College of Arts & Sciences

Introduction to Data Visualization with Tableau (COMM2010)

Group Project – Assignment Details

Key Dates

Weeks: 7 to 10
Due Dates (Unless otherwise stated, the submission deadline time is 11:59pm):

Section 1 Section 2
Step Task Submission
Deadline deadline

1 Proposal and evaluation April 6, 2025 April 7, 2025 Canvas

2 Tableau workbook April 20, 2025 April 21, 2025 Canvas

Group presentation
3 April 22, 2025 April 23, 2025 In class
(telling a data story)

4 Individual reflection April 27, 2025 April 28, 2025 Canvas

Weight/Point Value:
 15% of the overall course grade. The overall project score is broken down into:
o Proposal and evaluation: 10%
o Tableau workbook + presentation: 75%
o Individual reflection: 15%

Purpose

The ability to distill complex data into understandable and engaging visualizations and
communicate them to an audience through an engaging narrative is increasingly in
demand and can help you stand out as a professional. By working on this group project,
you will have the opportunity to hone your data visualization and data storytelling skills, as
well as work collaboratively with others on a complex task using a data set of personal
interest.
By the end of this group project task, you should be able to:

 Apply data preparation techniques to clean and format a data set.

 Analyze data to identify patterns and trends that can inform visualization design.
 Choose appropriate chart types to effectively communicate insights from data.
 Design a range of visualizations which clearly communicate data based on best
practices.
 Evaluate the effectiveness of different chart types and design elements in
communicating insights from data.
 Create cohesive dashboard(s) which effectively communicate insights to an audience.
 Present the insights of your data visualizations to an audience through telling a data
story in a clear and engaging way.
 Answer questions from an audience concisely.
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 College of Arts & Sciences
Introduction to Data Visualization with Tableau (COMM2010)

Requirements

Topic: You can select any data set(s) you wish but it/they must contain enough
information to analyze. Some options for selecting a data set include:

1. Kaggle
2. Data.world
3. Google Dataset Search
4. NU Library data set libguide

Audience: An educated, non-specialist audience who does not have a deep

understanding of your domain/discipline.
Data set selection and evaluation: The first task is to select a data set of interest to the
entire group. After that, evaluate the data set’s fit for purpose, including (but not limited
to):

1. Is there enough data in the data set (i.e. number of rows & columns)?
2. Are there enough dimensions and measures to allow for deeper analysis?
3. Is there enough variety in the types of data to allow you to create different chart
types? In other words, will you be able to do more than comparison bar charts?
4. Exploratory analysis:
a. What are 5-10 initial questions that you want to answer based on your data?
b. What potential types of charts (i.e. comparison / composition / relationship /
distribution) might you create?
c. After doing some initial testing, are there any early insights from the data?
5. Is any data cleansing required? (note: you do not need to actually clean the data at
this stage, just identify some potential issues that you notice in the data set)
a. Structure (layout / pivoting)
b. Null values
c. Messy string data
d. Number formatting
e. Incorrect field types when importing into Tableau (string, number,
geographic data, measure vs. dimension, etc.)

More specific details of this assignment are in the Canvas assignment.

Number of charts & dashboards: There is no requirement on the number of charts and
dashboards you must include, but there must be enough range and depth of data to
analyze the data through different lenses. While it may be possible to communicate this
through a single dashboard, you may consider having multiple dashboards to avoid
clutter and to have a clear focus in each dashboard.

Chart types: Use a range of different chart types, depending on what information you are
trying to show. As a reminder, this is a great place to begin: Chart Suggestions – A
Thought-Starter. As well, The Data Visualization Catalogue offers “a list of charts
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 College of Arts & Sciences
Introduction to Data Visualization with Tableau (COMM2010)

categorised by their functions or by what you want a chart to communicate to an

audience”.

Additional features: You should add additional information or features to your

charts/dashboards such as (but not limited to):
 Titles + sub-titles
 Definitive statements
 Key message
 BANs (large numbers to show figures of interest)
 Color
 Annotations and tooltips
 Interactivity (Filters, Actions, etc.)
For a reminder of some effective use of text, see the pre-class work in Week 3.

Presentation: The presentation should last between 8-10 minutes. All members of the
group should present for an equal amount of time. The format of the presentation is up to
your group – you could use Tableau Stories, Canva/PowerPoint, PDF, website, or other
medium. If you wish to keep the interactivity of your charts and dashboards, Tableau
Stories may be the best option. You are welcome to use a mix of media (for example,
start with Canva, switch to Tableau, then back to Canva).

Criteria for Assessment

The rubric for tasks #2 and #3 are on the next page. Your group will be assessed on a
five-point scale. Some categories have higher weighting than others (shown in the first
column).

