Udacity Data Science Scholarship Challenge — Not your Regular Cup of MOOC
If you are new to the Data Science league, like me you have probably scanned the internet for all things data science to decide which path to take for learning. Here are my two cents on why you should definitely apply for a Udacity scholarship course.
I have taken more than enough MOOCs online and I was set in my ways. This challenge has changed that for me. I will try to break down my experience with Phase 1 of Udacity Data Science Scholarship Challenge in two steps:
- The course itself.
NOTE: The descriptive statistics course is a Data Analyst Nanodegree prerequisite along with some basic experience working with data in spreadsheets or SQL. The course is complemented by two modules in Python and SQL which are quite helpful if selected in second phase.
‘Introduction to Descriptive Statistics’ is a free self-paced course that you can take at any point in time. The content of the course is meticulously designed to keep you hooked. Unlike most of the online classes you come across, you cannot watch these videos at the dinner table, or while waiting for the train. It demands you to bring a pen and a paper, or at least access to the google drive.You need to attempt the quizzes following the nugget sized videos while learning the concepts which I have found challenging sometimes, but in a good way. You can attempt these as many times as you want, it’s not used for grading. The goal is for you to understand the content in as many attempts as possible.
The SQL and Python section of the course comes as optional modules. It is advised to attempt these since these will build a solid foundation for the data analyst/business analyst track later on. Since the scholarship is made up of students from different backgrounds, some might find it a little higher in difficulty while some will breeze through it. In any case, there is more than available help from your peers.
But then here and there you come across a quiz which looks daunting at first, or you feel the answer does not conform to your understanding. At this point, you head over to the forums, which are a highlight. Before elaborating on this, I must tell you I am a textbook introvert and yet Forums might very well be my favorite part about this challenge course.
2) Mandatory Active Participation
The mandatory participation in Slack/ Forum is a criterion for making to the next round. And believe me, it brings out the best in everyone. The first few weeks will be intimidating with the flooding of messages and queries. Everyone in your 15000 strong cohort wants to be noticed. Some of them will be far more experienced.
But you can turn all this to your advantage. Your questions will be answered in a few seconds(sometimes faster than google), and you will be hearing different approaches to the same problems. You can showcase your projects and get feedback from experienced participants. For any discussions, you want to have you have eager participators. This especially works best in case you need any motivation. There are study groups being formed quite often and you are free to jump in. You also get to help others, but you will have to be fast.
There is a plethora of engagement activities initiated across all platforms by community managers and students. Some of the highlights:
· Meetups/Hangouts — Meet with your peers and grow your network. Brownie points for regular meetups and posting on social media to encourage other students.
· Group Projects — Collaborate with peers for your related projects. The projects can be showcased around the end of the course for some serious bragging rights and are a great addition to your portfolio.
· Book Clubs — Probably the most focused book club initiative ever.
Conclusion
I enjoy the learning style adopted by Udacity, I am sure you will too. To make the most out of it, bring your unique perspective and mode of participation and the community will encourage you. Apart from these obvious reasons, special mention goes to the community managers and forum mentors who are an added bonus. This challenge will push you to learn and make you take a hard look at your understanding of the material.
Less than one month left in the course, and I am having a hard time saying goodbye. This might not be the course you need, but this is the one you deserve.
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