Goals and Audience

If you are a professor, a department chair, an administrator, or anyone else who makes curricular decisions, this playbook is for you. The playbook has been designed to enable you to find the activities and approaches that are the best fit for your context and needs. There is no “one size fits all” approach to data science for social impact so the playbook’s goal is to provide you with enough information, ideas, and guidance to create opportunities that will serve your students. 

How to Use This Playbook

As you look at the range of ways you might bring data science for social impact to your students, remember that the intention is not for you to replicate what is here, but rather adapt them to your local contexts and conditions. You might draw pieces from several activities and combine them to create a customized strategy that works for you. Consider the assets you have around you and how you might be able to leverage them. At the same time, imagine how some of the lessons learned might reflect barriers you might face, as well. Most importantly, know that it is possible for you to create data science for social impact at your institution to bring benefit to your students and society.

Orientation to Program and Event Descriptions

There are three sections that describe a range of data science for social impact learning opportunities: 1) Courses and Course Modules; 2) Research and Internships; and 3) Events and Activities. Each section has a brief description of the learning opportunity followed by specific examples. The examples describe the inspiration behind the opportunity, the opportunity itself, and a set of tips and considerations associated with the opportunity.  You will also see student profiles that describe students’ experiences and reflections. Each opportunity is also labeled with the size and type of the institution.