The Digital Scholarship Center (DiSC) promotes data literacy and assists faculty and student researchers conducting empirical projects involving Statistical, Qualitative, Digital Humanities, and Geospatial methodologies and data. Utilizing expertise from across the libraries, DiSC-specific staff, and the Office of Research Computing, we can help with any stage of the project, from finding, acquiring, or collecting data through visualizing, sharing, and preserving data.
DiSC focuses on the practical and technical aspects of research, such as acquiring and converting data files, working with software, and research data management. Primary software packages and/or platforms that we support include, but are not limited to: SPSS, Stata, SAS, Jamovi, R/RStudio, Python/Pandas, Qualtrics, NVivo, MAXQDA, Atlas.ti, Voyant, Omeka, ArcGIS Desktop/Online, and QGIS.
What DiSC can do
- Instruction
- Request a software or resource-focused tutorial, workshop, or presentation for classes
or any self-organized group of 3+ (e.g., Lab Groups, Professional Development, Clubs) - See previous workshops for examples
- Request a software or resource-focused tutorial, workshop, or presentation for classes
- Consultations
- Request a virtual or in-person appointment through our online scheduler
- Online
- Join our Teaching with Data Teams group to learn about new resources,
ask general questions, or get tips from others - See our InfoGuides that link to curated self-learning resources
- Join our Teaching with Data Teams group to learn about new resources,
- Email datahelp@gmu.edu for questions or any other request
How DiSC Supports Faculty
Instruction
- Teach an in-class workshop or give a course presentation
- Provide and assist with integrating existing lesson plans, handouts, and example data
- Discuss how to integrate digital tools into your course, including for course-based projects
Software
- Collaborate on course materials (e.g., updating materials to a new software)
- Discuss how to anticipate and respond to common difficulties students have
- Explore alternatives (SPSS vs Jamovi, NVivo vs MAXQDA, ArcGIS vs QGIS) and manage changes to university access
Research
- Get advice on methods, resources, and software early in project planning (prior to data collection) or during proposal development
- Get help troubleshooting issues that arise
- For funded research: Get help with data management, sharing, and archiving requirements