Focus and purpose of the DataEd Workshop

Data systems education is foundational in a variety of programs such as computer science, data science, and information systems and science. And indeed, data management concepts are both timely and timeless in our increasingly data-driven world. A continual focus since the 1970’s in the database research community is the place in curricula and best practices for teaching data systems concepts. This important conversation is particularly lively in recent years given the rise of data science.

There is also a long tradition in the Computer Science Education community on research into how students learn data systems concepts. With the increasing focus on data in the past decade, there is renewed focus on data systems in education research. For example, an important research space in the community is understanding the difficulties students face when learning query languages such as SQL and how teachers might improve query language educational practices.

Both the DB and CS Education communities, and adjacent communities, e.g., in Statistics Education, have complementary perspectives and experiences to share with each other. To date, however, there has been relatively little interaction between these communities. There is much to be gained by bringing the communities more closely together: to share findings, to cross-pollinate perspectives and methods, and to shed light on opportunities for mutual progress in data systems education. To our knowledge, there currently does not exist a dedicated venue for presentation and discussion of data systems education research.

With the DataEd workshop series we aim to take an important step towards building these bridges between the DB community and the broader computer and data science education research communities. We invite contributions from colleagues working in these communities, to start conversations towards shared research agendas.