Course Overview

This course supports the nurse’s ability to a) reliably interpret the data visualizations routinely encountered in their role, and b) create data visualizations in commonly used formats that adhere to the conventions and constraints of those formats. Learners will combine knowledge of visualization formats, human perception, and audience needs with data skills, design discernment, and adherence to ethical principles to create visualizations that help viewers accurately answer pertinent questions about the topic at hand. Learners will explore data at multiple levels: individual patient data, population health data, and systems/policy-level data. In accompanying written work, learners will state their visualization objectives, explain the assumptions and limitations underlying their source data and selected visualization format(s), justify their design choices, and draw conclusions about the selected topic.

Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Interpret data for visualization after appropriate sourcing, cleaning, transformation, and analysis.
2. Select an appropriate visualization format and adhere to the conventions and constraints of the format when executing it.
3. Make design choices that respect human perceptual abilities, leveraging strengths and mitigating limitations.
4. Synthesize fundamental design principles to make coherent sets of design choices that serve visualization objectives.
5. Match the needs and context of the intended audience with appropriate visualization objectives and formats.
6. Make visualization choices that promote beneficence, autonomy, and justice.