Datafront Skill Surge: Ethical & social impacts

Course description

What do we mean when we talk about administrative data? Why is administrative data considered such a powerful tool?

Routinely collected administrative data captures interactions across the entire population, offering an unparalleled breadth and depth of information.

This on-demand series aims to equip researchers with the knowledge and skills to harness data for societal and sustainable change. This series covers important topics such as the use of administrative data in policymaking, circular economy models, climate resilience, and the impact of digital media on behaviour, with emphasis on the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative strategies to address global challenges.

Participants will gain insights from experts, study case studies, and explore practical examples that illustrate how data-driven approaches and emerging technologies are transforming urban planning, agriculture, and health – that will empower researchers to shape the future of the data landscape!

• Session 34 we’ll address one of the most layered, difficult, and crucial aspects of research – ethics and social impact.

 

Learning mode

On-demand, self-paced 

 

Who should attend

This course is intended for:

• Data Analysts and Researchers: Those working with administrative or big data who want to deepen their understanding of its characteristics and uses.
• Policymakers and Government Officials: Decision-makers who rely on data to shape public policies.
• Public Sector Managers: Managers in government institutions seeking to optimise data usage for service improvements.
• Health and Social Care Professionals: Individuals looking to use data for improving service delivery and outcomes.
• Urban Planners and Public Health Professionals: Individuals interested in using administrative data to inform planning and health policies.

 

Aims and objectives

• Highlight the ethical and political complexity embedded in interdisciplinary research design and implementation.
• Distinguish between procedural and reflexive ethics, and explore the significance of positionality, consent, and power.
• Emphasise the value of ethical foresight and anticipatory thinking when designing for long-term social impact.

 

Skills area and competencies

Based on the Datacise Open Learning framework, the relevant skills and competencies for this video include:

Skills Areas:

• Ethics and Governance in Research Practice: Understanding how to integrate ethics throughout the research lifecycle.
• Stakeholder Sensitivity and Engagement: Skills for relational accountability and co-negotiated impact design.
• Anticipatory Risk Framing: Capacity to imagine unintended consequences and mitigate harm before it occurs.

Competencies:

• Positionality Awareness: Ability to critically assess one’s own role, influence, and limitations in research.
• Ethical Reflexivity: Competence in engaging across conflicting value systems without collapsing nuance.
• Trust-Centered Practice: Skills for building and sustaining trust with collaborators, participants, and communities.

 

Pre-requisite

• Have foundational experience in interdisciplinary or applied research settings.
• Be open to exploring ethical dilemmas, including discomfort, power dynamics, and uncertainty.
• Value long-term, human-centered, and socially responsible research practice.

 

Learning outcomes

• Describe the difference between procedural and reflexive approaches to ethics.
• Identify ethical tensions arising from power, positionality, and disciplinary diversity.
• Recognise the ethical dimensions of platformisation, data sharing, and co-creation.

 

Transferable skills

• Ethical Foresight: Tools to anticipate downstream effects and systemic risks.
• Conflict Navigation: Capacity to manage disagreement and plural values in collaborative environments.
• Equity-Driven Design: Skills to ensure inclusion, accessibility, and fairness in data work.

 

Assessment

Multiple choice quiz to self-check understanding. 

 

This training content was originally developed and produced by Professor Adam Chee, Datacise Education Lead at Swansea University, with narration enhanced by advanced text-to-speech technology.