Activity 1.1. Curriculum Innovation in Data Science

Chaminade’s Hawaii-Pacific serving Data Science major is growing in size and impact with Alliance support

  • Alliance faculty secured Academic Council approval for a curriculum revision to add new Data Science tracks in environmental, business and health analytics

  • The DS major is complemented by a minor, 15 credit Certificate offerings and offers 12 courses in Chaminade’s redesigned Gen Ed core to non-majors

  • Alliance faculty developed and implemented Chaminade’s first Computer Science major in over a decade, with 25 students enrolling in the 2022 inaugural class

  • Project-based learning on stakeholder use cases is embedded throughout the DS major, connecting studies to Pacific place, challenges and communities

Program growth and status for CUH Computational Programs in DS and CS with Alliance Support. A. Program trajectory since founding. B. Current proportion of School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (SNSM) enrollment that comprises DS and new CS majors. C. Class size distribution of DS classes. D. Non-major/Gen Ed engagement in DS classes. Pie charts show two example SP24 classes with proportion of non-CS/DS major enrollment in orange. E. Broadening participation metrics for current DS program.

Chaminade’s Data Science graduates have 100% placement, enter industry and graduate school and retain in Hawaii at high rates

In our first 2022 graduating class of 8 graduates: 7 were Native Hawaiian, 7 were women, and 6 were Native Hawaiian women

This historic class were the first graduates with degrees in Data Science in the State of Hawai`i

Chaminade Data Science Graduate destinations

History-making mana wahine from the first graduating class of the Chaminade DS major

Alliance faculty and staff are developing and implementing new computational degree pathways for Hawaii-Pacific students

  • The on-ground Data Science major at Chaminade was extensively revised in 2022-23 to offer tracks in environmental, health and criminal justice analytics

  • The Summer 2024 Curriculum working Group will invite Pacific partners to discuss an online data science major for the region

  • A new Computer Science degree was designed, approved and implemented at Chaminade in 2022-23, enrolling its first class in Fall 2023.

Alliance faculty and staff have developed and implemented new online Short Course Certifications in high-demand areas of data science that are:

  • Providing accessible training options for participants from remote Pacific locales

  • Providing accessible training options for students and working professionals to upskill and reskill

  • Certified by UNITAR via Alliance core partner the UN CIFAL Center at Chaminade

  • Informed by employer and stakeholder input on workforce needs and key skill sets

  • 4 Short Course Certifications have been designed and implemented with 3 more in development with 37 participants to date

  • Course fees are $1500 with 100% of participants awarded 100% tuition waivers to date through generous sponsorship

  • Each Certificate is a ‘sprint’ with 40 hours of instruction and self-paced learning mentored by faculty and external Subject Matter Experts (SME), followed by a 20 hour ‘Challenge’ project culminating in a Showcase Event

  • Certificates use state of the art online learning environments including TEEM (from CivilianCyber), Github classroom and Google classroom

  • Certificate in Foundations of Geospatial Intelligence Systems

    Through a Hawaii-Pacific lens this Certification explores foundations concepts in GIS including: (1) Introductory concepts and terminology, (2) geographical foundations, (3) Common GIS datatypes, packages and systems, (4) Indicators and Systems Thinking, (5) Applications to Pacific sustainability, security and resilience.

  • Certificate in Advanced Geospatial Intelligence Systems

    This class focuses on technical skills related to cartography and spatial analysis, and is focused on: (1) Geocomputation, (2) GIS data types, packages, and systems, (3) Using R for geospatial data management, analysis, and visualization, (4) Planning and executing a geospatial data project, (5) GIS analyst career development pathways

  • Certificate in Sustainability Analytics in R

    Co-developed by Alliance analyst Connor Flynn and Data Science major Victoria DelaCruz (Saipan) this Certificate addresses: (1) SDG indicators, measurement methodologies and datasets, (2) Coding in R, R Studio and Github to develop SDG-related data products, (3) Development a Github portfolio of code and data products.

  • Certificate in Counter-Malign Information Strategies

    This program addresses Misinformation, Disinformation and Malign (MDM) Information: Origins, Impacts and Countermeasures. MDM are evaluated as destabilizing threats to national security, regional stability, and to the prosperity, health and sustainability of communities. (1) Sources of MDM, from individuals to state actors, their agendas and techniques. (2) Psychosocial and cognitive aspects of the spread of MDM. (3) Classification of MDM campaigns and selection of appropriate techicla and social countermeasures. (6) CMI strategies. (7) In depth study of a CMI use case in the Indo-Pacific region.

  • Certificate in Sustainability Entrepreneurship

    The `Inana Sustainability Entrepreneurship gran at Chaminade is an MBDA-funded program fostering student innovation in support of the SDG. `Inana incubates app development in platforms like R sStudio and Bubble with technical assistance from Alliance faculty and staff.

    This Certificate provides foundations in entrepreneurship, discusses ethical and sustainable business, network participants with Hawaii Pacific and international sustainable business leaders, and incubates participants’ sustainability solutions.

  • Certificate in Blockchain Data Security and Integrity

    In collaboration with Constellation.io and defense industry partners we are developing an infosec/datasec/data integrity Certification that exposes participants to the information assurance threatscape and solution set (including Blockchain, hypergraph protocols, AI and web3.0 approaches).

  • Certificate in Datapreneurship and the Stakeholder Economy

    Datapreneurship refers to the entrepreneurial practice of using data as a core resource to innovate, create value, and build a competitive advantage in businesses, teh social sector, as communities and as individuals. In an era where vast amounts of data are generated daily from various sources including social media, mobile devices, and the Internet of Things (IoT), datapreneurs recognize the potential to harness this information to drive business success and support social justice. Centered in ethical and safe use of blockchain technologies. this Certification will address (1) Datapreneurship Fundamentals, (2) Data Acquisition and Management:, (3) Data Analysis and Utilization, and (4) Innovation and Development with a specific focus on economic potential in island settings.