Anthony Goldbloom writes:

For those who haven’t come across Kaggle, we are a new platform for data prediction competitions. Companies and researchers put up a dataset and a problem and data scientists compete to produce the best solutions.

We’ve just launched a new initiative called Kaggle in Class, allowing instructors to host competitions for their students. Competitions are a neat way to engage students, giving them the opportunity to put into practice what they learn. The platform offers live leaderboards, so students get instant feedback on the accuracy of their work. And since competitions are judged on objective criteria (predictions are compared with outcomes), the platform offers unique assessment
opportunities.

The first Kaggle in Class competition is being hosted by Stanford University’s Stats 202 class and requires students to predict the price of different wines based on vintage, country, ratings and other information.

Those interested in hosting a competition for their students should visit the Kaggle in Class page or contact [email protected]

Looks cool to me. More on Kaggle here.