Introductory Data Science Research Articles

Teaching Data Science

We describe an introductory data science course, entitled Introduction to Data Science, offered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The course introduced general programming concepts by using the Python programming language with an emphasis on data preparation, processing, and presentation. The course had no prerequisites, and students were not expected to have any programming experience. This introductory course was designed to cover a wide range of topics, from the nature of data, to storage, to visualization, to probability and statistical analysis, to cloud and high performance computing, without becoming overly focused on any one subject. We conclude this article with a discussion of lessons learned and our plans to develop new data science courses.

Case Article—Mapping Business Problems to Analytics Solutions: Surrogate Experiential Learning in an MBA Introductory Data Science and Business Analytics Course

The case presented in this article can be used as a surrogate experiential learning exercise in an introductory MBA course on data science and business analytics. Students learn about the life cycle of data analytics projects by alternating between study of analytical techniques and participation in a data analytics project running through the course. The project begins as a simple business question which, through sequential discovery, expands into rich discussions and experiences, and culminates with presentations that test students’ ability to translate computational results into insights for various stakeholders. In the process, students learn about effective information gathering and discovery, identifying major stakeholders, problem framing and mapping, model identification, data visualization, and basic model implementation. They also learn how to present their findings to different audiences with the greatest possible impact. This approach elicits student engagement, teamwork, and multiple perspectives as students are asked to view themselves and evaluate their colleagues from the point of view of various roles in the company. Teaching Note: Interested Instructors please see the Instructor Materials page for access to the restricted materials. To maintain the integrity and usefulness of cases published in ITE, unapproved distribution of the case teaching notes and other restricted materials to any other party is prohibited.