Two-Year College Data Science Curriculum Report Released, Webinar Planned

With the publishing of the  Two-Year College Data Science Summit (TYCDSS) final  report, the first curricular guidelines and recommendations are available to assist two-year colleges in establishing and maintaining data science programs. The summit and report writing were led by Robert Gould of the University of California at Los Angeles and Roxy Peck of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, with support from a team of faculty from two- and four-year colleges and experts from nonprofit organizations.

Gould, Peck, and Brad Thompson of Delaware Technical Community College will discuss the report in a March 20  webinar at 1 p.m. EDT. The report recommendations fall into the following eight categories, each with their own set of objectives:

  • Computational Foundations
  • Computational Thinking
  • Statistical Foundations
  • Statistical Thinking
  • Statistical Modeling
  • Data Management and Curation
  • Mathematical Foundations
  • Productivity Foundations 

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the May 2018 summit assembled 72 educators, researchers, and practitioners in statistics, mathematics, computer science, and data science. Summit participants included faculty from two- and four-year colleges, along with representatives from industry, government, and nonprofits. Besides Gould, Peck, and Thompson, the steering committee included Nicholas Horton, Randy Kochevar, Brian Kotz, and Mary Rudis.