How This Works

Getting Started

The Data Science Ethos is made up of three important components: the Lenses, the Stages, and the Case Studies. If you are unfamiliar with the Data Science Ethos, take a moment to orient yourself to the three components of the tool.

An abstracted image of an optical lens set against a teal background. The sphere is outlined in deep blue, the bottom portion of the sphere is filled in with a solid dark blue, the top is a gradient of the same teal in the background, the middle is a cat's eye shape filled in with solid yellow.

1. Understand the Lenses

The lenses offer a structured approach to thinking about the ethical components at each stage of the data science lifecycle. Learn about the lenses to help contextualize the research stages.

An abstracted image of the data science lifecycle set against a teal background. The image consists of a long, horizontal, pill-shaped figure with lines connecting it to similar figures that are only partially in view. The shapes are outlined in deep blue and are filled with gradients ranging from yellow to green to teal, left to right.

2. Review the Stages

Review the Research Lifecycle Stages - a familiar model for the data science research process. At each stage, we examine how the Lenses focus our attention on the social, human, and moral impacts and implications of research.

An abstracted image of a cube containing a sphere. The cube is outlined in deep blue, and grades in color from yellow on the right to blue-green on the left. The sphere is medium blue in the upper right, grading to dark blue in the lower left.

3. Explore the Case Studies

Put the Lenses and Stages together with real-world research projects showing how social questions interact with the work of a data scientist. They draw attention to the broader social structural issues in data science projects while representing the ethical questions that can emerge during project development.

Next Steps for Ethos

PILOT PHASE

Elements of the Data Science Lifecycle Ethos Tool have already been piloted in classrooms and in a workshop for the UC Berkeley Human Contexts and Ethics Program. The next major phase of this project is to continue to gather and refine additional case studies, work with educators to develop open source lesson materials, and to partner with community members for piloting in classroom or research group settings. If you are interested in helping us with any of these efforts, please reach out with the Submit Feedback form!

LONG TERM VISION

ADSA’s vision for this project is that it will become a common touchpoint for data science instruction in higher education, starting with members of the ADSA community. To make the tool relevant to the needs of instructors and practitioners, future development of the tool should allow submission of new case studies, allow users to match curricular artifacts to case studies, and offer versions of the tool that can be used off-line.

Learn More

Read the journal article by Ethos Lifecycle Tool creators to learn about the intellectual history of this project.

Read the Article