Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
As the demand for data literacy grows, integrating foundational data literacy skills into undergraduate education becomes increasingly essential. This panel presents six core themes for cultivating data literacy among undergraduate students, addressing its interdisciplinary nature. Drawing upon the collective expertise of the group, literature research, case studies, and interviews, the panel explores the need for data literacy across various disciplines and the challenges of integrating it into higher education curricula. The proposed fundamental concepts include understanding data’s role in daily life, distinguishing between inference and prediction, recognizing the potential for misleading data, exploring ethical considerations, and honing communication and storytelling skills with data. Case studies illustrate diverse approaches to implementing data literacy education at the undergraduate level. Despite these efforts, challenges remain in standardizing data literacy education and scaling initiatives across institutions. The panel emphasizes the importance of collaborative efforts among faculty and increased investment in data literacy initiatives to graduate a data literate population.
Original Publication Citation
Pothier, W., Bargagliotti, A., Homa, D., Mathur, A., McCormick, K., Payton, P., & Wright, B. (2025). A Conversation on Fundamental Data Literacy Concepts for Undergraduate Education. Harvard Data Science Review, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.1162/99608f92.b5fc31f3
Digital Commons @ LMU & LLS Citation
Bargagliotti, Anna; Pothier, Wendy; Homa, David; Mathus, Arshia; McCormick, Keith; Payton, Paula; and Wright, Brian, "A Conversation on Fundamental Data Literacy Concepts for Undergraduate Education" (2025). Mathematics, Statistics and Data Science Faculty Works. 205.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/math_fac/205
