Data Science Lessons
Globally, we have 3 Units in Data Science, each building on top of skills learned previously to scaffold students' learning over the entire course.
Our lessons contain objectives, prerequisites, suggested datasets, starter and solution code, and other instructional resources, tying into the overall competencies for each unit. See below for a complete description of all the lesson planning material we provide.
Instructors should review our preparatory instructions or read up on our feedback guidelines for debriefing student assignments.
General Assembly's Data Science course is made up of 20 lessons that are 3 hours each. This course is split into 3 units.
Unit Breakdown
| Unit | Title | Lessons Provided | Flex Session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Research Design & Data Analysis | Lessons 1 - 4 | Lesson 5 |
| Unit 2 | Foundations of Modeling | Lessons 6 - 10 | Lesson 11 |
| Unit 3 | Data Science in the Real World | Lessons 12 - 18 | Lesson 19 |
Note: Flex sessions are provided as buffers for holidays, content review, or additional topics that instructors may want to cover.
Lesson Breakdown
| Class | Title | Class | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | What is Data Science | Lesson 11 | *Flex Session (suggestion: Clustering) | |
| Lesson 2 | Research Design & Pandas | Lesson 12 | Decision Trees / Random Forest | |
| Lesson 3 | Statistics Fundamentals pt. 1 | Lesson 13 | NLP with Classification | |
| Lesson 4 | Statistics Fundamentals pt. 2 | Lesson 14 | Dimensionality Reduction | |
| Lesson 5 | *Tool Review / Flex Session | Lesson 15 | Time Series Data | |
| Lesson 6 | Intro to Linear Regression | Lesson 16 | Modeling Time Series Data | |
| Lesson 7 | Evaluating Model Fit | Lesson 17 | Data Science Databases | |
| Lesson 8 | Intro to Classification | Lesson 18 | Data Science Careers | |
| Lesson 9 | Intro to Logistic Regression | Lesson 19 | *Flex Session (Suggestion: Neural Networks) | |
| Lesson 10 | Communicating Model Results | Lesson 20 | Final Project Demo Day |
Available Materials
For every lesson, we've supplied a folder full of materials, including the following:
| Materials | Description | How to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| README.md | Topic overview & breakdown | Use this to get a high level view, including information on lesson content, in-class activities, objectives, prework, and projects. |
| Starter Code Folder | Code for demos, codealongs and questions for guided or independent practice | Use this to walk students through code snippets or give students workshops / lab assignments in-class |
| Solution Folder | Solutions for guided & independent practice | Use this to assess or walk students through solutions when needed |
| Datasets | Dataset used during lesson | Use this during demos/codealongs as well as guided and independent practice activities. |
Instructor's Note: You should share Starter code and Datasets in the student-facing repo and direct students to the relevant file during your lessons. Feel free to share the solution code with them afterward.
Folder Navigation
Each lesson folder is organized in the following pattern:
Lesson: includes the root lesson readme
Code
Starter Code: iPython notebook for demos, as well as questions for guided and independent practice
Solution Code: iPython notebook with answers to questions from guided and independent practice
Assets
Dataset: Includes or links to the dataset(s) used during demo, guided, and independent practice
Images: Includes or links to any images referenced
Slides: Links to the baseline lesson deck for you to copy and modify
Note: Google Slide Decks for each lesson are linked in the "slides" folder for each lesson. To open, click the link then duplicate and rename the deck. You're encouraged to make edits and add material!
Lesson Structure
Lesson plans are organized as follows:
YAML Frontmatter: Content revision log
Learning Objectives: What students should be able to do after lesson completion
Student Prework: What students should already know how to do before this lesson
Instructor Prep: Specific instructions for the instructor
Lesson Guide: High level timing overview of lesson structure
Lesson Content: Content is divided into modular, adjustable components by topic:
Opening: Objectives, QA, Reminders
Topic - Introduction: Slide deck supported lecture
Topic - Demo or Codealong: Walkthrough
Topic - Guided Practice: Short practice activity
Topic - Independent Practice: Summative activity with deliverable(s)
Conclusion: Lesson & Lab Review, QA, Exit Tickets
Upcoming Assignments: Homework or Projects
Additional Resources: Links that you should feel free to add to or supplement
For more detail and examples, check out our GA lesson template.