Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate Course

Course 1 Week 1 Section 1

Reading 1

Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate

overview
Hello, and welcome to the Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate! The seven courses in
this certificate program will advance your knowledge and help you grow in your career as a data
analytics professional. A foundational background in data analytics is strongly encouraged.

Enter a growing field

Why are data analytics skills in such high demand? Companies report the largest skills gap in
data analytics, and the demand for data analytics skills is growing over 15 times faster than the
demand for the average skill in the US. As computing power has accelerated, industries have
sought to leverage the increasing amount of data available to them. Companies are incorporating
data analysis to better understand their customers and improve their products and services.
Increasingly, companies are employing data professionals to help guide future business
decisions. As a result, data professionals need the ability to better understand the challenges and
possibilities of machine learning, build accurate predictive models, and clearly articulate their
findings.

Throughout this program, you will explore concepts and scenarios that will help you grow your
knowledge and skills as a data professional.

Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate courses

The Google Advanced Data Analytics has seven courses. During each course, you will complete
hands-on activities that are similar to work performed by data analytics professionals every day.
In doing so, you’ll gain experience that will help you effectively reveal the stories within the data
and build models that can provide insight into trends. By the end of this program, you’ll
understand how to program using Python, prepare data for analysis, utilize statistics with data,
build predictive models, optimize machine learning capabilities, and much more. The courses of
the program are as follows:

1. Foundations of Data Science 

2. Get Started with Python 
3. Go Beyond the Numbers: Translate Data into Insights 
4. The Power of Statistics 
5. Regression Analysis: Simplify Complex Data Relationships 
6. The Nuts and Bolts of Machine Learning 
7. Google Advanced Data Analytics Capstone 
Google Data Analytics Certificate content
These courses build on many foundational concepts examined in the Google Data Analytics
Certificate, and you will encounter links to content from the Data Analytics Certificate courses.
This material is meant to provide an optional review and act as a useful resource. 

Benefits for job seekers

After completing all seven courses, Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate graduates get
access to exclusive job search resources, courtesy of Google. You’ll have the opportunity to:

 Build your resume, participate in mock interviews, and receive job search tips through
Big Interview, a job-training platform that’s free for program graduates.
 Improve your interview technique with Interview Warmup, a tool built by Google with
certificate graduates in mind. Access data analytics-specific practice questions,
transcripts of your responses, and automatic insights that help you grow your skills and
confidence.
 Access thousands of job postings and free one-on-one career coaching with Career
Circle. (You must be eligible to work in the U.S. to join.)
 Claim your Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate badge, and share your
achievement on LinkedIn to stand out among other candidates to potential employers. 

Congratulations on taking this next step in your journey to a fulfilling career in data analytics!

Reading 2

Course 1 overview
Hello, and welcome to Foundations of Data Science, the first course in the Google Advanced
Data Analytics Certificate. You’re starting an exciting journey!

In this course, you will be introduced to the basic concepts of data science. You will discover
how data professionals operate in the workplace and how different roles contribute to an
organization’s vision of the future. You will also begin to explore the data workflow PACE,
which stands for plan, analyze, construct, and execute. The PACE workflow will help you better
understand how to navigate the technical and workplace expectations of this career space. 

Course descriptions
The Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate has seven courses. Foundations of Data
Science is the first course.

1. Foundations of Data Science — (current course) Learn how data professionals operate
in the workplace and how different roles in the field of data science contribute to an
organization’s vision of the future. Then, explore data science roles, communication
skills, and data ethics.
2. Get Started with Python — Discover how the programming language Python can power
your data analysis. Learn core Python concepts, such as data types, functions, conditional
statements, loops, and data structures.
3. Go Beyond the Numbers: Translate Data into Insights — Learn the fundamentals of
data cleaning and visualizations and how to reveal the important stories that live within
data.
4. The Power of Statistics — Explore descriptive and inferential statistics, basic
probability and probability distributions, sampling, confidence intervals, and hypothesis
testing.
5. Regression Analysis: Simplify Complex Data Relationships — Learn to model
variable relationships, focusing on linear and logistic regression.
6. The Nuts and Bolts of Machine Learning — Learn unsupervised machine learning
techniques and how to apply them to organizational data. 
7. Google Advanced Data Analytics Capstone — Complete a hands-on project designed
to demonstrate the skills and competencies you acquire in the program. 

