IUSE Collaborative Research: Data Computing for All: Developing an Introductory Data Science Course in Flipped Format (2014-2018)

This project, Data Computing for All: Developing an Introductory Data Science Course in Flipped Format, addresses two current issues: the need for more students to be familiar with the use of data in a variety of contexts and the need for instructional materials to support coursework in the "flipped classroom" format. The flipped classroom reverses the way time is spent by students. Instead of having information given to them in the classroom and then going away to practice using the new knowledge by themselves through homework problems, the students get the information before class time and then practice using it while the course instructor is present to help with misunderstandings and complexities. This allows the instructor to address the problems encountered by small groups of students, rather than lecturing to a large group without knowing who understands what.

Data science is essential for applications as diverse as genome sequencing and customer data analysis. Nearly every discipline has need of large scale data handling that requires computing and statistics in combination. More specifically, this course addresses an important need not only in computer and statistical sciences, but in all science, business, medical and engineering areas in general. The reliance on the effective use of vast amounts of data and the emergent field of data science is changing the operation of organizations across sectors. This project will not only provide new course in an important area in the STEM disciplines, but will also result in valuable educational research.

With the growing use of the flipped classroom model of learning, questions arise about its generalizability. Is it always the right approach? How difficult is it to prepare materials to teach a course in this way? This project will address these questions in the context of a new data science course for students with minimal background. The project is being developed in computer science and statistics departments at two different types of institutions. Both institutions have experience using the flipped approach and together have the expertise for data science. The course materials as well as the evaluation results will better enable other institutions to consider including introductory data science computing in their programs.

The material in this site is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE-1432438 and DUE-1432257. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.