“A Data Visualization Course at an Art School” by Border

We describe an online class at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design on data visualization. The class aims to give a visual, intuitive, hands-on understanding of statistical data presentation suitable for art students. Formal mathematics is kept to an absolute minimum. The curriculum is divided into three sections: a section on fundamentals of what graphs mean, a section on three graphical designers, and a section on state-of-the-art visualization. We use a system developed at MCAD to encourage community-building and mutual critique in an online environment. At the time of this writing, the class is beginning its third year and is doing well.