Open, online text
Posted to LinkedIn on 2026-05-05. The text below is the post as published.
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I have been seized by the notion of writing an open, on-line text for introducing data analysis to graduate-level public health students. I can’t decide whether I want to be dissuaded (it’ll take hundreds of hours!) or encouraged (uniquely Chad!). I have a point of view, tentative title, and rough outline. Maybe the urge will pass.
Humanist point of view: motivate uses of data for science or business by wanting good things – like grandparents enjoying their grandbabies, folks achieving their personal goals and helping each other out, learners stoked by continuing to discover more beauty and truth in the world. Pragmatic intuition built up through online simulations and real examples. Verbal, visual, and tabular narrative: Making sense of data entails working out narrative, first for oneself and then to share. Rhetorical: Finding meaning in data and conveying that meaning necessarily involves a point of view, and an analyst should be able to work out their intentions for varied audiences.
Tentative title: Doing good things with data in public health. (No one saw that coming.)
Rough outline: Too long to fit in the margin of this post.
Please tell me I’m wrong.
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