The Perspective Microscope
minicourse:
Where Do Multiracial People Go in Your Data?
A self-paced minicourse on the three decisions every organization faces when respondents select multiple races, and how the default you didn’t choose may be quietly reshaping your findings.
This course consists of several short video lessons, a worked real world example, and a downloadable hands-on exercise for you to practice with and apply to your project.
An on-demand, self-paced short course for people who want to go deeper into a specific topic.
Preview The CourseWhen 10 to 13 percent of respondents select more than one race, a sorting rule in your database decides where they end up. Unless someone made a deliberate choice, that default is making philosophical decisions about identity without anyone noticing. This minicourse walks you through three sequential choices.
First, how you conceptualize multiracial identity: is it one inseparable experience, membership in multiple groups simultaneously, or its own distinct category? Second, how you sort people into categories: the Waterfall rule, proportional allocation, standalone multiracial grouping, or multiple reporting. Third, what you do when groups are too small to analyze: combine, collapse, suppress, or aggregate.
You’ll see how each choice changes real findings through a detailed walkthrough of infant mortality surveillance data, where the same dataset produces different disparity rates depending on how multiracial mothers are sorted. A second demonstration shows the same dynamics in juvenile detention disproportionality data. The exercise gives you a synthetic dataset and asks you to apply multiple sorting methods and compare what each one reveals and hides.
Every minicourse follows the same three-part structure. First, a video series introduces the problem, why this particular aspect of data work matters for equity, what goes wrong when it’s ignored, and the tool you’ll use to address it. Second, we walk you through a worked example, so you can see exactly how it works in practice. Third, you apply what you’ve learned on your own.
The hands-on independent practice exercise, provides you with a practice dataset and a downloadable workbook that gives you a structured place to capture your thinking as you move through the exercise. The workbook includes templates, frameworks, and prompts so you’re not starting from a blank page.
Plan for about 3–5 hours total. You can complete everything in a single sitting or spread it across a few days. The material is fully self-paced and available whenever you’re ready. No special software is required. The videos play in your browser, the data files open in Excel or Google Sheets, and the workbook is a standard document you can fill in digitally or print out.
Course Details
Cost:
$50 USD
Format:
Prerecorded videos and a hands-on activity including data and a workbook.
Length:
2-4 hours of videos and hands-on practice activity.
Prerequisite:
The Foundations of Data Equity is a prerequisite.
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FAQs
Minicourses are short, self-paced courses that teach a single data equity tool or concept. Each one takes about 3–5 hours and includes an introduction, a real-world demonstration, and a hands-on exercise with practice data. They’re our shortest and only asynchronous offering.
Our other courses are longer and include a mix of live instruction, group work, and facilitated discussion. Minicourses are designed to be completed independently, on your own schedule. They go deep on one specific tool rather than covering the full data equity framework.
It is recommended that you take Foundations of Data Equity as a prerequisite. Each minicourse is connected to concepts in the Data Equity Framework, which we cover in depth in the Foundations of Data Equity course.
Anyone who works with data and AI and cares about doing so with accuracy, efficiency, and Equity. evaluators, analysts, researchers, program managers, nonprofit leaders, government staff, consultants. You don’t need a technical background. If you work with data in any capacity, these are for you.
Plan for about 3–5 hours, including the exercise. You can move through it in one sitting or break it up over a few days. It’s entirely self-paced.
No. Once you have access, you can work through the material whenever it fits your schedule.
No, minicourses don’t come with a certificate or credential. They’re focused on building practical skills you can apply immediately. If your organization requires a certificate of completion, please contact us and we will find an accommodation for you.
Each minicourse follows the same structure: first, you learn a tool and why it matters. Then you watch it applied to real-world cases. Finally, you work through a hands-on exercise using practice data: redesigning a form, reframing a gap statistic, auditing a dataset, or evaluating a research design. The exercises are where the learning sticks.
No. The exercise data is provided as a CSV file you can open in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool.
Absolutely. Each one stands alone, and there’s no required order. Pick whichever topic is most relevant to the work in front of you.
There’s some overlap in concepts, but the minicourses are original material: different examples, different exercises, and a tighter focus on one specific tool. If you’ve encountered a tool in a longer course and want to go deeper or get more practice with it, a minicourse is a good next step.
Yes. While minicourses are designed for individual, asynchronous learning, the exercises include discussion questions that work well in a team setting. Some organizations assign a minicourse and then hold a debrief session together. We ask that you purchase a seat for each person in your group. If you would like to purchase a minicourse for groups of more than five, contact us for a great deal.