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TILDA Data Workshop

Course Information

Date: TBD

Registration: 9.30am - 10.00am
Course: 10.00am - 4.30pm.
Location: TILDA Offices, Trinity College Dublin.

Content:

1. The background to the study
2. TILDA study design and survey structure
3. TILDA's biomedical and cognitive data
4. Data structure (naming conventions, routing, codebooks)
5. Generating reproducible research
6. Summary statistics and survey weighting
7. Merging datafiles (including longitudinal file merges)

The course will be delivered in person using a mixture of short lectures (morning session) as well as a practical hands on experience (afternoon session) using the simulated or public access versions of the TILDA dataset. The computer practical exercises will be undertaken using Stata and SPSS. Materials including Powerpoint presentations, readings and analysis do files will be provided on the day. There will also be opportunities to meet with members of the TILDA team to ask specific questions related to personal research queries and problems.

Facilitators

The course has been designed and will be delivered by senior researchers involved in the TILDA study including:

• Dr Cathal McCrory, Associate Professor of Life Course Development and Ageing, TCD
• Dr Ann Monaghan, TILDA Project Manager, TCD
• Dr Siobhan Scarlett, TILDA Senior Data Manager, TCD
• Dr Sinead McLoughlin, TILDA Senior Data Manager, TCD

Cost:

The cost includes refreshments and lunch

• Student Rate: €145
• Academic rate: €195
• Other rate: €195

Places are strictly limited to 20 people and will operate on a first-come basis.

Registration

Next date to be announced.

Workshop FAQs

Who is this course designed for?
This course is designed for anyone who is interested in using the TILDA data for their own research. It is designed as an introduction to the study and data, but all levels of experience are welcome to attend.

Do I need to bring my own laptop?
Yes, we can't provide laptops for all participants so to engage in the practical hands-on experience you will need to have a laptop and access to statistical software.

Do you provide a copy of statistical software for the course?
No. Attendees should have their own software for the practical part of the workshop. If you are a student or staff member of TCD, both SPSS and Stata are available through the IT Services Catalogue. Other institutes may also provide access to software.

How experienced do I need to be with statistical analysis before attending the course?
While it is beneficial to have some familiarity with statistical analysis, there is no previous experience required to attend the course. The practical part of the workshop will go through the basics including opening your dataset and standard commands before moving onto generating some analyses and working with the data. It is important to note though this course is focused on use and analysis of the TILDA data rather than teaching statistical analysis methods.

I run my analyses using R/Python, is this covered in the course too?
No. The course at present focuses on Stata and SPSS. Attendees are welcome to engage in the practical exercises using R/Python but the demonstrations will focus on Stata and SPSS.

Do I need a copy of the TILDA public dataset for the course?
No. We do not have permission to share a copy of the TILDA dataset as these are stored with the Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA) repository. We will provide a simulated version of the TILDA public dataset for all attendees so you can engage in the practical exercises without access to the dataset. This will mimic use of the public dataset without using real participant data so it can be provided without restriction. If you have access to the public dataset through ISSDA already, this can be used in the workshop also.

Can I access a copy of the TILDA public dataset from you during or following completion of the course?
No. The TILDA public datasets are accessible through the ISSDA repository. TILDA do not manage access to these datasets.

I am planning to submit an application for the TILDA Hotdesk and am attending the course to get familiar with the data and study in advance. Part of the application requests details of competency and statistical training. Could you provide a confirmation or a cert of completion of the workshop that I can use to support my application?
Yes, we can provide confirmation of completion of the course to support your application to our Hotdesk system.

I have some queries I hope to discuss at the workshop. Will there be time for questions, or is it possible to send some questions in advance that could be covered during the day as part of the course materials?
Senior members of the TILDA team will be available on the day. We are happy to answer any queries on the day if we haven't covered them in the materials and we always welcome questions to the team too - you can get in touch with tilda@tcd.ie if you want to ask anything about the study or data and we can get back to you directly or try to work this into the course materials if time allows.

I can only attend the morning session for the upcoming workshop. Can I sign up for this and attend the afternoon session on a later date?
Unfortunately, places are limited so we would expect attendees to attend both sessions on the same date.

I am writing my PhD and using TILDA data as part of this. Does the workshop award credits I can use toward my ECTS requirements?
No, there are no ECTS credits awarded as part of the data workshop. The workshop cannot be used as part of your taught component requirements for your PhD.