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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Data Science Ethics by University of Michigan

4.7
stars
1,112 ratings

About the Course

What are the ethical considerations regarding the privacy and control of consumer information and big data, especially in the aftermath of recent large-scale data breaches? This course provides a framework to analyze these concerns as you examine the ethical and privacy implications of collecting and managing big data. Explore the broader impact of the data science field on modern society and the principles of fairness, accountability and transparency as you gain a deeper understanding of the importance of a shared set of ethical values. You will examine the need for voluntary disclosure when leveraging metadata to inform basic algorithms and/or complex artificial intelligence systems while also learning best practices for responsible data management, understanding the significance of the Fair Information Practices Principles Act and the laws concerning the "right to be forgotten." This course will help you answer questions such as who owns data, how do we value privacy, how to receive informed consent and what it means to be fair. Data scientists and anyone beginning to use or expand their use of data will benefit from this course. No particular previous knowledge needed....

Top reviews

LA

Jun 26, 2019

I really enjoyed the material and the way it was presented. Even though I am not new to the topic, still more avenues and perspectives were supported with very good examples. Very refreshing.

AY

Mar 17, 2019

Absolutely delightful to have Professor Jagadish walking us through the course. The course was informative and very stimulating. Opens up to a new world of data science ethics. Thank you!

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1 - 25 of 255 Reviews for Data Science Ethics

By Aaron Z

Feb 17, 2018

This couse presented some interesting case studies, but never presented a real ethical system. In particular, the instructor frequently equated ethical behavior with socially acceptable behavior (this activity by corporation x was unethical because it resulted in public outcry). Someone with a background in ethics really should have been consulted in course developement.

On a purely practical matter, the ta did not seem to have any training in ethics at all. He just responded to every comment in the discussion area with a "what about" statement that sounded like it came straight from a late night dorm room bs session.

By Daithi M W

Mar 24, 2018

I've been disappointed with the course overall. it's a very interesting topic, one that's relevant to the times we live in. But I feel that many of the big questions are neither asked nor answered in the course.

The presenter's background is in engineering, not philosophy. This isn't a fundamental problem in itself, but it does mean that concepts are left very vaguely defined. So 'ethics' is, at one point, defined more or less as 'what's socially agreed-up'. But in the questions as well as the videos, the terminology shifts between 'ethically right/wrong', 'appropriate', 'have to do something,' 'by rights', 'legally', and lots more besides. So it's far from clear what the right or wrong position might be in many of the thought-experiments described in the quiz questions. What's more, if an action isn't in itself ethically right, that doesn't entail that it must be ethically wrong: it could be neither. There's virtually no input from other voices, too: no discussions with, say, experts in the field of data ethics, or moral philosophers, or whatever.

At one point in week 1, the presenter correctly points out that ''data ownership is really complex''. So it'd be useful to have a MOOC that makes it less complex: that asks hard questions, and critically examines the range of possible answers. Unfortunately, this MOOC isn't it.

By Phoebe J G

Mar 3, 2021

The instructor really explained everything well and in detailed manner. I appreciate all the videos and case studies. Those tools help me to understand the subject in a deeper manner.

By Katherine S

Jan 23, 2019

Good course. Challenging and thought provoking. The professor was very good, but, even if you complete all assignments, your certification and grade depends upon having others in the course go in and review your assignment. Even if you review more than you are required to review, if others don't review yours, you don't pass or get your certification. So, be aware of that if you are attending a class in the hopes of obtaining a certification. It is not guaranteed even if you do all of the work.

By HARSH M

Aug 5, 2023

TO,

RESPECTED H.V. JAGDISH SIR

THANK YOU SIR FOR GIVING US KNOWLEDGE ABOUT DATA PRIVACY, OWNERSHIP, PROTECTION AND USER CONTROLTO MANIPULATE DATA.

YOURS SINCERELY

HARSH MOHAN

By Chris V

Feb 2, 2023

The course content is actually quite good and thought provoking, but the final submission requires peer review which appears to be practically impossible to get. Looking through the course chat there are months-to-years-old posts pleading for reviews by poor souls who cannot get their certificates because they have yet to receive the required four reviews.

This one-star review is not for the content or presentation or quizzes, which are otherwise five-star, but for the simple fact that the evidenciary certificate that so many of us came here to get is locked behind a poorly planned and ironically unethical peer review system that was clearly not thought out before it was implemented.

By Mule S N R

Aug 17, 2020

I doesn't received any certificate

By Kim K L

Jul 8, 2018

This is really a great course. It is a starting point for anyone who want to get deeper into Data Science Ethics. Even if I feel that I am fairly familiar with the topic, I learned a lot and particular the case studies were really great. It should be a must for anyone in Data Science.

By Leila T A

Jun 27, 2019

I really enjoyed the material and the way it was presented. Even though I am not new to the topic, still more avenues and perspectives were supported with very good examples. Very refreshing.

