Class in Session
Data Visualization, Interactive Design
Special credits to 100 MSU student entries
Is there a measurable or visible connection between how we meet each other?
Spartans at Michigan State University (MSU) is a part of large and proud community. Even when they are away from their campus, when they hear Go Green, their immediate response is Go White. The sense of community is built from the time spent on campus and with other students through sporting events, student organizations, and even academics.
Class in Session offers a glimpse into recurring patterns among university students’ schedules. The project surveyed students from MSU, and from the data, patterns begin to appear centering around class lengths, time and density.
In the survey, students were asked about their academic year, gender, major, and class schedules for the current semester.
As responses came in, there was an unexpected result where class schedules produced a new and fast growing set of data.
Data for class schedules yielded mixed results because of the wide range of courses offered at MSU and the students' ability to select their own classes.
Although each student's class schedule is personalized, some patterns can still be identified, such as the university's unofficial lunchtime and the block of class time for each residential college at MSU.
Class in Session takes the first step to ask questions.
This project's initial purpose was to identify patterns among university students and explores what makes a community. Is there a measurable or visible connection between how we meet each other? The answer is complex.
The beauty of this complexity is illustrated through constant data such as class times and variable data such as class sizes. From this project, we can start asking more essential questions that strengthen our community and improve Spartans’ lives.
