4 Discussion questions and exercises

1. What spatial patterns do you observe in the average indebtedness of student borrowers? What factors do you think might shape these patterns?

2. How could you use the map we created in a data-based advocacy campaign? What types of policy arguments might this map support?

3. Read this guide to the use of color in maps, and this guide to data classification. What might be some problems or issues related to the colors and intervals we used in this map? Can you think of different color or interval schemes that might improve the map in some way? What are these schemes and how would they improve the map? What information might they show that is currently hidden? If you have time, consider changing the colors and interval schemes (using the QGIS techniques discussed earlier) and visualizing the modified map.