Find answers to frequently asked questions about the DAL and our services.

What courses are available at UNCW that can help me gain quantitative expertise?

• Applied Statistics Certificate Program at UNCW 

Do I need to make a reservation to get help?

• No, all operating hours are also drop-in hours. Reservations help our consultants manage their limited time, but we are always happy to help you on a drop-in basis. If you are unable to visit the DAL during scheduled hours, please email us at DataAnalysis-Lib@uncw.edu for assistance.

How do I schedule a consultation with the DAL? 

• Visit the Appointments page.
• Select whether you would like to meet in-person or online by choosing "Meet with a Librarian In-Person" or "Meet with a Librarian Online". Below, you can see a screenshot of what this page looks like.
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• Now, select your Appointment Type and Library Expert by clicking on "Research Data." Below, you can see a screenshot of what this page looks like.
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• Selecting "Research Data" will open a calendar where you can select the Date and a set of boxes where you can select your Appointment Time.
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• Once you select the appointment date and time, you will have to fill out our appintment scheduling form, which asks a number of questions about your project. Please provide details and include any relevant files, then submit the form.
• You will receive a confirmation email with directions to your appointment (either held on Zoom or in person in RL 2024 consultation spaces). Thank you for booking! 

Can the DAL do computation work for me?

• Yes, the DAL can conduct computation as a research collaborator for your research project if we have discussed and approved your project. We may not approve your project if we do not have the capacity to complete the work in time or if we do not have the appropriate skills to do the work; if this occurs, we may connect you to an affiliated UNCW faculty member who has statistical or programming expertise in the needed area. Request a meeting with us to discuss your project.
• If the DAL agrees to a research collaboration with you, we will discuss the timeline needed, the communication expectations, and storage preferences of the requesting researcher. The DAL director may assign a student consultant to participate in the collaboration. Periodic meetings may be set up with the researcher and documentation will be kept about all work conducted for the project.

Do you help with qualitative data?

• The DAL provides support with analysis and computation for quantitative data methods only. If you have a question about qualitative data analysis, please contact Dev Gandhi at gandhid@uncw.edu with details. If you need help doing text analysis, please contact the Digital Scholarship Librarian at KnoxJ@uncw.edu.

Do you help with data visualizations?

• The DAL can only provide support with visualization in regard to its creation in a programming language or if we are collaborating on a research project with you.  

What programming languages do you help with?

• The DAL can help you with R and Python in drop-in consultations or in training workshops. We are happy to help you learn how to use these programming languages, or help you figure out how to debug your code. If you have questions about using programming for text analysis, please contact KnoxJ@uncw.edu, or FlemingJ@uncw.edu for using programming for web development.

How can I be hired to work at the SCTC?

• The SCTC seeks to have 2-6 students (graduate or undergraduate) working each semester, depending on our funding. We can also offer 1-3 unpaid positions each semester as DIS (Directed Independent Study) credit. Please see pasted below the job description templates for all three types of roles that we offer: Statistical Consultant, Programming Consultant, and Student Consultant Trainee. We will post in the News section when we are actively hiring. With questions, please contact the Data Analysis email: DataAnalysis_Lib@uncw.edu 
   
  • Statistical Consultant (paid position)
    Job description: The primary responsibility of this role is to provide statistical consultations to UNCW student and faculty researchers. Questions posed during consultations could include study design appropriate for statistical analysis, test selection, assumption checking, and data transformation, If time permits, student could develop asynchronous guidance materials or deliver live workshops on the use of statistical analysis with appropriate software applications. Depending on availability, student may be paired with courses or faculty researchers in need of analysis support. This position entails approximately 10 hours per week per student worker. Pay rate is set at $15.00/hour. 
    Skills gained: This position offers valuable experience in providing statistical analysis support, including addressing modeling challenges within research projects, implementing quantitative computations using software, and reviewing final written results. The student will enhance their competence in quantitative modeling and gain insights into statistical applications across various projects and disciplines. Mentorship will be provided on statistical methodology and application, as well as instruction skills in a consultation setting. 
    Qualifications and experience: Must be an active undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at UNCW through at least Spring 2026, with experience in upper-level statistics classes, such as STT412 and STT450. Proficiency in R, Python, SPSS, or equivalent statistical software is also highly recommended. Previous teaching or tutoring experience is a plus. 
     
  • Programming Consultant (paid position)
    Job description: The primary responsibility of this role is to provide consultations to UNCW students and faculty seeking assistance with R and/or Python programming. Questions posed during consultations could include basic programming setup and logic, data importing and exporting, using APIs to collect data, summarizing and analyzing quantitative data, and wrangling and transforming dataframes. If time permits, student could lead training sessions to share programming tips, tricks, and best practices, and be paired with faculty researchers on research projects needing programming assistance. This position entails approximately 10 hours per week per student worker. Pay rate is set at $15.00/hour. 
    Skills gained: This position offers valuable experience in applying programming techniques to research questions using real research data, as well as in explaining these techniques to users who may have different levels of comfort around programming. The student will enhance their competence in finding bugs and identifying solutions, gain insights into how programming can be used across various projects and disciplines, and practice using reproducible research tools like Jupyter Notebooks. Mentorship will be provided on programming skills, as well as instruction skills in a consultation setting. 
    Qualifications and experience: Must be an active undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at UNCW through at least Spring 2026, with proficiency in R and/or Python programming language(s) used for working with quantitative data. Other programming experience such as SAS, Excel VBA, Git, and Google Colab, as well as knowledge in statistics and previous teaching or tutoring experience, are valued for the position. The position will not utilize textual analysis or web development experience. 
     
  • Student Consultant Trainee (DIS credit)
    Position description: The position focuses on training and preparation for statistical consulting capabilities, working with real-life UNCW research questions and datasets. The primary responsibilities of this role will be driven by the trainee’s specific goals and learning outcomes. At minimum, trainees will join weekly team meetings to engage in discussions on statistical modeling and best practices in consultation and in networking with fellow consultants and collaborators. This is an unpaid position, for which the student can receive DIS (Directed Independent Study) credit. Pending funding availability as well as student skills, trainee positions may transition after the semester concludes to a paid Statistical or Programming Consultant student job. 
    Skills gained: This opportunity provides hands-on experience in statistical modeling, collaboration, and research applications. Trainees will enhance their skills in statistical methodology, programming, and consulting practices while gaining valuable insights into real-world data analysis across diverse disciplines. 
    Qualifications and experience: Must be an active undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at UNCW through at least Spring 2026, with experience in mid- to upper-level statistical courses. Proficiency in one or more statistical programming languages, such as R, Python, or SPSS is highly recommended. Passion for statistical modeling and its applications is essential. 
    Application deadline: To apply for DIS (Directed Independent Study) credit, please apply prior to the start of a semester so we can submit to enroll you in a DIS course for the semester. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and trainees will be accepted as positions become available.
    If interested, please inquire with Dev Gandhi (gandhid@uncw.edu) and include the following materials: a resume detailing relevant skills and coursework, and a cover letter expressing what learning outcomes you would like to gain from this position. We recommend including one or two faculty references.