Did you know that CCR researchers have access to two different self-paced online learning platforms to gain skills in programming, bioinformatics, and data science? Individual licenses to Dataquest.io are provided by CCR, and Coursera licenses have been purchased by NIH. Both platforms provide easy-to-use interfaces to access the classes and are helpful tools for the bench researcher who wants to gain new skills. There are no costs to researchers to use these licenses.
Dataquest features over 70 courses created by Dataquest that are organized into Learning Paths for gaining new skills or starting the path to a new career. You can learn Excel, PowerBI, Python, R, SQL, Tableau, statistics, and more. Existing paths include Data Scientist, Data Analyst (in R or Python) and Data Engineer. Each path consists of both classes and Guided Projects, which are an opportunity to utilize the skills you’ve gained on a practical data analysis project. It can take anywhere from 3-9 months to complete a Learning Path, and you’ll earn a certificate upon completion that can be added to your LinkedIn or other social media profile.
When you take a class on Dataquest, you will be able to “type in” your responses on an interactive screen that mimics a computer system, so you’re entering real programming commands and getting real results (or real error messages, but hey, it’s a learning process). There are no videos as part of the Dataquest platform. You can take your time and complete the courses at your own pace. Dataquest is highly recommended for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners. The Learning Paths provide clear direction on which courses to start with and show progression in skills over time.
On Coursera, your license will add you to the NIH Data Science Skills Team (an NIH Learning Program). Here, you will find access to most of the content on Coursera, with over 5,800 Courses, 3500 Guided Projects, 750 Specializations and 130 Professional Certificates. Courses and Specializations include bioinformatics, genomics, data science, programming, statistics, and more. Most Coursera classes include videos as required part of the materials, and while Coursera sets a recommended finish date, these can be pushed back as needed to work at your own pace. Coursera courses are created by outside experts from institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Stanford, IBM, and UCSD. To help you choose courses, Coursera provides guidance with Skills and Skill Sets that contain the classes you’ll need to complete to gain a particular skill.
Programming courses use an interactive screen that allows you to type in commands just as you would on a computer system, providing a “real world” feel to your learning. As with Dataquest, Coursera Guided Projects give the learner an opportunity to try their new skills, bringing together what they’ve learned in various classes and applying them to a real-world based project. Certificates are awarded upon course completion.
To access the Dataquest and Coursera licenses you will need to fill out a short application form, then you will receive emails with log-in instructions. Please see https://bioinformatics.ccr.cancer.gov/btep/self-learning/ to sign up for a license. Please contact us with any questions about the licenses at ncibtep@nih.gov
Recommended Courses:
Dataquest:
“Command Line for Data Science” Course
“Machine Learning in Python” Skill Path
“R Basics for Data Analysis” Skill Path
“Python Basics for Data Analysis” Skill Path
Coursera:
Johns Hopkins University, “Genomic Data Science” Specialization
University of California, San Diego “Bioinformatics” Specialization
Johns Hopkins University “Tidyverse Skills for Data Science in R” Specialization
Amy Stonelake, Ph.D. Program Manager, Bioinformatics Training and Education Program