Blended sensory walks : teaching data literacy through anthropological practice

Pretnar Žagar, Ajda (author), Muršič, Rajko (author)

anthropology curricula often neglect quantitative and computational methods, leavingstudents underprepared for data-rich research. yet ethnographic practices such as sensorywalks naturally generate digital materials suited for computational analysis. We developed ablended intervention that combines sensory walks with image clustering, introducing datascience while preserving anthropology’s experiential and interpretive focus. Participants usedsmartphones to document sensory impressions during 30–45-minute walks, creating smallpersonal datasets. Images were embedded and clustered with hierarchical clustering. Testedin four workshops with groups ranging from primary school pupils to postgraduate students,the results were explored interactively, interpreted qualitatively, and discussed collectively,linking algorithmic outputs with ethnographic reflection. The activity produced three mainoutcomes. First, clustering highlighted thematic patterns in images, such as contrasts betweenurban and natural motifs. second, participants gained accessible exposure to embeddings,clustering, and exploratory analysis, building data literacy. Third, the exercise prompted criticalreflection on algorithmic methods, raising questions of trust, interpretability, and limits.Participants also reported greater sensory awareness of their surroundings. This approach shows how computational methods can be integrated into anthropology without sacrificinginterpretive depth. Its simplicity, adaptability, and low cost make it a scalable model for teaching and research.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sensory walking, data science, image analytics, quantitative methods, teaching anthropology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FRI - Faculty of Computer and Information Science ; FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. , no.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180813
• UDC: 004:37:39
• ISSN on article: 0888-4552
• DOI: 10.1080/08884552.2026.2635502
• COBISS.SI-ID: 271510787
• Publication date in RUL: 17.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Practicing anthropology
• Shortened title: Pract. anthropol.
• Publisher: Society for Applied Anthropology
• ISSN: 0888-4552
• COBISS.SI-ID: 521234969

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: senzorni sprehodi, podatkovna znanost, analiza slik, kvantitativne metode, poučevanje antropologije