Where Is Data Ethics in Postsecondary Data Science Courses?

The number of postsecondary data science courses, especially at the introductory level, has increased dramatically over the past decade. As the prevalence and complexity of data-related challenges increases, so too does the need to teach students how to handle these issues in an ethically-responsible manner. In this work, we use a combination of course syllabi and course descriptions from 361 data science courses across 81 postsecondary institutions in the United States. We find that fewer than half of all data science courses contain any elements of data ethics, broadly defined. We conclude with examples of the different ways that data ethics is integrated into data science courses across the United States and a vision for data ethics moving forward.