By Anny Y

Mar 17, 2019

Absolutely delightful to have Professor Jagadish walking us through the course. The course was informative and very stimulating. Opens up to a new world of data science ethics. Thank you!

By Darmain S

Jul 25, 2019

Very good course with excellent examples and a balanced approach. My only issue was that the pace of the presentation was a little too slow at times. Content-wise, excellent.

By Marco M

Aug 9, 2018

As I expected, the course provided me a lot of food for thought.

The aspect that I appreciated most was the necessity, as an Italian legal privacy counsel, to put aside my legal and GDPR background, and to think in a “more ethic manner”. This kind of approach permitted me to view the EU General Data Protection Regulation with new eyes, finding some aspects about that Regulation that I think could be improved.

By Esha D

Aug 1, 2024

Very interesting course. The explanation has been made very easy with examples and references and the quizzes to test one's understanding at the end of each topic.

By Joel D M

Jul 1, 2018

This course is short, slow, and easy, but I ranked it five stars because the content is important in today's growing reliance on data science.

By Julie S

Jun 28, 2024

Very enjoyable and useful course. Modules are easy to follow and the concepts are useful in the workplace and wider society.

By Isabel H

Mar 20, 2018

This is a good intro to the topic for data scientists with no prior background in ethics. As someone who has studied the philosophy of ethics (even if you've only taken one course in it) you'll likely be disappointed in the limited level of depth in terms of considering ethical theories. To be fair, the instructor does state this at the beginning of the course. My other issue I had with this course is that the assessment quizzes use true or false questions - which in my opinion represents a VAST simplification of the complexities of ethical questions. This kind of simplified black and white thinking is exactly what we do NOT want in the people creating and controlling our technology, so I was disappointed to see the assessment style encouraging it.

By Nancy A

Aug 22, 2024

The examples used and discussion points were interesting to me and encouraged me to learn more, thank you.

By Debra L T

Jan 29, 2019

Presenter did not vary tone, was not engaging and made it very difficult to follow.

By Brian W

Apr 14, 2021

This course is interesting, but not very complex. It does offer numerous case studies. You can explore pretty much the same material in a shorter period of time by reading "Weapons of Math Destruction" or "Calling Bulls&*t" which focus more on the specifics of how statistics and data science / machine learning can be either intentionally manipulated or inadvertently so. They cover p-hacking in more depth, visualizations that can be misleading, and many of the more deep ethical issues covered here.

By Peter P

Feb 17, 2018

The course provides a good insight into some of the issues with the ethics of data science. Perhaps there is too much focus on data validity and not enough on ethics. This course shows that there is a need for systematic ethical enquiry into this subject.

By Sanjeev K

Apr 18, 2023

I recently completed the Data Science Ethics course offered by the University of Michigan through Coursera, and I must say it was an eye-opening experience. The course content was very informative and thought-provoking, and the Prof. H.V. Jagdish did an excellent job of presenting complex ethical issues in a clear and concise manner.

The course covered a range of topics related to data science ethics, including privacy, bias, transparency, and accountability. The instructors provided real-world examples and case studies to illustrate these concepts and help us understand their implications in practice.

One of the things I appreciated most about this course was the emphasis on actionable steps that data scientists can take to promote ethical practices in their work. The course provided practical tools and frameworks for identifying and mitigating ethical risks, which I found very useful.

Overall, I highly recommend this course to anyone working in data science or related fields. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this course will provide valuable insights and best practices for navigating the complex ethical considerations of the field.

Sanjeev Kamboj, Assistant Registrar, Panjab University, Chandigarh

By William Y

May 14, 2020

This course should be made mandatory for all IT and data science students. Data science ethics will be the future, helping the society to push back against the overreaching organisations and governments around the world.

This course is also recommended for those without IT nor data science background. You will gain insights on how technology and social media giants collect and utilise personal data, running various experiments in the name of improving services and ensure quality standards.

Prof Jagadish's code of ethics is very easy and simple to remember, and it will remain relevant for most data science context.

By Ng L J

Jun 18, 2020

Thank you for this opportunity to teach what is right from wrong when it comes to handling vast amounts of data. Especially at this time when cybercriminal activity is at its peak due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many pages of notes from your course were created and compiled for further study and teaching other people who want to learn the same thing as well. ;)

By Srinivasan K

Apr 8, 2021

Best course to learn ethics in data science domain. Professor Jagdish is highly generous to share his knowledge and delivery of contents are well aligned to chosen topics in every week. My sincere gratitude to Professor Jagdish and Coursera team, for introducing this course to learners.

I strongly recommend this course to all IT professionals.

By Zoraya D G

Aug 1, 2020

I want to thank the instructor of the Data Science Ethics course for their guidance. It has been an enriching experience on a topic of great importance in these times when everything is linked to the internet and vertiginous changes take place at a social and technological level. Thank you very much