Working Toward Socially Just Data Practices

The Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering presents “Working Towards Socially Just Data Practices,” a lecture presented by Associate Director for Academic Program Review and Assessment at the University of Illinois Chicago Scott Tharp. This lecture will take place on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, from 12:45–1:45 p.m. in Pritzker Science Center Auditorium (PS 111).

*This event is in-person only and open to the public.

Abstract

There is increasing scholarship about conducting data practices that support inclusion, equity, and social justice; however, educators may not know how to incorporate these practices into their own assessment, evaluation, or research projects. This lecture will synthesize and discuss literature related to socially just data practices based on contextual influences, frameworks, guiding questions, methodology, implementation, and utilization. Specifically, attendees will learn different approaches to socially just data pratices, and consider how to apply them to their own data practices on campus.

Biography

Scott Tharp is the associate director for academic program review and assessment at the University of Illinois Chicago. In his role, Tharp enhances students’ educational experience by partnering with academic degree programs, institutes, and centers to regularly assess student learning and implement campus-wide review processes. Prior to his current role, he served DePaul University as the assessment and effectiveness specialist in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, and as the associate director in the Center for Intercultural Programs and Office of Diversity Education.

Tharp is an active scholar-practitioner and educational interventionist. His research interests focus on the development and assessment of social justice education curriculum and pedagogical practices. Scott has published scholarly articles in the Journal of Transformative Education, Multicultural Education, Multicultural Perspectives, and Whiteness in Education. Additionally, he is the author of two books, Doing Social Justice Education: A Practitioner's Guide for Workshops and Structured Conversations (2020), and Decoding Privilege: Exploring White College Students' Views on Social Inequality (2022). Tharp is a regularly invited presenter at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) where he served as a member of the National Advisory Council from 2014–2017. He currently serves as an assessment mentor for the Higher Learning Commission’s Assessment Academy, and previously served on the national leadership team for NASPA’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Knowledge Community as the co-chair for the Professional Development team.

Tharp received his Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, M.S.W. from the University of Michigan, and B.A. in Sociology and Philosophy from Elmhurst College. He holds an appointment as affiliated faculty in the M.S.W. program at DePaul University.