Quantified self: An interdisciplinary immersive theater project supporting a collaborative learning environment for CS ethics

This paper presents Quantified Self: Immersive Data and Theater Experience (QSelf) as a case study in collaborative and interdisciplinary learning and toward a project-based education model that promotes technical art projects. 22 students from several departments engaged in a semester-long effort to produce an immersive theater show centered on ethical uses of personal data, a show that drew more than 240 people over 6 performances. The project was housed out of the computer science department and involved multiple computer science undergraduate and graduate students who had the chance to work with students from the department of theater and dance. By analyzing the technical artifacts students created and post-interviews, we found this project created a novel and productive space for computer science students to gain applied experience and learn about the social impacts of their work while the arts students gained a fluency and understanding around the technical issues presented.