Course Description and Competencies

What to Expect

In this course, you will work through 10 courses in the DataCamp learning platform. These will teach you the skills needed to become proficient at using Python to prepare, analyze, and visualize data for analytics tasks.

Throughout the course, you will find readings, practice scenarios, and other activities to help you develop your use of AI in data analytics. These include case studies, interactive elements, and videos to deepen your understanding of the content. Engaging with these activities will help expand your Python capabilities, equipping you to apply core programming concepts, pandas, and statistical methods to draw data-informed conclusions and communicate findings.

Course Competencies

This course covers the following competencies:

  • The student applies fundamental Python programming and numerical computing concepts to prepare data for analysis and visualization. 
  • The student transforms datasets using pandas to support data analysis. 
  • The student evaluates statistical patterns and hypothesis test results to draw data-informed conclusions. 

Assessment

The assessment for this course is a performance assessment. The course materials are here to help you prepare, and you can use them in the way that works best for you. To complete the course, you will need to earn a Competent ranking on the assessment.

You can set yourself up for success by creating a study plan, taking practice quizzes, and completing course activities. These steps can help you build confidence and see where you may want to focus before attempting your assessment. You are encouraged to attempt the assessment as early as you feel ready so you have time to learn from the experience and try again if needed.

If you do not pass the assessment the first time, don’t worry. You can reach out to your Student Experience Team to make a plan and try again.

1 Final Project
2 Competency Units

Course Outline

ModuleUpon completion of this module, you will be able to:
Introduction to Python
  • Identify Python data types (int, float, str, bool) and use them in calculations and variables.
  • Recognize how to create, subset, and modify lists, including nested lists.
  • Differentiate between functions, methods, and packages, and apply them to solve tasks.
  • Identify NumPy arrays, distinguish them from lists, and assess their role in data analysis.
  • Evaluate NumPy statistical tools (mean, median, std, correlation) for data insights.
Intermediate Python
  • Identify and apply Matplotlib functions to create line, scatter, and histogram plots.
  • Recognize how to create, update, and manipulate dictionaries and pandas DataFrames.
  • Differentiate between comparison, boolean, and logical operators, and assess their use in filtering data.
  • Identify the use of loops (for, while) and apply them to iterate over lists, dictionaries, NumPy arrays, and pandas DataFrames.
  • Evaluate random number generation and simulations (random walks, distributions) to analyze probabilities and outcomes.
Data Manipulation with pandas
  • Identify methods to import, inspect, and subset pandas DataFrames using functions like .head(), .info(), and .loc[].
  • Differentiate between aggregation techniques using .groupby() and pivot tables for grouped statistics.
  • Recognize how to modify DataFrames by adding new columns, setting indexes, and handling missing values.
  • Define common visualization types in pandas, including bar, line, scatter, and histogram plots.
  • Assess when to use Boolean masking, sorting, and slicing techniques for efficient data selection.
Joining Data with pandas
  • Concatenate and manage DataFrame integrity.
  • Filter, query, and reshape data for analysis.
  • Merge using index, hierarchical, and time-series structures.
  • Perform and customize DataFrame joins.
Introduction to Statistics in Python
  • Apply probability concepts and sampling principles to real-world problems.
  • Examine relationships between variables using correlation and experimental design.
  • Interpret and apply the normal distribution and the central limit theorem.
  • Summarize data using appropriate measures of center and spread.
  • Use discrete and continuous probability distributions to model real situations.
Introduction to Data Visualization with Seaborn
  • Assess appropriate techniques for adding and positioning titles, axis labels, and rotated tick marks.
  • Differentiate tidy from untidy pandas DataFrames and state how this distinction affects Seaborn plotting functionality.
  • Evaluate plot customization choices to improve interpretability.
  • Identify the Seaborn plot category that best visualizes specified quantitative and/or categorical data relationships.
  • Recognize the correct Python syntax and key parameters in relplot() and catplot() to build scatter, line, count, bar, box, and point plots.
Exploratory Data Analysis in Python
  • Engineer and transform features from categorical and text data.
  • Evaluate and manage outliers to maintain representative data distributions.
  • Explore and validate datasets to assess structure and data quality.
  • Extend EDA by generating features and evaluating representativeness.
  • Identify, assess, and address missing or inconsistent data.
Working with Categorial Data in Python
  • Summarize non-numerical (categorical) data types
  • Manipulate categorical columns in pandas
  • Manipulate categorical data using pandas' categorical data type
  • Visualize categorical data using seaborn
  • Apply categorical data techniques to real-world datasets
  • Interpret categorical variables
Sampling in Python
  • Discover when to use sampling and how to perform common types of sampling.
  • Learn to estimate population statistics and quantify uncertainty in your estimates by generating sampling distributions and bootstrap distributions.
Hypothesis Testing in Python
  • Differentiate between Type I and Type II errors and their consequences for statistical conclusions.
  • Distinguish between parametric and non-parametric approaches.
  • Evaluate p-values, confidence intervals, and standardized test statistics produced by Python libraries.
  • Identify the suitable hypothesis test in Python for a given research question, data type, and sample conditions.
  • Recognize the correct null and alternative hypotheses, significance level, and tail direction for typical analytical scenarios.

Key Contacts

Certificate Connect
Check out this online community to take advantage of course resources, including videos and tips from your educators. You can ask and answer questions, provide feedback on your progress, and interact with fellow students. You will find this platform in the Student Resources section of the course. Log on and do some exploring!

Technical Support
If you encounter technical issues, be sure to contact the Help Desk. Just submit a Support Request for assistance.

Program Support
Do you have questions about your account? Student Support has answers. They can help with billing, switching courses, and other requests. You can contact them at (888) 320-0540 or support@academy.wgu.edu.

Accommodations

WGU provides compliant and accessible learning experiences. If you require accommodation, please contact us at the start of the course. You can email disability@academy.wgu.edu or call (888) 320-0540.

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