An iSchool approach to data science: Human‐centered, socially responsible, and context‐driven

Abstract

The Information Schools, also referred to as iSchools, have a unique approach to data science with three distinct components: human‐centeredness, socially responsible, and rooted in context. In this position paper, we highlight and expand on these components and show how they are integrated in various research and educational activities related to data science that are being carried out at iSchools. We argue that the iSchool way of doing data science is not only highly relevant to the current times, but also crucial in solving problems of tomorrow. Specifically, we accentuate the issues of developing insights and solutions that are not only data‐driven, but also incorporate human values, including transparency, privacy, ethics, fairness, and equity. This approach to data science has meaningful implications on how we educate the students and train the next generation of scholars and policymakers. Here, we provide some of those design decisions, rooted in evidence‐based research, along with our perspective on how data science is currently situated and how it should be advanced in iSchools.

Data science curriculum in the iField

“…In many institutions, larger efforts to develop a stronger, richer, and deeper offering of DS programs have been underway over the last few years. The iSchools need to both fit into these efforts and carve out what makes the iSchool flavor of DS special (Shah et al, 2021). The findings of the curriculum and job analyses offer supporting evidence that DS programs from multiple disciplines can co-exist to meet the workforce market and those academic programs can be natural collaborators such as computer science and statistics in the sample iSchool undergraduate DS programs.…”

LEADING the Way: A New Model for Data Science Education

“…The data talent gap offers iSchools a tremendous-perhaps unique-leadership opportunity (Bishop et al, 2019;Han & Zhu, 2017;Shah et al, 2021;Wu, 2019); to this end, the iSchool Data Science Curriculum Committee coalesced in 2019 to gather information and propose common curriculum content (Oh et al, 2019;Shah et al, 2021;Song et al, 2019Song et al, , 2020.…”

Knowledge architectures: Structures and semantics. DeniseBedford, Abingdon‐on‐Thames: Routledge, 2021. 544 pp. £120.00 (hardcover). (ISBN9780367219444)

“…In the 21st century, iSchools are investigating how to promote research and teaching of data science in a human‐centered, socially responsible, and context‐driven manner that crosses disciplines (Shah et al, 2021). Following a similar approach to knowledge management research, practice, and teaching, Denise Bedford, in Knowledge Architectures: Structures and Semantics , has written an extensive guide for Library and Information Science (LIS) and business professionals to design an enterprise architecture that protects knowledge assets and helps develop strategies.…”