2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Arkansas Data Analytics Teacher Alliance (AR-DATA) Program, a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Site, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in its second year, has been promoting research-driven high school data analytics curriculum to reach underserved students in Arkansas. Twenty high school teachers in Arkansas have participated in a six-week summer program learning about data analytics, cutting-edge research in this field, and various engineering applications employing data analytics. They have also developed data analytics related modules for mathematics, computer science, and pre-engineering classes. In this paper, we first analyze the participating teachers’ needs for module development and improvement, using information collected during the application process. We also summarize how data analytics related modules are incorporated in their current teaching materials. Through the analysis, we seek to explore how high school education in Arkansas is preparing students for next-generation workforce needs in analytics. In addition, we perform a descriptive statistics analysis of the learning modules created by the participating teachers through the AR-DATA program. We summarize the standards the teachers have used for their modules as well as the common ideas and topics of the learning modules. Through connecting the modules in different subject areas, we also analyze the possibilities of collaborative lesson plans that teachers in different fields can coordinate and teach together. Finally, we examine related topics in the post-secondary curriculum and propose how college professors and high school teachers can work together to strengthen education in data analytics to better prepare students for the workforce needs.