The rise of artificial intelligence resurfaces an older question than the Abacus: if we have a tool to do it for us, why learn to do it ourselves?
The answer supports Professor Devavrat Shah, the professor of electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), has not changed: fundamental skills in mathematics remain essential to use the tools well, to know which tool to use to correctly interpret the results.
“As important language models and generative AI, new applications, these cutting -edge tools will continue to reshape whole sectors of industry and cause new information to the challenges of research and policies,” says Shah. “The world needs people who can grasp the underlying concepts behind the AI to really take advantage of its potential.”
Shah is professor in the MIT Institute of data, systems and society (IDSS), an interdisciplinary unit meeting the global need for data skills with online course offers such as the Statistics and data science microomasters programthat Shah directs.
“With more than a thousand holders of diplomas around the world and tens of thousands of other learners committed since its creation, the statistical and data science microomasters program has proven to be a rigorous but flexible means for qualified learners to develop an understanding of the MIT of statistical fundamentals,” explains Shah.
Micromasters also constitute the backbone of IDSS education partnerships, where an integrated MIT team collaborates with organizations to support groups of learners in the microomasters program.
“With our first strategic partner in education, the IDSS provides education for data-sciences at the level of graduates through the Brescia Institute of Technology (Breit) in Peru,” explains Fotini Christia, Professor Ford International of Social Sciences at MIT and director of IDSS. “Thanks to this partnership, the IDSS leads scientists to inform decision -making in the Peruvian industry, society and politics.”
Next generation training
The Breit Breit Program in Global Data and Skills Science, developed in collaboration with IDSS, offers training in the technical and non -technical skills necessary to take advantage of the information that the data can offer. Members complete microomasters in statistics and data sciences (SDS), learning the foundations of statistics, probability, data analysis and automatic learning. Meanwhile, these learners are equipped with professional skills, communication and critical thinking of team consolidation and ethics.
“I knew that artificial intelligence, automatic learning and data science were the future, and I wanted to be in this wave,” said Breit Renato Castro learner about his decision to join the program. Now holder of identification information, Castro has developed data projects for groups in Peru, Panama and Guatemala. “The program teaches more than mathematics. It is a systematic way of thinking that helps you have an impact on the problems of the real world and to create wealth not only for a business, but on wealth for people. ”
“The objective is to develop problems of problems and managers in an area that develops and becomes more relevant for organizations around the world,” explains Lucia Haro, director of Breit. “We are the next generation to contribute to the economic development of our country and to have a positive social impact in Peru.”
To help achieve this, IDSS provides Breit learners with tailor -made support. Teaching assistants for students graduated from MIT direct regular sessions to provide practical practice with class concepts, answer learner’s questions and identify subjects to develop additional resources.
“These sessions have been very useful because you see the application of the theoretical part of conferences,” explains Jesús Figueroa, who has finished the program and is now a local educational assistant. Learners and Figueroa must go beyond an in-depth understanding of the course equipment to support future learners.
“Maybe you already understand the fundamentals, the theoretical part,” says Figueroa, “but you have to learn to communicate it.”
Eight cohorts have completed the program, with three others in progress, for a total of nearly 100 holders of microomasters identification information – and 90 others in the pipeline. While Breit has increased its operations, the IDSS team worked to meet new needs as they emerged, such as collaboration in the development of a technical assessment to support the recruitment of learners.
“The evaluation tool assesses candidates of familiarity with prior knowledge such as calculation, elementary linear algebra and basic programming in Python”, explains Karene Chu, assistant director of education of SDS microomasters. “With a certain randomization for questions and automatic classification, this quiz has facilitated the potential for determining the advanced program in science of global data and skills for Breit, while helping candidates to see where they may need to repress their skills.”
Since the implementation of the evaluation, the program has continued to evolve in several ways, such as the integration of the systematic comments of educational assistants of the MIT on data projects. These advice, structured in several project stages, guarantee the best results for learners and project sponsors. The IDSS micromasters team has developed new coding demos to help familiarize learners with different applications and deepen the understanding of the principles behind them. Meanwhile, the microomassers program itself has extended to meet the demand of industry, adding a course in the analysis of the chronological series and by creating specialized program tracks so that learners personalize their experience.
“The contributions of the partners help us to understand the landscape, so we know the requests better and how to respond to them,” explains Susana Kevorkova, program manager for IDSS microomasters. “With Breit, we now offer a preliminary“ bootcamp ”to help learners of different backgrounds refresh their knowledge or cover the gaps. We are always looking for means to add value for our partners. ”
Better decisions, a greater impact
To accelerate the development of data skills, the Breit program offers practical opportunities to apply these skills to data projects. These projects are developed in collaboration with local non -governmental organizations (NGOs) working on a variety of social impact projects intended to improve the quality of life of Peruvian citizens.
“I worked with an NGO while trying to understand why students do not finish higher education,” explains Diego Trujillo Chappa, a learner Breit and a microomasse identification holder. “We have developed an improved model for them given the characteristics of students such as their reading levels and their income, and we have tried to remove the biases from where they come from.”
“Our methodology has helped the NGO to identify more possible candidates,” adds Trujillo. “And it’s a good step for the NGO, advancing with better data analysis.”
Trujillo has now brought these data skills to ensure its work to model user experiences in the telecommunications sector. “We have features that we want to improve in the 5G network of my country,” he explains. “This methodology helped me to understand the person’s variable properly in the experience equation.”
Yajaira Huerta’s social impact project has dealt with a particularly serious problem and at a difficult time. “I worked with an organization that builds houses for homeless people,” she explains. “It was at this time that Covid-19 spread, which was a difficult situation for many people in Peru.”
A challenge to which its project organization was faced was to identify where the need was the highest in order to distribute resources – a kind of problem where data tools can have a significant impact. “We have built a clustering model to capture indicators available in the data, and also to show us the geolocation where the focal points of need were,” explains Huerta. “It helped the team make better decisions.”
Global networks and pipelines
As part of the Global and Global IDSS community, holders of identification of the statistical and data science microomasters program have access to IDSS workshops and conferences. Thanks to Breit’s collaboration with IDSS, learners have more opportunities to interact with MIT teachers beyond the recorded conferences. Some Breit learners even traveled, where they met students and teachers of the MIT and learned the research in progress.
“I feel so in love with this story that you have, and also what you build with AI and nanotechnology. I am so inspired. ” said Huerta of her time on campus.
During their last visit in February, the learners of Breit received certificates of completion in person, did a tour on the MIT campus, joined the interactive talks with the students and the teachers and obtained a glimpse of a new development of micromasters: a sports analysis Course designed by the mechanical engineering teacher Anette “Peko” Hosoi.
“Breit accommodation and their extraordinarily talented learners make all our partner efforts complete, especially since microomassers’ identification holders are a potential recruits basin for our higher education programs,” explains Christia. “This partnership is a model on which we are ready to build and iterate, so that we develop similar networks and data science talent pipelines in each part of the globe.”