DATA 101, Spring 2018
Kris Shaffer, Ph.D., University of Mary Washington.
Welcome to Introduction to Data Science! I'm looking forward to working with you all, as we explore the tools, methods, and philosophy of data science. Class starts on January 16, and we're going to hit the ground running. Be sure to bring a laptop (if you have one) to the first class meeting.
As we're gearing up, feel free to peruse the course website beforehand, especially the syllabus, and check out Canvas. Also, check your email for an invitation to the class group on DataCamp. This will be our "textbook" for the course. Students registered for this class at UMW and the DataCamp class group can use these materials for free during the course.
Our first activity in the course will be to install and setup your development environment on your own computers. To prevent wifi overload in the classroom during the first week, it would be helpful to download the installer before coming to class. You can find the installer here. Be sure to get the Python 3.6 version that corresponds with your operating system. Feel free to wait to install it until you're in class (if you have a laptop you can bring), so we can help each other deal with any hiccups that may come up and ensure optimal settings.
That's it for now! I'm looking forward to meeting you all Tuesday and working with you this semester!
-Kris Shaffer, Ph.D., UMW Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies & Department of Computer Science
P.S. I prefer to be called Kris, rather than Dr. or Professor Shaffer. :)