A 14-week accredited course on equity in technology, built from what 500 students said they needed.
DS291 is an accredited, 14-week course on how technology and equity connect. It started as a question about why students from underrepresented backgrounds were leaving the STEM pipeline, and became the foundation of the Tech Socialization framework.
- Organization
- BU Spark!, Boston University
- Role
- Sole Course Creator & Instructor
- Dates
- 2020 to 2023
- Skills
- Curriculum design, survey research, facilitation, program management, equity-centered design.
Students from underrepresented backgrounds were leaving computing and data science programs, and no course in the curriculum spoke to how technology is designed, who it serves, and who it leaves out.
Sole creator and instructor. Designed the course from research through delivery, working inside BU Spark! with a team of 8 on a $5K budget.
What I Did- Step 1
Ran a culture survey of 500 students to learn what was pushing people out and what would keep them in.
- Step 2
Turned the findings into a 14-week accredited syllabus.
- Step 3
Taught the course and refined it each term based on student feedback.
- Became the foundation of the Tech Socialization framework now taught at The Wheeler School and offered to schools and organizations.
Let’s talk about your program.
Whether you’re rebuilding a curriculum, launching a new initiative, or scaling an existing program, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.