The volume of data being generated has grown massively in the world in recent years and continues to grow. Our interactions at work are increasingly data-driven, with organisations needing to understand and improve their business performance and interact more effectively with their customers. In addition, our personal lives are increasingly being affected by the processing of our data, from our financial transactions to interactions with social and media platforms to personal fitness, we generate huge quantities of data and trust organisations to use that data responsibly.
This explosion in data has been accompanied by an explosion in jobs in the data space. Data engineers, data analysts, data scientists and a whole host of other roles are now commonplace in organisations.
This course has been developed to provide a gentle introduction to data science for those starting their exploration of the power of data and data science.
- Individuals wanting to start out on a career in data analysis, data science or data engineering. g. pre-university students, career changers
- Individuals working with data specialists who want to better understand what they do to improve their interactions with them. g. project managers, software developers
- Individuals curious about how the science of data works, to better understand how their data is processed at a technical level
- Students should bring a laptop (Windows, Mac, or Linux).
- Students may be required to install software, so administrative privileges on the computer may be required. Alternatively, students should have a Google account to use the online platform. Instructions will be sent before the course.
- Course notes and code will be provided.
- You should be comfortable using your computer to install programs, download files, organise files, etc
- No specific programming experience is needed, but any exposure to programming or scripting would be useful
Whilst not essential, students may want to read some of these very accessible books on data, algorithms, and statistics to get a feel for the background of the subject:
- Outnumbered: From Facebook and Google to Fake News and Filter-bubbles – The Algorithms That Control Our Lives
David Sumpter
- Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About The World – And Why Things Are Better Than You Think
Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling
- How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers
Tim Harford
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand the power of data for modelling and decision making.
- Understand the typical tasks and activities of a data scientist.
- Find and prepare data sets for modelling
- Write Python code to analyse data.
- Write Python code to visualise data.
We have responded to comments from our delegates who tell us that they have welcomed the flexibility of online learning but have missed opportunities to engage with staff and peers in person. Our approach to learning and teaching, therefore, prioritises interactive, in-person, on-campus teaching – however, courses are offered both online and in-person giving you the choice to decide based on your preference.
Click ‘Book Now’ to select your option.
Next steps after the course:
- Data Science Bootcamp
- Degree-level course in Data Science or related fields
- Data science foundation course (I have one in development, a 10-week course)
For more information, contact Sadiq Islam at sadiq.islam@uws.ac.uk or +44 (0)7904031720.
