ETU Courses - Administrative Data 101 online workshop

This workshop explains the basics of what administrative data are, where they come from, how they can be used for research, what the data produced for a research project actually look like and what skills are needed to work with them.

This workshop also provides an overview of the access policy / application process at Population Data BC.

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will have detailed information on working with administrative data, opportunities and challenges, and the resources available to help them understand and analyse the data.

Upon completing this workshop, you will be able to:

Describe what administrative data are and where they come from.
Convey Population Data BC’s mission and objectives.
Identify the benefits and limitations of administrative data.
Translate (at least simple) research questions to requests for access to data.
Articulate the expectations of researchers in using administrative data for research purposes.
Understand what the data will look like and know how to prepare accordingly.
Identify where to go for further information.

How the Online Workshop works

In order to complete the online Administrative Data 101 workshop, you will need to view all the workshop presentations listed below. To view these workshops, you will have to have some specific software installed on your computer.

If viewing the htm versions, you will need a Flash Player/plugin (version 8 or better). You can download the Flash player from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer.
If viewing the mp4 versions then you will need QuickTime (or iTunes). You can download QuickTime from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/, and you can download iTunes from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/.

Workshop presentations

1. Introduction (1:43)

2. What are administrative data? (16:24) - A description of what administrative data are and where they come from.

3. What is Population Data BC? (8:14) - A brief history of Population Data BC, and a description of its purpose.

4. How can administrative data be used for research? (8:47) - A discussion of how you can use administrative data for research.

5. What is the access process? (12:43) - An overview of the access/application process at Population Data BC.

6. What will the data look like and how can I work with them? (7:48) - A brief description of what administrative data look like when you receive them, as well as a discussion on how to begin working with them.