All group members will receive the same score for tasks #1 and 2 in the table above.

For the group presentation, group members will receive a shared score for the first four
categories (Data Cleansing & Preparation; Chart design; Clarity of data; Dashboards) and
an individual score for the last category (Presentation: telling a data story).

The individual reflection will be marked on an individual basis.

A separate, simpler rubric for task #1 (data set selection and evaluation) is embedded in
the Canvas assignment.

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 College of Arts & Sciences
Introduction to Data Visualization with Tableau (COMM2010)
Introduction to Data Visualization with Tableau: Group Project
Weight Category Exemplary Advanced Proficient Developing Emergent
 The data is not
 The majority of the
 All relevant data is  Most of the relevant data is  Some of the relevant data is correctly
relevant data is not
correctly cleansed, correctly cleansed, correctly cleansed, validated, cleansed or
correctly cleansed,
10% Data Cleansing validated, complete, and validated, complete, and complete. There
complete, but there are validated, complete,
and Preparation there are no errors, there are only a few errors, are numerous
several errors, missing or and there are many
missing or duplicated missing or duplicated errors, missing or
duplicated values. errors, missing or
values. values. duplicated
duplicated values.
values.

 The group has created a  The group has

 The group has created  The group has created
variety of chart types that created charts, but  The group has
charts that effectively charts, but they may not
are visually appealing and they do not effectively not created any
communicate the data. They effectively communicate the
effectively communicate communicate the effective charts
have made reasonable data or may use the same
25% Chart Design the data. They have made data. They have or the charts are
decisions about which chart type repetitively. They may
thoughtful decisions about chosen inappropriate so poorly done
types to use and have have chosen inappropriate
which chart types to use chart types and/or as to be
appropriately formatted their chart types and/or have
and have appropriately have poorly formatted unusable.
charts. poorly formatted their charts.
formatted their charts. their charts.

 The group has effectively  The group has  The group has
 The group has conveyed the
conveyed the meaning of  The group has effectively conveyed the not effectively
meaning of the data, but
the data, making it easy to conveyed the meaning of meaning of the data, conveyed the
improvements could be
15% Clarity of Data understand and interpret. the data, but some minor but it is difficult to meaning of the
made to labeling and titles to
They have included improvements could be understand and data due to poor
make it easier to understand
appropriate labeling and made to labeling and titles. interpret due to poor labeling and
and interpret.
titles. labeling and titles. titles.

 The group has created  The group has created

 The group has created  The group has
dashboards that effectively dashboards, but they may  The group has
dashboards that are created a dashboard,
communicate the data and not effectively communicate not created a
visually appealing, but it does not
is easy to navigate. Minor the data or may be difficult to dashboard or
effectively communicates effectively
25% Dashboards improvements could be navigate. Improvements are their dashboard
the data, and is easy to communicate the data
made to the visual appeal needed to the visual appeal is so poorly done
navigate. The dashboard and is difficult to
and/or the inclusion of and/or the inclusion of as to be
includes appropriate navigate due to poor
appropriate visualizations appropriate visualizations unusable.
visualizations and filters. design choices.
and filters. and filters.
 The group engages the  The group engages the
audience effectively and  The group engages the  The group engages
audience well and
communicates the main audience and communicates the audience but  The group has
communicates the main
insights of the data story in a the main insights of the data could improve in not engaged the
insights of the data story in a
clear, concise, and story in a clear way. communicating the audience at all.
clear and compelling way.
compelling way.  The presentation is well- main insights of the  Insights are
 The presentation is well-
 The presentation is well- structured and organized, data story. confusing and/or
Presentation: structured and organized,
structured and organized, with a logical flow that  The presentation has extremely
25% telling a data with a logical flow that
with a logical flow that guides the audience through some structure and oversimplified.
story guides the audience through guides the audience through
the data and insights. organization but could  The group does
the data & insights. the data and insights.
 The group demonstrates a benefit from a clearer not answer even
 The group demonstrates a  The group demonstrates a
satisfactory understanding of flow. basic questions
deep understanding of the good understanding of the
the data and insights but  The group does not from the
data and insights and clearly data and insights and
does not clearly answer answer questions audience.
answers questions from the answers questions from the
questions from the audience. from the audience.
audience with confidence. audience with clarity.
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 College of Arts & Sciences
Introduction to Data Visualization with Tableau (COMM2010)

Notes:
 The top scoring category does not denote perfection but rather shows excellence which is above the expectations of this category.
 A zero may be awarded if the task is incomplete or significantly below expectations.
 In the event of plagiarism, penalties will be applied according to the VinUniversity academic integrity policy.

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