Statistical Literacy Initatives Inventory
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Census Academy
Title of Initiative: Census Academy
Organization: United States Census Bureau (USCB)
Contact: 800-923-8282 or ask.census.gov
Website: Click here
Valid from : 2021/6/1 – 2026/6/1
Purpose: Census Academy is the Census Bureau’s new data education and training hub with a heavy focus on digital content. It was created to provide more accessible, cost-efficient, and intelligible educational content to adult learners. A virtual data hub for learning data skills, as well as exploiting the data resources available to the public at the Census Bureau for a mix of users. Courses help comprehension of statistical concepts and enhance skills for data analysis, visualization.
Target Audience:
- Civil society organizations (incl NGOs)
- Media
- Policy makers/Government/Civil service
- Analysts/ advisers
- Business/ Private sector
- General public
Providing Entity:
- National Statistical Office
Language:
- English
Products:
- E-learning
- Videos
- Documents
Mode of implementation: A website, organized by topic, which facilitates discovery of digital content produced by Census Bureau staff. The website also serves as a point of contact for requesting training from the network of Census Bureau partners.
Outcomes: The Census Academy accommodates a wide range of potential users from those who want to learn in-depth about how to access Census data to those just interested in getting some quick tips. Census Academy provides access to content for all skill levels: • Users can take learn-at-your-own-pace courses about Census Bureau data and data tools, as well as about many other resources. • Users can watch Data Gems. These short “how-to” videos are an easy and quick way to increase knowledge about Census data. • Users can also interact with Census Academy instructors via webinars, in which they learn about data releases and data tools while attending these live virtual classes.The Academy also has a network of Data Specialists who can provide trainings free of cost throughout the United States. Those interested in bringing Census data experts to their organization, are invited to email at census.askdata@census.gov.
Challenges: Census Academy is relatively new (2019 launch) and is still under development. The lack of funding and access to new technologies and skilled staff have been the most critical challenges to its advancement. The Census Academy addresses these challenges by consistently working in collaboration and seeking new collaborations for the development of quality educational content and enhancements, such as a Learning Management System.