Students' Perception of Big Data Engineering in Higher Education Curricula: Expectations, Interest and Ethical Implications

A recent study, based on an anonymous online survey of 42 Master's students in Computer Science and Bioinformatics, investigated perceptions of Big Data Engineering courses. The research highlighted students' significant interest in Big Data, driven by both practical and personal motivations, despite diverse academic backgrounds. It also explored their expectations and views on the ethical implications associated with Big Data.

Why it matters

This study is strategically important because understanding student perceptions of emerging technology curricula can inform educational development and workforce readiness. Aligning educational offerings with student interest and addressing ethical considerations ensures a skilled and responsible future talent pipeline for data-intensive fields.

Key insights

• An anonymous online survey was conducted with 42 out of 67 Master's students enrolled in a Big Data Engineering course in Computer Science and Bioinformatics programs.
• The study focused on students' expectations, interest, and perceptions of ethical implications related to Big Data.
• Analysis of responses used thematic analysis.
• A significant majority of students expressed interest in learning Big Data.
• Student interest was driven by practical and personal reasons.
• Significant differences were observed in students' backgrounds prior to the course.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.05160