Robert Walsh

Bachelor of Science in Information Studies (BSIS) Program Review

       The Bachelor of Science in Information Studies (BSIS) Program, with a concentration in Data Science and Analytics at the University of South Florida, was a challenging and exciting scholarly journey. The program was demanding, requiring learning new concepts, maintaining self-discipline, and working diligently. However, the excitement of discovering ways to apply knowledge in academic and professional settings made the hard work worthwhile. Courses relevant to my future career in Data Science included LIS4800, Introduction to Data Science, an overview of the field and the technologies necessary to succeed. LIS4204, Information Behaviors, how behavioral data helps to understand the activities of information professionals and the design of information systems. And LIS4414, Information Policy and Ethics, covering issues related to information science and technology in historical, ethical, and governmental contexts. Some primary assignments stood out and required the completion of smaller tasks that preceded them. The Storage Wars assignment in LIS4800 utilized the R Programming Language to import datasets and perform operations on the data. The Future of Information Behaviors Research Essay in LIS4204 reviewed the research process and its application to future research trends. And the Civic Engagement Research Project in LIS4414, which provides practical experience working with a community non-profit organization, explores the implications that arise from such collaborations. The BSIS program at USF offered numerous classes for the Data Science concentration, including LIS4800, LIS4204, and LIS4414; These classes featured thought-provoking assignments such as "Storage Wars," "The Future of Information Behaviors Research Essay," and the "Civic Engagement Research Project," which provided valuable experience for a career in the Data Science field.

BSIS Program: Courses

       The BSIS Program, with a concentration in Data Science and Analytics at USF, was indeed a challenging and exciting scholarly journey that included many interesting courses for aspiring information professionals. One of the more difficult, yet essential courses relevant to my future career in Data Science was LIS4800, Introduction to Data Science. This course provided a comprehensive introduction to Data Science, including hands-on examples of how data is collected, processed, and manipulated to extract functional patterns within the data that can be analyzed to derive meaningful information. The use of the R Programming language, combined with advanced statistics, teaches valuable skills for data scientists and information professionals. I particularly enjoyed the visual analytics aspects of the course, and creating graphs or charts to represent data sets in interesting ways. It wasn't easy to learn the R Programming Language and the numerous functions of the integrated development environment (IDE) RStudio. However, these will be marketable job skills that are in high demand.

       Another challenging course was LIS4204, Information Behaviors, which required students to think outside the box and consider the numerous theories, models, and paradigms that help study patterns from human information behavioral data and their relationship to society. The knowledge gained in this course will facilitate the development of future information systems that people interact with when they need, seek, and use information, and consider the outcomes of these interactions to improve the following systems and make them more effective. This course is relevant to a career in Data Science because understanding the ways people interact with data, will help structure data sets and systems efficiently, allowing people to find the data they need to complete tasks, and share data with others who may need, seek, and use this data for the completion of their assignments and projects. The research trends aspect of this course was the most interesting, as I learned how research has evolved throughout history and has become increasingly focused on the user, rather than just improving the systems themselves.

       A course that I found both challenging and enjoyable was LIS4414, Information Policy and Ethics, which covered issues related to information science and technology in historical, ethical, and governmental contexts. This course explores some of the most challenging technological, moral, and policy implications that do not have universally accepted right or wrong answers for solving problems in complex situations and contexts. These situations require critical thinking and important decision-making. They are arguably the most essential topics for information professionals and data scientists to consider when starting a new career, because the organization for which a person works may ask them to do things that do not align with their individual values and morals. As university students, we acquire interesting and powerful skills. Understanding the best ways to wield this power and the implications that may follow its application will have an impact on the communities in which we live and work. Therefore, the governmental policy aspect of this course was the most interesting yet challenging aspect of this course. The policies we collectively create as a democratic society will shape how we utilize our skills, maximizing benefits and minimizing harm, in virtuous endeavors.

BSIS Program: Assignments

       The courses in the BSIS Program at USF offered numerous assignments that were beneficial to the learning process and provided hands-on experience that can be applied in the workplace. The assignments build off one another. Some primary assignments stood out and required the completion of smaller tasks that preceded them to be managed successfully. The “Storage Wars” assignment in LIS4800 utilized the R Programming Language to import datasets and perform operations on the data. This assignment highlights the various formats that data can be represented in, and requires students to not only learn a programming language, but also to use that programming language to retrieve data sets from multiple online sources, and then clean the data set, or manipulate the data into a structure that is useful and meaningful to the user and others that may reuse the data set at a later time. We were tasked with using Structured Query Language (SQL) commands to read a data file and perform operations on a messy dataset, making it easier to extract information from the results. It was interesting to retrieve data sets directly from online URLs, Excel, and JSON files. The flexibility of data files was encouraging, and working with them provided me with experience that I can apply in my future career.

       Another remarkable primary assignment was “The Future of Information Behaviors Research Essay” in LIS4204, which taught and reviewed the research process and its application to future research trends in Information Behavior. This essay also required consideration of how the Information Behavior research study could be applied across Information Science and other disciplines and fields of study. By researching the history of Information Behavior studies, I gained insight into historical shifts in research focus and needs. I identified trends for future IB research that will be directly applicable to my future career. As more information and data become available and accessed online, the focus of modern research has shifted to the user rather than institutional systems and describing data rather than documents. The most intriguing aspect of this assignment was discovering the importance of identifying the various forms and sources that data, information, and knowledge can take, as well as the multiple methods required to conduct research as an information professional or a data scientist, and why it is necessary.

       The most enjoyable assignment that I completed was the “Civic Engagement Research Project” in LIS4414, which provided practical experience working with a community non-profit organization and explored the technological, ethical, and policy implications that could potentially arise from such collaborations. Selecting a local community non-profit organization allowed me to imagine working within these organizations in real-life scenarios. I selected Metropolitan Ministries, with which I would work to help combat homelessness and poverty in the Tampa Bay area. My task was to identify potential technological, ethical, and policy implications associated with implementing modern technology into the organization's business activities and educate the organization's staff on the best ways to integrate new technology into their operations. Setting organizational policy to align with societal policy for the ethical implementation of technology underscores the care that must be taken when working with vulnerable populations, and recognizing that special attention must be given to maximize benefits and minimize harm to the people the organization aims to assist. The best part of the assignment was creating a plan to produce an educational video and present it to the staff, aiming to influence others and lead by example. Utilizing my developed skills should inspire others and help promote the development of ethical policy within the organization. This experience will help prepare me for meaningful work as an information professional and an ethical data scientist.

Conclusion

       The BSIS Program, with a concentration in Data Science and Analytics at USF, was a challenging and exciting scholarly adventure. The program was demanding at times, requiring learning new concepts, maintaining self-discipline, and working diligently. However, the excitement of discovering ways to apply knowledge in academic and professional settings made the hard work worthwhile. Completing courses such as LIS4800, LIS4204, and LIS4414, as well as assignments including "Storage Wars," "The Future of Information Behaviors Research Essay," and "Civic Engagement Research Project," provided valuable experience for a career in the Data Science field.