Program description and course syllabus

Hello and welcome! The program you are about to explore is specifically designed to
help every type of learner successfully finish the certificate and become an entry-
level junior or associate data analyst. No previous data analytics, mathematics, or
statistical experience is required. To succeed, you just need to be open to learning
how data influences the world. 

Become job-ready
Every day, the amount of data out there gets bigger and bigger. So the ability to
interpret it effectively is more important than ever before. Data analytics is becoming
one of the fastest-growing and most rewarding career choices in the world. In the
next decade, the demand for business analytics skills will probably be higher than
the demand for any other career (10.9% vs. 5.2%) (Source: Bureau of Labor
Statistics). All kinds of companies all over the world need qualified data analysts to
solve problems and help them make the best possible business decisions. And right
now, fifty-nine percent of companies have plans to add even more positions requiring
data analysis skills (Source: SHRM). By the time you are done with this program,
you will be well-prepared to make smart, strategic, data-driven recommendations for
organizations in all kinds of industries. 

During each course of the program, you will complete lots of hands-on assignments
and projects based on both day-to-day life and the practical activities of a data
analyst. Along the way, you will learn how to ask the right questions and understand
objectives. You will also learn how to effectively clean and organize large amounts of
data to make it ready for high-quality analysis. On top of that, you will get hands-on
experience using all kinds of tools and techniques that will help you recognize
patterns and uncover relationships between data points. And to help you
communicate the results of your analysis, you will learn how to design visuals and
dashboards. There is even an opportunity to create a case study, which you can
highlight in your resume to show what you have learned to potential employers. 

Course overview
The entire program has eight courses. This is the first course and it covers about five
weeks of material.
 1. Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere (this course)
2. Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions
3. Prepare Data for Exploration
4. Process Data from Dirty to Clean
5. Analyze Data to Answer Questions
6. Share Data Through the Art of Visualization
7. Data Analysis with R Programming
8. Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study

Course content
Course 1– Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere

1. Introducing data analytics: Data helps us make decisions, in everyday life and
in business. In this first part of the course, you will learn how data analysts
use tools of their trade to inform those decisions. You will also get to know
more about this course and the overall program expectations.
2. Thinking analytically: Data analysts balance many different roles in their work.
In this part of the course, you will learn about some of these roles and the key
skills that are required. You will also explore analytical thinking and how it
relates to data-driven decision making.
3. Exploring the wonderful world of data: Data has its own life cycle, and data
analysts use an analysis process that cuts across and leverages this life
cycle. In this part of the course, you will learn about the data life cycle and
data analysis process. They are both relevant to your work in this program
and on the job as a future data analyst. You will be introduced to applications
that help guide data through the data analysis process.
4. Setting up a data toolbox: Spreadsheets, query languages, and data
visualization tools are all a big part of a data analyst’s job. In this part of the
course, you will learn the basic concepts to use them for data analysis. You
will understand how they work through examples provided.
5. Discovering data career possibilities: All kinds of businesses value the work
that data analysts do. In this part of the course, you will examine different
types of businesses and the jobs and tasks that analysts do for them. You will
also learn how a Google Data Analytics Certificate will help you meet many of
the requirements for a position with these organizations.
6. Completing the Course Challenge: At the end of this course, you will be able to
put everything you have learned into perspective with the Course Challenge.
The Course Challenge will ask you questions about the main concepts you
have learned and then give you an opportunity to apply those concepts in two
scenarios.
What to expect
Each week of the course includes a series of lessons with many types of learning
opportunities. These include:

 Videos for instructors to teach new concepts and demonstrate the use of tools
 Readings to introduce new ideas and build on the concepts from the videos
 Discussion forums to share, explore, and reinforce lesson topics for better
understanding
 Discussion prompts to promote thinking and engagement in the discussion
forums
 Practice quizzes to prepare you for graded quizzes
 Graded quizzes to measure your progress and give you valuable feedback 
 Also, be sure to pay attention to the in-video questions that will pop up from
time to time. They are designed for you to check your learning. 
Everyone learns differently, so this program has been designed to let you work at
your own pace. Although your personalized deadlines start when you enroll, they are
just a guide. Feel free to move through the program at the speed that works best for
you. There is no penalty for late assignments; to earn your certificate, all you have to
do is complete all of the work. If you prefer, you can extend your deadlines by
returning to Overview in the navigation panel and clicking Switch Sessions.
Assessments are based on the approach taken by the course to offer a wide variety
of learning materials and activities that reinforce important skills. Graded and
ungraded quizzes will help the content sink in. Ungraded practice quizzes are a
chance for you to prepare for the graded quizzes. Both types of quizzes can be
taken more than one time.

Optional speed track for those experienced in data

If you believe this course will be primarily a refresher for you, we recommend taking
the practice diagnostic quiz (you can find it in this week's content). It will enable you
to determine if you should follow the speed track, which is an opportunity to proceed
to Course 2 after having taken each of the Course 1 Weekly Challenges and the
overall Course Challenge. Learners who score 100% on the diagnostic quiz can treat
Course 1 videos, readings, and activities as optional. Learners following the speed
track are still able to earn the certificate.

Tips
  It is strongly recommended to take these courses—and go through the items
in each lesson—in the order they appear because new information and
concepts build on previous knowledge. 
 Use the additional resources that are linked throughout the program. They are
designed to support your learning. 
 When you encounter useful links in the course, remember to bookmark them
so you can refer to the information for study or review.
 Additional resources are free, but some sites place limits on how many
articles can be accessed for free each month. Sometimes you can register on
the site for full access, but you can always bookmark a resource and come
back to view it later.
 If something is confusing, don’t hesitate to re-watch a video, go through a
reading again, and so on.
 Take part in all learning opportunities to gain as much knowledge and
experience possible. 
Congratulations on choosing to take this first step toward becoming part of the
wonderful world of data analytics. Enjoy the journey!