Storytelling with Data:Telling the Tale of ALP

Susan Gabriel Community College of Baltimore CountyDawn Coleman University of South CarolinaMarch 20, 2016

Once upon a time…

Once upon a time…in a far away land called the Community College of Baltimore County,

Once upon a time…in a far away land called the Community College of Baltimore County, there lived a man named Peter Adams.

Peter was on a mission to help travelers to his kingdom climb a tall mountain.

Upon scaling the mountain, they would have access to all the wonders and riches of the kingdom.

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Unfortunately,the mission wasn’t going so well.

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Unfortunately, the mission wasn’t going so well.

Travelers prepared for the mountain by first climbing a practice hill.

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But some travelers were discouraged by having to climb a hill before being allowed to climb the mountain and gave up before they even started.

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Others started the climb but had never climbed before so everything about the hill was new and different and confusing.

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Some didn’t have the tools and equipment they needed to be successful (like good hiking shoes and a water bottle).

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And year after year, travelers to the kingdom tried to climb the practice hill…

and failed.

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But some made it to the top, gathering the tools they needed along the way, learning how to climb, becoming more confident as they got higher and higher.

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They were ready to tackle the mountain!

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But then some couldn’t make the jump from the hill to the mountain…

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Falling down the crevice between them, never to be seen again.

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Some made the jump but then were surprised to see that the mountain was very different from the hill.

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It was rockier and steeper and required different shoes and more advanced equipment.

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Some who had successfully climbed the hill and made the jump to the mountain, slowly slid back down, unable to make the more difficult climb.

After studying the hill and the mountain, Peter came to the disturbing realization that…

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For every 100 travelers to the kingdom who got over their disappointment at seeing the hill,

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And decided to attempt the climb,

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Only 57 successfully made it to the top of the hill,

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Only 41 successfully made the jump from the hill to the mountain,

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And ultimately only 33 made it successfully to the top.

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Peter knew there had to be a better way.

He thought why not let the travelers skip the hill altogether

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He thought why not let the travelers skip the hill altogether and start on the actual mountain.

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And while they climb the mountain, why don’t we help them along the way (and teach them to help each other)?

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Instead of practicing on a hill that often doesn’t even look like the mountain, let them practice on the actual mountain!

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So they did.

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And instead of 33 travelers making it to the top of the mountain, 63 made it to the top (and they did it quicker!)

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Every year, more and more travelers reached the top of the mountain and were able to enjoy the kingdom’s riches.

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And now Peter and his fellow countrywomen and countrymen travel to other lands with practice hills to show them how to mountain climb.

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…and they all lived happily ever after.