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Permalink Reply by dabsy on May 20, 2011 at 2:30pm

K-state used to be excellent but their profs are getting old and giving wrong advice on choice of courses,but if you still want, I have taken most of their classes online. But they are not easy at all.Many ended up dropping their classes,for me it it was cheap ,but beginning Fall you are talking of $1500/3-hr credit class.

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Permalink Reply by Whitney K on May 31, 2011 at 11:48am

I would like to know how the Stanford Data Mining Certificate program is.  If anyone has taken courses there or completed the program, would love to hear your input!  Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Llewellyn on May 31, 2011 at 2:35pm

I'm finishing my second course for the Stanford DM Certificate.  The courses are great.  I find it very insightful to hear about the topics from those who are at the center of these things (so far, John Chambers on R and J. Friedman on various techniques).  A warning - the courses tend to the theoretical.

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Permalink Reply by Whitney K on May 31, 2011 at 3:13pm

Thanks for your insight.  So in your opinion do you feel the courses are less applicable to real world settings?  Are you able to easily apply your skills developed from these courses to solving problems at the workplace? 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Jim Llewellyn on June 1, 2011 at 7:46am

I think the courses (even the R course) are indirectly applicable (and probably not easily applied).  For example, I wouldn't take these courses to find out how and when to apply neural networks.  But, the Friedman course (for the case of neural networks) makes it easier to diagnose issues, take better guesses, understand the nature and the meaning of the results when you do apply the technique.

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Permalink Reply by Whitney K on June 2, 2011 at 8:34am

What's the number one reason you decided to enroll in the distance program?  Sounds heavily theoretical/engineering/academic vs. applicable to predictive modeling and solving real world business solutions.  I mean Stanford is a great name and the resources available are intriguing, I fear it may also not be the right fit for someone looking to enhance certain technical skills for the work force.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Llewellyn on June 3, 2011 at 7:11pm

My primary reason was that I expected the content to be worth the cost given that it was coming from Stanford and the caliber of the people teaching the courses.  There are a lot of online opportunities where it's a "great unknown" (at least to me) in terms of quality of instruction and content.  I would say that it's not necessarily the right fit if the primary purpose is to enhance technical skills (if I'm interpreting that correctly).  In some sort of ideal sequence I would say it would fit as: (1) learn the basics, (2) do it for > 5 years, (3) take the Stanford track.

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Permalink Reply by Idielle Walters on June 3, 2011 at 2:18am

You can also take a look at the data mining course presented by Statistics.com.  I have not done it myself, but completed courses in geostatistical analysis and forecasting through Statistics.com.  Although the programs are theoretical they also focus on the practical applications.   I really got a lot out of these courses.

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Permalink Reply by Whitney K on June 3, 2011 at 8:50am

Thanks for this site, seems intriguing.  I never considered a program outside a University affiliation.  Is this a popular route?  I see that it is accredited, but do most students take the course for self-edification vs. completion toward a degree or certificate to show on a resume.

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Permalink Reply by Claude Girouard on June 3, 2011 at 9:14am

Hi Idielle,

 

I'm happy to finally get a chance to talk to someone who took part in courses offered by Statistics.com. Now I just hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions about your experience with them...

 

Prior to taking the courses you mentioned, did you already have knowledge of geostatistical analysis and forecasting or were these subjects new to you starting these courses?

 

In general, how did you find their courses? I'm a bit concerned by the relatively short duration of the courses (4 weeks). Did this give you enough time to do readings/assignments/studying? How would you judge the workload? How did this course compare to College/University courses you've completed (if applicable)?

 

Any other additional information you're able to provide is much appreciated.

 

Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Jigsaw Academy on August 8, 2011 at 12:33pm

Jigsaw Academy offers its Foundation course in analytics. The course details are available in attached brochure.

The course runs for 12 weeks with classes on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, students are given hands-on training on SAS through our virtual lab.

Both the classes and the lab can be accessed from any computer which has an internet connection.

Jigsaw Academy offers certification in business analytics at the end of the course.

 

To learn more about the course, click here.

Visit us at http://www.jigsawacademy.in and http://blog.jigsawacademy.in

Attachments:

• Jigsaw academy brochure Sep-Oct.pdf, 870 KB

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