Feasibility of a standardized instrument for IDS content knowledge

Determine whether a standardized assessment instrument can be developed to measure content knowledge relevant to introductory data science instruction across diverse institutional and curricular contexts, given the fluid, context-dependent nature of data science and the heterogeneity of introductory data science course content.

Background

The paper highlights substantial variability in how introductory data science (IDS) courses are designed and taught, driven by the lack of a consensus definition of data science and the multidisciplinary backgrounds of instructors. This variability complicates efforts to compare instructors’ content knowledge across settings.

Within this context, the authors note that the fluid and context-dependent nature of data science may hinder the development of a standardized instrument for assessing content knowledge in IDS instruction, raising the question of whether such an instrument is meaningfully achievable at this stage.