Author(s):
Data science is a growing academic and professional field that uses computer programming methods to gather and evaluate information in large datasets. Data science career opportunities are growing, but undergraduate training in data science lags behind the need. Psychology is among the most popular undergraduate majors nationwide, and although psychology curricula already include coursework featuring research design and statistics, they rarely offer courses that instruct students in the use of data science software tools. To address this problem, we are developing and assessing embedded data science experiences within psychology courses. This presentation will include a brief overview of our efforts, with an emphasis on how we integrated data science tools into our psychological courses to teach data acquisition, management, and analysis. Our research-rich courses are centered on germane psychological content so that students immediately learn how to apply their developing data science skills. For example, students design and preregister psychological research studies, code their studies with python-based experiment software, analyze results with python tools in Jupyter Notebook, communicate results with a data narrative, write technical reports, and present posters. By combining high-impact course experiences with modern data science skill instruction, we aim to modernize psychology curricula in ways that can enhance students’ readiness for emerging data science career opportunities.
Coauthors
Aileen Bailey; ambailey@smcm.edu
