Hackathon en docencia: aprendizaje automático aplicado a Ciencias de la Vida

Abstract

Programming has traditionally been an engineering competence, but recently it is acquiring significant importance in several areas, such as Life Sciences, which is considered essential for problem-solving based on data analysis. This work is a case study framed within the need to improve not only the data analysis skills of life sciencestudents, but also the biological background concerning the given issue of engineering students. Using hackathon and teamwork-based tools, students from both disciplines have been made and challenged with a series of problems in the area of Life Sciences.To solve these problems, we established work teams trained before the competition’s beginning. Their results were assessed concerning the approach to obtain the data, perform the analysis, and finally interpret and present the results to solve the challenges. The project outcomes were assessed using structured surveys for students and their overall perception. The project succeeded, meaning students solved the proposed problems and achieved the activity’s goals. These goals would have been difficult to address with teams composed of students from thesame field of study. The hackathon succeeded in generating a shared learning and a multidisciplinary experience for their professional training, being highly rewarding for both students and faculty members.

Publication
Revista de Innovación y Buenas Prácticas Docentes