Report: People Loved the DS Challenge
This past school year, we piloted our first ever After the AP Data Science Challenge. The project challenged AP Statistics and AP Computer Science students to predict which colleges "pay off" the most, using a big dataset from the Department of Education. Students used R code and state of the art methods - including machine learning models - to accomplish the task.
Just 24 hours after opening the challenge, student demand grew so large that it started outpacing our server capacities! In response, we upped the server space, allowing us to accommodate 2,600 students in the pilot.
Now, our external evaluation partners at NC State Data Science Academy have finalized their report on the challenge. Here are some highlights:
When asked about how relevant the project felt for students, 90% of respondents rated it a 4 or 5 (out of 5).
Despite most students coming from non-coding classes, 98% of respondents reported that students found the coding neither too easy nor too difficult.
85% of teacher respondents said they would use this project again; only 15% were undecided. 0% of teachers said they wouldn’t consider using it again.
It's clear that there's a pent-up demand for learning about more modern tools (i.e. not the TI-84) and more modern methods (i.e. not random digit tables). It's also clear that, when given the right materials, high school teachers and students are more than capable of doing it.
Missed last year's challenge? Well, we have good news: the data science challenge is officially returning this year! You'll be able to run the challenge with your remaining class time after AP testing. This year, we'll be able to accommodate more classrooms, and we'll have implemented feedback from the pilot to make things run even better. We're incredibly excited. Keep your eye on this email list.
A huge thank you to the folks at NC State Data Science Academy for their work in compiling the report, along with our partners at Data Science 4 Everyone and CourseKata. In addition, a huge shoutout to the teachers who ran this pilot and gave us the gift of their feedback. We can't thank you enough.
Let's skew it!