Teaching bilingual workshops on data mining in Peru

Abstract

This paper describes the experiences in offering data mining (DM) workshops at University of Norbert Wiener (UNW) in Lima, Peru. This educational initiative is a result of a longstanding collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering and Business at UNW and Thompson Rivers University in Canada. The workshops were offered in May 2014 and May 2015, and had three learning objectives: (1) to acquire practical skills (hands-on experience) in DM, (2) to solve problems using computer systems in bioinformatics and engineering, and (3) to learn fundamental DM concepts and techniques simultaneously in two languages: en and Spanish. The bilingual aspect of the DM workshops was very important, because the students had not only the opportunity to learn advanced computer skills, but also to learn complex terminology in two languages. Bilingualism (Spanish, en) is an important growth factor for the Peruvian economy, and students' bilingual fluency in technical terminology is mandatory for their participation in the development and use of advanced technologies, such as, applications of DM in biomedicine and engineering. In this paper, we present how we have met these three educational objectives using methods based on experiential learning, problem-based learning, and bilingual education.