ODI Releases New Profile

For the first time, the middle level skills of the big data worker have been defined.  EDC’s Oceans of Data Institute (ODI) is leading an effort to guide community colleges in the design and implementation of career pathways leading to jobs in big data.  ODI’s NSF-funded Creating Pathways for Big Data Careers  project convened a panel of Big Data experts to develop an occupational profile identifying the work activities, skills, knowledge, and behaviors that define what these data workers need to know and be able to do. This profile of a “Data Practitioner” describes an individual who works with data as part of a team and who can be found in a variety of industries including biotechnology, finance, law enforcement, health care, agriculture, and public policy. More than 70 data analysts across the country reviewed and validated the profile as accurately representing the work responsibilities of data workers.

The profile will be used by ODI and its community college partners–Bunker Hill Community College (MA), Normandale Community College (MN), Johnson County Community College (KS) and Sinclair Community College (OH)–to create a system of stackable credentials that identify associate’s degrees, certificates, and four-year programs leading to employment.  ODI is working with the same panel of experts to create performance-based rubrics aligned to the Data Practitioner profile. The rubrics provide an assessment framework to assist faculty in evaluating student proficiency in big data skills.

The profile can be accessed at: http://oceansofdata.org/our-work/profile-data-practitioner

 

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