7.12.3: Hands-On Lab Exercise
- Page ID
- 58319
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Hands-On Lab Exercise
Lab: Creating Effective Visualizations
You have a dataset of 2,000 university course evaluation records: course_name, department, enrollment, avg_rating (1-5), response_rate, instructor, semester, online_vs_inperson.
Instructions:
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Chart Selection (20 min): For each question below, choose the best chart type, justify your choice, and sketch or describe the chart: (a) How does average rating compare across departments? (b) How has enrollment trended over the last 8 semesters? (c) Is there a relationship between class size and average rating? (d) What proportion of courses are online vs in-person? (e) Which departments have the highest and lowest response rates across semesters?
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Design Makeover (20 min): You're given a poorly designed chart (describe: a 3D exploding pie chart with 15 slices, no labels, rainbow colors, titled "Data"). Redesign it following best practices. Document every change and the principle it addresses.
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Storytelling Dashboard (25 min): Design a one-page dashboard for the Dean showing the most important course evaluation insights. Include: layout sketch, 3-4 charts with types specified, a clear title/headline, annotations for key findings, and filter controls.
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Accessibility Audit (15 min): Review your dashboard design for accessibility. Test your color choices against colorblind simulation. Document changes needed.
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Narrative Write-up (10 min): Write a 3-paragraph data story summarizing the dashboard's key findings for the Dean, structured as: context → insight → recommendation.
Deliverables:
Chart selection table with justifications, before/after design makeover, dashboard layout with annotations, accessibility audit, narrative write-up.


