Statistics New Zealand find value in Data Ethics course

Florence Maron is an Advisor at the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation with Statistics New Zealand | Tatauranga Aotearoa. As part of her professional development, she took our nine-week Data Ethics micro-credential — here's what she learnt! 

Balancing work and study can be challenging but, over three months, I immersed myself in a data ethics course at Tuihono UC | UC Online. And I found it incredibly rewarding.

The study deepened my empirical understanding of data ethics. I gained philosophical insights into how to navigate complex ethical landscapes, how to analyse and critique the current data-driven innovation mania, and to support what is valuable and beneficial for humans — who are at the end of that data point.

The course explored key themes such as privacy, consent, bias, Māori data sovereignty, legislation around the world and the ethical dilemmas surrounding big data and commercial data, research, and communities.

I particularly appreciated the focus on real-world international stories of breaches or data mismanagement where we examined case studies that highlighted the challenges in ethical decision-making. This hands-on approach deepened my ability to critically evaluate our current data practices here in New Zealand.

One of the most valuable takeaways for me, was the importance of making ethical data choices that match who we are as a nation, our culture and history, and what we want to achieve in the future.

All up — 5 stars!

Gain the insights Florence found in our nine-week online Data Ethics micro-credential.