Examining Students’ Perceptions on the Success of Open Data Education Based on PBL and Digital Technologies

Abstract

With Open Data becoming more popular and more public bodies publishing their datasets, the need for educating citizens on how they can use them has become prominent. The current study is based on a pilot undergraduate module that aimed to facilitate the development of Open Data skills by students. The module used learning technologies (i.e. Moodle, Tableau) and followed a Problem Based Learning approach. A focus group methodology has been chosen in order to understand students' shared experience during the pilot. ‘Tutor guidance’, ‘Open Data and PBL skills’, and ‘use of learning technologies’ have emerged as the main themes from the preliminary analysis. While the students felt that they have gained various skills, they seemed unsure about their role in the PBL process and the importance of learning technologies.