Integration of Philosophy of Science in Biomedical Data Science Education to Foster Better Scientific Practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21585290 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Annelies Pieterman-Bos (0000-0003-2096-0044, Utrecht University, corresponding author), Marc H W van Mil (0000-0002-7608-0014, Utrecht University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1709-1738 |
| Publication date | 2023-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science & Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0926-7220 • E-ISSN: 1573-1901 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11191-022-00363-x |
| OpenAlex | W4286697030 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 41 |
Biomedical data science education faces the challenge of preparing students for conducting rigorous research with increasingly complex and large datasets. At the same time, philosophers of science face the challenge of making their expertise accessible for scientists in such a way that it can improve everyday research practice. Here, we investigate the possibility of approaching these challenges together. In current and proposed approaches to biomedical data science education, we identify a dominant focus on only one aspect of conducting scientific research: understanding and using data, research methods, and statistical methods. We argue that this approach cannot solve biomedical data science’s challenge and we propose to shift the focus to four other aspects of conducting research: making and justifying decisions in research design and implementation, explaining their epistemic and non-epistemic effects, balancing varying responsibilities, and reporting scientific research. Attending to these aspects requires learning on different dimensions than solely learning to apply techniques (first dimension). It also requires learning to make choices (second dimension) and to understand the rationale behind choices (third dimension). This could be fostered by integrating philosophical training in biomedical data science education. Furthermore, philosophical training fosters a fourth dimension of learning, namely, understanding the nature of science. In this article, we explain how we identified the five aspects of conducting research and the four dimensions of learning, and why attending to the fourth dimension is essential. We discuss educational approaches to attend to all aspects and dimensions, and present initial design principles to implement these approaches
Data science · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Experiential learning · Learning Sciences · Management science · Mathematics education · Philosophy of science · Science education · Social science · Sociology · Biomedical and Engineering Education · Cell Image Analysis Techniques · Computer Science · Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research · Mathematics · Psychology
Students' views of the nature of science
The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (Record) Statement
Improving science teachers' conceptions of nature of science
Views of nature of science questionnaire
Educating for Responsible Research Practice in Biomedical Sciences
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |