Bielefeld University, Paderborn University and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences advocate teaching data literacy
The Data Literacy Charter identifies data literacy as an indispensable part of general education. Its signatories advocate a common understanding of data literacy and its importance for educational processes. Bielefeld University, Paderborn University and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences have now jointly signed the Data Literacy Charter. Since 2019, the three universities have been involved in the DataLiteracySkills@OWL (DaLiSkills@OWL) project to teach data literacy. By signing the Charter, the signatories have committed to taking measures to raise awareness of data literacy and bolster data literacy skills.
The agreement was initiated by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donors’ association for the promotion of humanities and sciences) and a number of partners. The Data Literacy Charter builds on the German government’s Data Strategy and the Berlin Declaration on Digital Society. Data literacy is defined as the ability to handle data confidently, methodically, ethically and competently. Data literacy encompasses the ability to think critically and carefully about data and how it is collected, managed, evaluated and used, in order to make informed decisions.
“Our world is becoming increasingly digitalised,” says Professor Reinhold Decker, Vice-Rector for Information Infrastructure and Business Relations at Bielefeld University. “By backing the Charter, Bielefeld University is demonstrating its on-going commitment to empowering students and academics from all disciplines to become data literate. It sends a strong signal that, together with us, two other universities from the region are also explicitly backing the Charter.”
“Data literacy is not only indispensable for individuals’ learning paths, but also for their successful participation in all areas of life, both personally and professionally,” says Professor René Fahr, Vice-President for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at Paderborn University. Paderborn University is therefore actively committed to firmly anchoring the guiding principles of the Charter and promoting data literacy skills at all levels.
Professor Ulrich Schäfermeier, Vice President for Internationality and Digitalisation at Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, explains why the university has signed the Data Literacy Charter: “As a university, we recognise the importance of this future skill and not only aim to raise awareness of data literacy among our students, academics and employees, but also want to empower them to think about how they use data and to use data wisely, in both social and professional contexts.”
The Charter states that data literacy is the key to systematically transforming data into knowledge. Data literacy enables people to handle their own and third-party data confidently and responsibly. It helps people leverage new drivers and technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), to meet individual needs. Today, however, data literacy is also crucial for overcoming social challenges and solving global problems.
The Charter sets out five guiding principles for data literacy:
• Data literacy must be accessible to all.
• Data literacy must be part and parcel of lifelong learning in all areas of education.
• Data literacy must be taught as a transdisciplinary skill.
• Data literacy must systematically cover the entire knowledge-finding and decision-making process with data.
• Data literacy must include knowledge, skills and values, to ensure data is handled ethically and with care.
Bielefeld University, Paderborn University and Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences are participating in a number of projects, with the aim of anchoring data literacy as a university-wide teaching and learning goal. In particular though their participation in the DaLiS@OWL project, which began back in 2019, the three universities are striving to prepare students for an increasingly data-driven academic world, working world and society. The project also entails the introduction of a certificate of competence for data-literate graduates, in co-operation with higher education institutions and industry in the region. The project is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is part of the nationwide data literacy networking initiative of the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft.
