Enhancing Data Literacy Learning Experience for Nontraditional Higher Education Community: A Constructive Work in Progress

This poster presentation outlines an ongoing initiative aimed at improving data literacy learning experiences for the nontraditional higher education community at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG). In the era of rapidly evolving data, understanding and learning from data, as well as overall data literacy, have become crucial skills. The necessity of data literacy for student success in both everyday life and the workplace cannot be overstated. With a keen focus on the future of higher education (Khademian, 2022) and the workforce, this proposal presents a data literacy program tailored to the USG student population, drawing on the theoretical framework of the Community of Inquiry (CoI). The program consists of multiple stages, with the first stage already implemented and evaluated. This poster proposal presents two key sections: (1) defining the community of nontraditional learners at USG and creating a CoI-based learning experience through the social, cognitive, and teaching components, and (2) detailing the development and implementation of the first program stage, along with plans for successfully executing the remaining stages. USG, as part of the University System of Maryland, caters to over three thousand nontraditional students from nine universities in Maryland each semester.
Resources:
Khademian, A. (2022, August 15). Fluid students flowing in and out of education are higher ed's future. Here's how colleges must adapt. Higher Ed Dive. https://www.highereddive.com/news/fluid-students-flowing-in-and-out-of-education-are-higher-eds-future-here/629119/
https://shadygrove.umd.edu/
https://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/