Administrative data includes information on large populations, covers long periods, and can be linked with many other forms of data, making it one of the best resources available to inform programs and policies that directly impact populations.
Administrative data can be used to complement or replace survey data, reduce response burden costs, make statistical operations more efficient, and improve data quality and timeliness. It enables you to gather and analyze data about Canadian society, the economy, and the environment and provides data that will help decision-making in these areas.
Data Matters is a new series that consists of four short online courses that will help you get comfortable working with administrative data. It is offered in partnership between UNB and the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT).
You have choices! You can take all four courses as a bundle to get a certificate of completion OR you can take one or two courses to get the specific knowledge and skills you need.
This course provides an introduction to administrative data – what it is and how it can be used to inform decisions and reach conclusions through research. It also covers some of the basic research tools available for working with administrative data, introducing learners to data sets, research questions, and models for continuous improvement.
This course provides an introduction to the principles of privacy and confidentiality as they relate to research using population (or administrative) data. It covers best practices in data privacy, potential sources of bias and ethical concerns in research, and safeguards to ensure data stewards comply with privacy policies, legislation, and regulations.
This course provides an overview of the various stages of the research process, with a focus on research using administrative data. It takes learners through the processes of developing a research question, choosing a research methodology, accessing administrative data, analyzing administrative data, and interpreting research results.
This course introduces readers to the important role administrative data can play in the development and evaluation of public policy. It covers, more broadly, what public policy is, why it is important, and how researchers can effectively communicate their results to inform public policy.
Check out these handy graphics we created that show the possible uses of administrative data!
