Data Sharing is a feature found in Graphical Analysis Pro and other Vernier applications that helps an instructor share nearly live data with others. It is designed to share data collected by one person with others, so that the others may analyze and process the data on their own. Only data are shared; analysis such as curve fitting is intentionally not shared. For example, an instructor might perform a demonstration, sharing data with students, and then ask a question that requires students to do some analysis on the data such as selecting a region and performing a curve fit. The students can do their own analysis, and will not see the analysis work done by the instructor or other students.

Data Sharing is a feature that has been available for some time as a part of Logger Pro and LabQuest 2, but the sharing from those applications was limited to a local network, making it less useful for remote learning.

Graphical Analysis Pro extends the data sharing feature to connections over the internet, allowing instructors to easily share data with remote students. As an instructor, you can perform an experiment (or load existing data) and students will immediately have their own copy for their own use in their own copy of Graphical Analysis.

It is useful to consider the difference between Data Sharing and simple screen sharing within a video call such as Google Meet or Zoom.

• A screen sharing session showing Graphical Analysis allows students to see exactly what you are seeing, whether setup details, collected data, or any analysis you perform. Students are observers, not participants. Screen sharing can be useful if your goal is to show students how to perform something, or if you simply want to give students a certain result. Students do not have later access to the data after the call (although you could email them a saved Graphical Analysis file if you like).

• In contrast, a Graphical Analysis Pro Data Sharing session gives students their own copy of the data in near real time, leaving them the responsibility to perform any analysis. Students can interact with the data you collect, save out files on their own devices, and with the exception of replay, use the data as if they or a lab partner had collected it. Students are active and make decisions about how to use the data.

There is a short video available to demonstrate Data Sharing.

You might want to use a combination of Data Sharing from Graphical Analysis Pro along with the video images from a Zoom session:

• Set up an experiment so that you can show it using your device camera.
• Join your students in a Zoom session.
• Discuss the experiment with remote students.
• Start Graphical Analysis and configure it for your experiment, enabling Data Sharing.
• Provide the Data Sharing code to students.
• Students then join your Data Sharing session remotely in their copies of Graphical Analysis.
• Do the experiment, giving the students a video view of the apparatus and your manipulation of it. Students will see data graphed in their Graphical Analysis applications. If they are using a computer (or a tablet allowing split screen mode) they can watch both at once.
• Consider asking discussion questions of students that require that they perform some analysis of the data before responding.

Graphical Analysis Pro is capable of sharing data over most internet connections as well as over a local network. Although LabQuest 2, LabQuest 3 and Logger Pro can also host data sharing, they can only share data over a local network connection, making them unsuitable as data sources for remote instruction.