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XC‑410: Spark! Data Science for Good Practicum (DS4G)

🎓 • Boston University

Course Overview

Practicum course focused on applying data science and software engineering skills to public interest and civic tech projects. Students worked in teams to address real-world problems from nonprofit, government, and academic partners.

Teaching Impact

Fall 2022 – Spring 2024: Authored and launched the course. Recruited initial instructors for Fall 2022. Co-taught the course from Spring 2023 through Spring 2024. Course has since been discontinued.

Closely aligned with Spark’s mission and served as a flagship civic tech offering during its run.

Learning Objectives

Students applied technical skills to social impact through:

  1. Civic Technology: Building tools for government and nonprofit organizations
  2. Social Impact Analysis: Using data science for public interest research
  3. Stakeholder Engagement: Working with mission-driven organizations
  4. Ethical Data Practice: Responsible handling of sensitive social data
  5. Community Partnership: Long-term relationship building with civic organizations
  6. Public Interest Technology: Understanding technology’s role in social change

Course Structure

  • Nonprofit Partnerships: Projects with local and national organizations
  • Government Collaboration: Data analysis for public sector agencies
  • Academic Research: Supporting faculty research with social impact
  • Cross-disciplinary Teams: Students from multiple departments and schools
  • Community Presentations: Public showcasing of project outcomes

Notable Projects

  • Housing Justice: Eviction prediction and tenant rights tools
  • Environmental Justice: Air quality monitoring and visualization
  • Education Equity: School district resource allocation analysis
  • Public Health: Community health outcome tracking and intervention planning
  • Voting Rights: Election access and voter registration optimization

Legacy and Impact

Though discontinued, DS4G established important precedents for civic engagement in technical education and created lasting partnerships between BU and community organizations.

Course Retirement

The course was retired after Spring 2024 due to resource constraints and programmatic restructuring, but its model influenced other civic tech initiatives across the university.