historical Studies have come under particular scrutiny in this regard.
Yet, the numerical skills they are looking for are quite basic - often no more than the ability to do simple mental arithmetic, interpret data and extract relevant information from tables and graphs. We believe that History is well-placed to equip its undergraduates with the sort of numerical skills that employers demand. Equally we believe that the acquisition of such skills contributes to student understanding of the subject.

We intend to construct a short learning module which will become compulsory for all 3rd year historians, to guide them in the use of statistical analysis for historical research data. This module will be specifically relevant to students enrolled in History subjects, will use examples and case-studies from a History context and focus on techniques which are useful to Historians.

Richard Rodger
University of Edinburgh
richard.rodger@ed.ac.uk

Start date

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