From Dashboards to Agents: The Future of Data Visualization

DPI 852M Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Data visualizations can inform, explain, and sway public opinion and policy decisions. This course imparts design thinking and data ethics frameworks, along with practical software and AI skills, to construct and present data visually. Students work on iterative coding, design, and feedback exercises to develop visual communication acumen for conveying insights uncovered by descriptive and statistical data analysis to illuminate public policy issues through visual storytelling.

The core learning objective is to develop Python programming skills by effectively prompting AI coding assistants and agents to generate extract, transform, and load (ETL) code for an automated streaming pipeline that transfers data from source to visualization with minimal manual maintenance. Students will create projects powered by technical infrastructures such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) for acquiring, organizing, and visualizing dynamic dashboards, maps, websites, and chat-based exploratory data analysis (EDA) applications. Although no previous knowledge of programming or AI is required, students should have taken either DPI-851M Introduction to Data and Information Visualization or DPI-853M Data Visualization: Storytelling Strategies or accumulated substantial data skills in their past academic or professional experiences.

Recommended Prep

DPI-851M or DPI-853M or permission of the instructor for students with prior experience producing data visualizations.