Signal Students' Perception of Big Data Engineering in Higher Education Curricula: Expectations, Interest and Ethical Implications

Summary

The study investigated students' interest and expectations regarding a Big Data Engineering course offered within Computer Science and Bioinformatics master's programs, along with the ethical implications of using big data. The researchers conducted an anonymous online survey with 42 of the 67 students enrolled in the course and analyzed the responses using thematic analysis. Despite differing backgrounds, most students expressed interest in learning about big data because of potential career growth and personal interest in the field. Their main expectation was gaining enhanced knowledge through hands-on practical activities. All students who responded showed awareness of ethical threats related to security and privacy. Computer science students in particular also recognized the possibility that bias could be introduced during data collection and analysis, as well as the potential for data misuse.