Support for Education and Employment in Data Science

El Camino College, Torrance CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by establishing a data science pathway at a Hispanic Serving two-year college that extends from high schools to two-year colleges, to industry. Over the past twenty years, data science has emerged as an important field across numerous sectors of the workforce, yet preparation opportunities in data science at the collegiate level remain scarce. To establish this new pathway, dual-enrollment courses will be initiated at local high schools and faculty will be engaged in professional development activities to equip them with the skills necessary to effectively engage diverse student populations within the new data science pathway. Furthermore, this project utilizes current and new industry partnerships to create coursework and offer opportunities for internships/apprenticeships and student employment opportunities. Ultimately, the project aims to successfully address the growing need for data scientists in the region. This project has the following goals: 1) increase dual-enrollment offerings in data science, 2) leverage existing funding to provide training to part-time math faculty to utilize industry level data within the courses they teach, and 3) facilitate meaningful collaborations with industry partners. To achieve these goals, a series of activities will be implemented including the initiation of dual-enrollment data science courses in four local high-schools, facilitation of professional development for math faculty, and collaboration with industry partners in the curriculum development process and in arranging potential internship opportunities. The project seeks to track students who enroll in the new courses and utilize both quantitative and qualitative measures to examine STEM interest, course enrollment behavior, and possible career activities. Project evaluation will include formative evaluations of the professional development and dual enrollment courses for continuous improvement and summative evaluation measures that assess and document student outcomes, project accomplishments, and lessons learned. Findings will be disseminated at regional and national STEM education conferences and published in relevant journals. The NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) Program seeks to accelerate the impact of and advance knowledge about emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. This project is partially funded by the HSI Program, which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education, broaden participation in STEM, and build capacity at HSIs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.