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== Course Description == | == Course Description == | ||
The rise of "data science" reflects a broad and ongoing shift in how many teams, organizational leaders, communities of practice, and entire industries create and use knowledge. This class teaches "data science" as practiced by data-intensive knowledge workers but also as it is positioned in historical, organizational, institutional, and societal contexts. Students will gain an | The rise of "data science" reflects a broad and ongoing shift in how many teams, organizational leaders, communities of practice, and entire industries create and use knowledge. This class teaches "data science" as practiced by data-intensive knowledge workers but also as it is positioned in historical, organizational, institutional, and societal contexts. Students will gain an appriciation for the technical and intellectual aspects of data science, consider critical questions about how data science is often practiced, and envision ethical and effective science practice in their current and future organiational roles. The format of the class will be a mix of lecture, discussion, in-class activities, and qualitative and quantitative research assignments. We assume no prior expertise in programming or statistics, only strong academic skills and a willingness to learn. However, students without any background in either programming or in qualitative research (e.g. interviewing) may find this course a challenge. | ||
The course is designed around two high-stakes projects. In the first stage of the students will attend the Community Data Science Workshop (CDSC). I am one of the organizers and instructors of this three week intensive workshop on basic programming and data analysis skills. The first course project is to apply these skills together with the conceptual material from this course we have covered so far to conduct an original data analysis on a topic of the student's interest. The second high-stakes project is a critical analysis of an organization or work team. For this project students will serve as consultants to an organizational unit involved in data science. Through interviews and workplace observations they will gain an understanding of the socio-technical and organizational context of their team. They will then synthesize this understanding with the knowledge they gained from the course material to compose a report offering actionable insights to their team. | The course is designed around two high-stakes projects. In the first stage of the students will attend the Community Data Science Workshop (CDSC). I am one of the organizers and instructors of this three week intensive workshop on basic programming and data analysis skills. The first course project is to apply these skills together with the conceptual material from this course we have covered so far to conduct an original data analysis on a topic of the student's interest. The second high-stakes project is a critical analysis of an organization or work team. For this project students will serve as consultants to an organizational unit involved in data science. Through interviews and workplace observations they will gain an understanding of the socio-technical and organizational context of their team. They will then synthesize this understanding with the knowledge they gained from the course material to compose a report offering actionable insights to their team. |