Evidence and Inference: redesigning SI 618

A graduate data analysis course rebuilt around a single question: does this analysis warrant its claims?

The problem

SI 618 used to teach students to manipulate and analyze data in Python. With AI coding assistants now able to produce most of that code, the scarce skill is no longer writing the analysis but judging it, which means deciding whether a result supports the conclusion someone has drawn from it.

What I built

I redesigned the course around evidence and inference, so that students spend the term learning to evaluate whether an analysis warrants its claims. The course opens with a “Zero Week” onramp for students arriving from different backgrounds, and assessment has four components: participation, a weekly artifact, Demonstrations of Understanding focused on written reflection, and a team project.

The final project, “The Contested Analysis”, uses an adversarial team structure in which teams build an analysis and then defend it against another team’s critique.

What happened

The redesigned course is running for the first time in Fall 2026, and I will add results here once the term is over.