rccindex

Surveying, Presenting
and Evaluating
Data

by Randy Cerveny

Introduction

You are a consultant for a company whose job is to collect data by polling a sample population. Your job, as a consultant, is to provide statistical information to enable your client, a new car dealer, to build a new showroom that will provide an assortment of vehicles that will be the most likely to be sold.

The Task

The purpose of this task is to apply the knowledge you have learned in the unit "Making Sense of Data" to a real-world problem. Using the data you have collected you will defend your position to your client by constructing tables and/or graphs to illustrate specific statistical conclusions. To support your conclusion, you will write a summary that uses the data collected as defense.

Resources

Here are some links to the internet that you may use to accomplish this task..

Data Collection and Sampling

The Process

Go to a large parking lot (near a shopping center, movie theater, office building, or school) and classify at least 60 cars by the following criteria:

Style (van, truck, limousine, sports cars, compact, mid-size and so on)

Color

Approximate age

Manufacturer

American or foreign

Present the following information using a technological presentation tool (such as Power Point), or as a large poster. Report the data with at least four different displays. Choose from the list below.

Bar graph

Scatter plot

Histogram

Circle graph

Box plot

Write a paragraph to your client that summarizes and interprets your findings. Address the following points in the summary.

The quality of your sample

Time of day, week, and location, and how these variables may have affected your results

Your recommendations as to which type of automobiles should be sold in this dealership

Justifications, linked to the data you collected, for your conclusions

Evaluation

This project will count as a test grade and will be judged on the following criteria.

		Self Evaluation	Peer Evaluation	Teacher Evaluation
Neatness grammar and spelling	15
Randomness of your sample	10
Accuracy of graphs with appropriate titles, headings, scales, and calculations	40
Appropriateness of graphs	15
Appropriate and well thought out conclusion	20

Total	100

Print out a copy of this evaluation sheet, complete your self-evaluation, and share your project with a classmate, then turn in your project and this evaluation sheet for the final evaluation.

Conclusion

By completing this activity you have demonstrated your proficiency in constructing appropriate graphs that most accurately represents the collected data. Your summary should help you to evaluate the appropriateness of how your data was collected so that your client will want to recommend your future employment to his colleagues. As you reflect on your work before final evaluation, consider these questions:

Would your conclusions and recommendations be those that would provide your client the best chance to make a profit?

Would you be comfortable with your recommendations enough to use your own money to invest in this venture?

Based on a template from The Webquest Page.

Send questions of comments to Randy Cerveny

TOP