Source – purdueexponent.org

Purdue could soon be considering important initiatives, a new building, and a system to keep everyone informed about campus assets to improve its efforts in data science.

Professors, graduate students and academic advisors gathered Thursday to discuss the topic in forum. They were divided into department-based tables and brainstormed in smaller groups.

“One of the big goals (of the forum) is to get a wide view of what’s happening in the space of data science,” said Jenna Rickus, the associate vice provost for teaching and learning.

The participants were first tasked with “mapping assets” and “defining opportunities” for data science.

After this exercise, many participants said they realized they did not know of all the resources they have on campus. Rickus mentioned that this was a pattern in these forums. The participants were generally unaware of resources.

The smaller groups then went on to discuss challenges with data science and propose possible solutions.

Elizabeth A. Richards, an assistant professor in the school of nursing, expressed that in her case, she would like to know the “availability of courses (in other departments) that are relevant” for her students.

Chantal Levesque-Bristol, director of center of instructional excellence, who was at the same table, summarized that all these initiatives focused on student success.

This forum was the last of a group of four such forums. Rickus intends through this process to identify important recommendations and convey them to administrators.