1. Since you’ll need this data for later assignments, make sure you are keeping your files organized so you can easily find the correct data later on. Use folders and consistent file names. Once you start having a lot of projects and spreadsheets, staying organized is essential to avoid mistakes!<\/p>\n
2. We’re again going to use data from the WSU Office of Institutional Research, which manages statistics the university is required to report to the federal government. The data about tuition is listed in the \u201cTuition Overview\u201d section<\/a>. For many years, WSU published this information as an Excel file. A few years ago it was changed to a PDF file and in 2021 it was switched to a data visualization created with Tableau. <\/p>\n This change may not be interesting to most people, but it’s a great example for this course! Compared to the old Excel file, the new Tableau dashboard is easier for the average viewer to explore and immediately find information. But since the raw data is no longer available, it makes it harder for people to do their own analysis \u2014 for instance, we’re going to adjust for inflation. Professionals who work with data always<\/em> want the raw data. There is an option in Tableau to enable data downloads, but it appears WSU has not allowed that option. <\/p>\n Instead, download this file previously hosted on their site, which has been updated with the most recent information available: tuition-and-fees-annually-2022update.xlsx<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Don’t see this when you open the file? Look at the bottom and make sure you’re on the “Tuition” tab.<\/p><\/div>\n The tuition spreadsheet includes a column for the year and additional columns for different types of tuition. Here\u2019s what you need to know to understand the data:<\/p>\n Organize Your Data<\/span> When I calculate percent change, I still say the formula aloud to myself as I type it in: “Newer minus older, divided by older.”<\/p><\/div>\n 5. In the fifth column, repeat the process to calculate the percent change for out-of-state-tuition<\/strong> from 1971 to the most recent year.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/murrowcourses.com\/graphics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/WSU-tuition-tableau.png\")
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\nYou’re probably aware of inflation as a consumer concept \u2014 basically the idea that things cost more today than they used to. Whenever you look at costs over time, you have to take inflation into account. Watch this 2-minute explainer video from PBS (Part 1)<\/a>, both for the information and for seeing how they use visualizations.<\/a><\/div>\n
\n3. Open a new spreadsheet in Excel or Google Sheets, and save it with an appropriate file name. We will only be working with undergraduate tuition for this assignment.<\/em> Your first column will include the year, your second column will include in-state tuition, and your third column will include out-of-state tuition.<\/p>\n\n
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\nPercent Change<\/span>
\n4. In the fourth column, calculate the percent change of in-state tuition<\/strong> for 1971 through 2022. Percent change tells us how much something has changed as a percentage of what it was before. Let’s say the cost of something increased from $5 to $10. The cost doubled, so the percent change is 100%. The change is equivalent to 100% of the original cost.<\/p>\n\n