This paper is from Session 9C: The emerging concepts of “data science” and “big data” for educational purposes

which comes under Topic 9: Technology in statistics education

Teaching data science to teenagers

Presenter

• Amelia McNamara (University of California, Los Angeles, United States)

Co-author

• Mark Hansen (Columbia University, United States)

Abstract

Teaching data science to secondary school students might seem outlandish, given how few programs of instruction currently exist, even at the post-graduate level. However, teenagers are surrounded by data, and, in one form or another, view and manage data every day. Many teenagers carry smart phones, which already automatically store, retrieve and analyze data, but which can also be used to collect data. We will discuss challenges faced by the Mobilize project, an NSF-funded project that utilizes participatory sensing to teach data science to secondary school students (ages 15-17). In particular, we’ll talk about the challenges of including statistical computing as a natural and integrated part of the curriculum.