Creating usable representations & visualization experiences

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Michigan Technological University $749,672 on October 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to develop and study a curriculum in data visualization and data-based narrative design.

The project will design a course on data visualization for students from varied backgrounds, including data science and other majors, with minimal coding requirements. The curriculum integrates communication, visual design, and human-centered approaches alongside programming skills and visualization tools. Michigan Tech will make curricular materials and research instruments available for adoption by other educators. The project will investigate the impact of this interdisciplinary approach on student attitudes, perceptions, and mental models through pre- and post-surveys, semi-structured interviews, and examination of course artifacts. Research will focus on changes in student understanding of human-centered design and programming applications in data visualization.

The award supports an Engaged Student Learning track project, which develops promising practices in STEM education for all students. Performance runs through September 30, 2029, at Houghton, Michigan.

Abstract

The project aims to serve the national interest by developing a curriculum focused on data visualization and data-based narrative design. The proposed project plans to strengthen the nation?s workforce in training students to create data visualizations and communicate findings from data in ways which are effective and understandable for all citizens. This level 2 engaged student learning project includes designing a course on data visualization aimed at students from varied backgrounds (data science and other majors) with a low coding requirement. In addition to learning tools and programming skills to craft visualizations, interdisciplinary topics of communication, visual design, and human-centered approaches will be woven into the curriculum. The curricular materials and research instruments will be made available for other educators to adopt. The overall objective of the proposed project is to investigate the impact of this interdisciplinary, human-centered course on students? Attitudes and perceptions, with particular interest in understanding and representing the mental models data visualization learners adopt and adapt. The project will deploy pre and post surveys, semi-structured interviews, and use course activity artifacts to examine changes in student perceptions, attitudes, and application across data visualization skills such as human-centered design and programming. Through these efforts, mental models will be represented and examined to provide new insight into learner understanding and abstraction. Overall, the project will study the effectiveness of the pedagogical approaches in data science and data visualization education practice. The NSF iuse: EDU program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of stem education for all students. Through the engaged student learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.