Where data and education meet: Joshua Luebke '19 on using data science in the classroom

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Where data and education meet: Joshua Luebke '19 on using data science in the classroom

“I thought it was probably the best experience I could have ever had online."

As a high school math teacher in Tacoma, Washington, Joshua Luebke’s ‘19 specialty is education. But after earning his master’s degree online through Utica College’s data science program, he’s now equipped to meld his newfound expertise with his chosen career path and use data and education together.

“Over the past year I’ve been working with our high school’s discipline data and looking at breaking that down and breaking that down in ways that no one in our district has ever been able to before and really start to develop ways in which our administration can try to start targeting different areas and improvements and see if policies they’ve been making have been making a difference,” Joshua explains.

He had never taken an online program before, admittedly leery at first that he’d be missing out on one-on-one physical interaction with a teacher, especially when he had questions. Fortunately for Joshua, his online experience was quite the opposite.

Utica, for me, really fit with my personality. The professors give you the attention and the encouragement you need to be successful.

“I thought it was probably the best experience I could have ever had online, simply because for me, I was still able to access the professors, which helped a lot, especially when questions occurred. For me, it was a helpful experience.”

He also found great interaction among his classmates, having dialogue on different assignments each week, gaining new perspectives and insights from each other even though they were physically miles away.

“Definitely give Utica a chance,” he says. “I felt, coming from the east coast and having the choice of some major universities and Utica that Utica, for me, really fit with my personality as well as the professors, who give you the attention that you need and the encouragement you need to be successful.”