As data science continues to grow and become intertwined into many domains, its application becomes increasingly relevant. Data science is becoming a part of an interdisciplinary web of methodologies that can be used to extract essential insights from many types of data and are used in numerous occupations. Due to the rising importance of this emerging field, additional educational opportunities to learn data science will be beneficial in the future. In this chapter, the authors discuss the development of an associate's degree program in data science that provides students with specific coursework required to transfer to other institutions that offer bachelor's degrees in data science. Alternatively, students could also use this program to learn new skills in data science to change career paths or to continue their education. First, the general development of the data science program is discussed, followed by development challenges and opportunities, specific courses, and future directions.
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The mission of the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) aims to “[transform] lives by providing an accessible, affordable, and high-quality education that prepares students for transfer and career success, strengthens the regional workforce, and enriches our community” (CCBC, 2021). The College strives for excellence, innovative and timely programs relevant to today's ever-changing society and the needs of the students as they are preparing for their careers, transfer opportunities, and personal advancement. One recent and significant initiative aimed at this mission is the development of a Data Science Associates degree program. This program has been the culmination of many months of research, meetings, and collaborations both within the College and with many outside organizations. At the time of this writing, the degree program is pending approval and under review by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). The goal is to start offering this major in late 2022 or sometime in 2023. This chapter presents the overall development of the data science program, including details of classes, challenges and opportunities, and future directions of the program.
The proposed Associates of Science degree program in Data Science emphasizes a robust curriculum that will prepare students to succeed in their careers as well as assist with their transfer. We envision that many students will transfer to a related 4-year program. In addition, many students transfer into other degree programs to complete their bachelor's degree to ultimately pave the way for career success in this emerging discipline. Some students at the College already have a bachelor's or master's degree but are looking to expand their knowledge or change fields and require additional coursework. Students who are successful in this degree program will have a broad spectrum of transfer options with multiple career tracks, such as those pursuing Computer Science, Data Science, Data Analytics, Accounting, Business, and more. The program builds on many existing courses and degree programs and requires the creation of several new courses specific to the field of data science. Development of the Data Science degree aligns with CCBC's “Rethinking what's Possible” Transformational Academics strategic priority by ensuring seamless transfer opportunities for students through expanded partnerships with local and regional four-year institutions. At the same time, it supports Transformational Academics by providing a high-quality program that will promote market viability and respond to the needs of the student, community, and workforce.
To provide some context, CCBC is a public community college located in Maryland, USA, and is an important part of Baltimore County. Baltimore County is the third most populated county in Maryland. CCBC collaborates with the government, businesses, and many local organizations for various initiatives and educational activities. Based on 2017 data, the college-educated 61,191 students, including 29,115 credit students and 33,247 non-credit students (CCBC, 2020). Through the operation of three main campuses (Catonsville, Essex, and Dundalk) and three extension centers, CCBC serves a diverse population of Maryland residents and is well known locally. The computer science/information technology department (CSIT) offers associate degrees in Information Technology, Computer Science, and Computer Science with a concentration in Information Systems Management as well as five credit-based certificates. The certificates include a Database certificate, Information Management certificate, Mobile Development certificate, Programming certificate, and an Office Specialist certificate. Many courses are offered in various modalities and time frames to better serve the needs of the students. These modalities include face-to-face courses, online, blended (a hybrid mixture of face-to-face and online), and remote (which are live instructor-led online courses conducted through video conferencing technology). Online courses are highly assessed and evaluated. To ensure quality and consistency for all CSIT class sections, specific guidelines are in place for developing and maintaining online and blended courses (Paniagua, 2019). Instructors teaching online must go through training to teach online or blended sections. Online courses must also pass evaluation through internal review mechanisms in combination with Quality Matters (QM) review and rubric.