Beyond Models: Applying Data Science/AI Effectively

MIT EECS Course 6.S963 is a 12-meeting seminar last taught by Alfred Spector in the Spring of 2023. As a 6-unit (or half) course, it was intended to require ~70 hours of student time. The materials include the lecture slides (Creative Commons licensed). The slides do not have speaker notes, but an instructor should be able understand them, as they are based substantially on the book, Data Science in Context: Foundations, Challenges, Opportunities (Spector, Norvig, Wiggins, Wing), 10/22, Cambridge University Press.

Link to Lecture Slides

Below is a link to several final papers from students, which illustrate the topics motivated by the course. 

Link to Select Student Final Papers

Here is more information on the lecture slides

  • The slides can be used straightforwardly for a 6-unit class similar to 6.S963. However, instructors will likely want to update them as the field is changing and instructors have individualized expertise and goals.
  • The slides can also be modified to make the course more useful for business school students, public policy students, or engineering students.
  • In particular, the slides can be augmented with more data science, statistics or ML problem sets or programming problems to become the basis for a 12-unit (or full class).
  • Comments, questions, or a request for PowerPoint Slides can be made here:  Beyond Models Request Form

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