Is Problem-Based Learning Exercises using Real Data Effective on the Education of Lower Grades in the Faculty of Data Science? Findings on PBL Exercises for Five Years

The goal of this study is to design and to implement a practical data science human resource development curriculum centered on problem-based learning exercises (PBL exercises) for lower grades of undergraduate students at the university. The Faculty of Social and Information Sciences of the University of Hyogo, to which the authors belong, has introduced problem-solving exercises using actual data as a required course for first- and second-year under-graduate students since 2019, when the Faculty was established, in cooperation with companies to provide practical training in the skills that data scientists should possess. When we established the department, we identified six skills and philosophies that a data scientist should possess, and our PBL exercises have aimed to develop these six, and we have measured their effectiveness through questionnaires at the end of each PBL exercise. Through our experience over the past five years, we have identified what students want from their university education. This paper presents an overview of the PBL exercises conducted from 2019 to 2023 and describes the findings obtained through these exercises conducted over the past five years.