Make It Visible — Visual Analytics
Instructor Resources
Overview
Instructor materials for Make It Visible, covering the grammar of graphics, ggplot2, dashboards, and storytelling with data.
Chart makeover gallery: A curated collection of “before and after” visualization makeovers drawn from real business reports, news graphics, and academic publications. Each entry includes the original chart, a redesigned version, and a detailed annotation explaining what changed and why. Useful as lecture examples, in-class discussion prompts, or homework assignments.
Final project brief: A comprehensive capstone project brief where students identify a real dataset, perform exploratory analysis, build a multi-panel dashboard, and present findings to a simulated stakeholder audience. Includes grading rubric, milestone schedule, and peer-review protocol. Designed to serve as the culminating assessment for a visualization-focused course.
Available Resources
Solutions Manual — Worked solutions for all end-of-chapter exercises across Check, Apply, and Go Deeper tiers. Includes annotated ggplot2 code and output images. PENDING
Test Bank — Multiple choice, short answer, and chart interpretation questions for each chapter. Exportable for LMS import. PENDING
Slide Decks — Chapter-by-chapter lecture slides (PowerPoint and PDF). Heavy use of visual examples with instructor annotations. PENDING
Syllabus Templates — Sample syllabi for 15-week semester and 10-week quarter formats. Includes pacing for the final project milestones. PENDING
Assignment Templates — Weekly visualization exercises, chart critique assignments, and the capstone dashboard project. PENDING
Dataset Documentation — Codebooks for all datasets used in the text. Includes sourcing, licensing, and suggested alternatives. PENDING
Chart Makeover Gallery — Before/after visualization pairs with detailed redesign annotations. PENDING
Final Project Brief — Complete capstone project specification with rubric, milestones, and peer-review forms. PENDING
Chapter Coverage
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Why Visualization Matters |
| 2 | The Grammar of Graphics |
| 3 | ggplot2 Foundations |
| 4 | Color, Typography, and Layout |
| 5 | Charts for Comparison |
| 6 | Charts for Distribution and Relationship |
| 7 | Maps and Spatial Data |
| 8 | Interactive and Animated Graphics |
| 9 | Dashboards |
| 10 | Storytelling with Data |
Questions?
Contact instructors@marginoferrormedia.com for questions about these materials.