Book Club Model for Engaging with Data Science and Ethics: Using Weapons of Math Destruction

Abstract

This experience report describes a book club model for an undergraduate-level Big Data Analytics course. Course learning outcomes included communicating ethical implications of data and models and working collaboratively with other students in crafting solutions by listening and demonstrating. Students read Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil, individually answered reading questions, and collaborated on activities in three class meetings. Students' participation and activity completion rates exceeded 90%, indicating engagement with the book club model. To understand students' experiences with the activities, students' work and survey responses were analyzed. The book club activities expanded students' understanding of bias in data and models, the potential misuse and harm when using and creating software, and how models can target users. In addition to providing activities for a specific book, this paper can serve as a template for using the book club model in any computing course.