Real Time Remote Access: Educational resources Susan Mowers, University of Ottawa

Agenda ›Why RTRA and for whom? ›Educational resources for user needs –Within the context of the RTRA reference service –Training materials ›From [software package x] to SAS ›Statistics Canada –Surveys / Templates ›SAS / RTRA format ›Which surveys?

Why RTRA?

RTRA – Unique collection / access ›Master files ›Detail, e.g., –Occupations –Instructional programs –Special populations – ›Ages ›Ethnic groups, visible minorities ›Country of birth –Income –Geography ›More CMA’s ›FSA’s A Canadian Cancer Registry Homicide Survey Postsecondary Student Information System Registered Apprentice System Uniform Crime Reports B Canadian Forces Mental Health Survey Health Services Access Survey Life After Service Survey Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada Maternity Experiences Survey National Apprenticeship Survey Post-Secondary Education Participation Survey Survey of Young Canadians Survey on Living with Chronic Diseases in Canada (SLCDC): Arthritis

How does RTRA work? ›Submit code to Stats Can (online) indicating the statistics you want and receive output within the hour. ›Code is generated in SAS.

Benefits – research and teaching ›Serves needs of less quantitatively-intensive researchers –Some departments / schools –With less capacity to use RDC’s ›Expands research options, including funding options for many researchers –Researchers not carrying out regression analysis –First stage research for researchers gathering their own data or using RDC, ICES or GSDAP data ›A whole class can be registered within a short period of time

For whom?

RTRA Users: more disperse than expected ›Social Sciences (most RTRA surveys) ›Engineering (NGS) ›Law (UCR/Homicde) ›Nursing (NGS) ›Management ›Institutional Research and Planning, others ›NOT MUCH CROSS-OVER WITH PUMF users

Educational resources

Intake before consultation meeting ›Does Statistical Focal Point contact know the best survey? –Cross-over with DLI contact ›All Statistics Canada’’s own RTRA tools are consulted for the survey ›Confirm survey - key concepts / variables – variables not suppressed ›Application for RTRA account in advance ›SAS needs of user? –What stats package does the user know? ›Dummy file downloaded ›Survey template prepared –SAS / RTRA ›Test SAS job on dummy file ›Test RTRA job in RTRA account

Educational Resources in Consultation meeting –What is RTRA? (Statistics Canada)Statistics Canada –Introduction to RTRA descriptive statistics ›[LINK]*[LINK –Introduction to preparing a program (Statistics Canada)Statistics Canada –Focus on key variables required for research and survey design ›Special deleted variables of RTRA master file and RTRA parameters (Statistics Canada)Statistics Canada ›Demo of FileZilla for access to dummy files and documentation for the survey –Filezilla documentation from Statistics Canada is provided in package to userStatistics Canada –Getting from [stats package x] to SAS ›SPSS to SAS templateSPSS to SAS template ›Stata to SAS templateStata to SAS template –User’s survey … Provide custom survey template and sample output ›Currently eight survey templates ›Example chosen by statistical focal point, not user’s question ›[Example for CCHS]Example for CCHS * Uottawa Library

Discussion ODC project?