Innovation in Data Science Education

Abstract

The workshop will allow participants to gain experience with a series of innovations developed at UC Berkeley that have enabled the teaching of undergraduate data science at scale to students from all backgrounds. Rather than beginning with established introductory strategies as the gateway to computer science, students in the "Foundations of Data Science" (data8.org) learn computational skills and concepts in relation to real-world issues and with attention to societal implications. By engaging with students' interest in the applications of computing on data, and integrating societal impact from the start, the program has developed a long-term commitment to advance computational skills for large numbers of students. These innovations in teaching not only convey important computational content, but also broaden participation beyond existing approaches to computer science. Goals include increasing diversity among students learning computer science, giving students a strong ethical foundation within their computer science work, and encouraging critical thinking in the application of inference and statistical techniques. Bringing a laptop is recommended. UC Berkeley has as over 1000 students in a large and open Data Science Major, where a range of Domain Emphases and backgrounds bring a broader set of students than the traditional CS major. UC Berkeley Data Science has been gathering over 500 educators in a summer workshop on sharing curricular innovation.