Course 1 content
Each course of this certificate program is broken into weeks. You can complete courses at your
own pace, but the weekly breakdowns are designed to help you finish the entire Google
Advanced Data Analytics Certificate in about six months.
What’s to come? Here’s a quick overview of the skills you’ll learn in each week of this course.

Week 1: Introduction of data science concepts

You will find out what’s in store for Course 1 and the whole certificate program. You’ll explore
the Coursera platform, procedures, and content types, and meet other learners in the program.
Then, you’ll learn about data science fundamentals, and investigate the question “What is data
science?” by examining  elements of its history, and tracing its current defining characteristics.
Finally, you’ll learn some tips for embarking on careers in this field.

Week 2: The impact of data today

In this part of the course, you will explore examples of the ways data-driven insights impact
different industries. You’ll learn how data analytics professionals are transforming organizations
and discover how data professionals are approaching data stewardship. Then, you’ll consider the
trajectory of data analytics and forecast the future of data fields.

Week 3: Your career as a data professional

You will learn what it means to have a career as a data professional. In this section, you’ll
examine the required skills of a data analyst and compare it to many other data professional
roles. Then you’ll discover how data professionals operate within cross-functional teams and
how they serve their organizations.

Week 4: Data applications and workflow

You will find out how to structure your work as a data analyst and learn about the PACE
workflow, which will guide you as you learn how to think like a data professional. You’ll also
investigate what it means to be a successful communicator and how communication can help
drive data analysis through the PACE workflow.

Week 5: Course 1 end-of-course project

You will work on a project that will help develop your resume and refine your ability to think
like a data professional. You’ll end the course by reflecting on your learning journey, and then
you will get a preview of the next course.
What to expect
Each course offers many types of learning opportunities:

 Videos led by Google instructors teach new concepts, introduce the use of relevant tools,
offer career support, and provide inspirational personal stories. 
 Readings build on the topics discussed in the videos, introduce related concepts, share
useful resources, and describe case studies.
 Discussion prompts explore course topics for better understanding and allow you to chat
and exchange ideas with other learners in the discussion forums.
 Self-review activities and labs give you hands-on practice in applying the skills you are
learning and allow you to assess your own work by comparing it to a completed example.
 Interactive plug-ins encourage you to practice specific tasks and help you integrate the
knowledge you have gained in the course.
 In-video quizzes help you check your comprehension as you progress through each
video.
 Practice quizzes allow you to check your understanding of key concepts and provide
valuable feedback.
 Graded quizzes demonstrate your understanding of the main concepts of a course. You
must score 80% or higher on each graded quiz to obtain a certificate, and you can take a
graded quiz multiple times to achieve a passing score.

Tips for success

 It is strongly recommended that you go through the items in each lesson in the order they
appear because new information and concepts build on previous knowledge.
 Participate in all learning opportunities to gain as much knowledge and experience as
possible.
 If something is confusing, don’t hesitate to replay a video, review a reading, or repeat a
self-review activity.
 Use the additional resources that are referenced in this course. They are designed to
support your learning. You can find all of these resources in the Resources tab.
 When you encounter useful links in this course, bookmark them so you can refer to the
information later for study or review.
 Understand and follow the Coursera Code of Conduct to ensure that the learning
community remains a welcoming, friendly, and supportive place for all members.

Reading 3

Helpful resources and tips

As a learner, you can choose to complete one or multiple courses in this program. However, to
obtain the Google Advanced Data Analytics Certificate, you must complete all of the courses.
This reading describes what is required to obtain a certificate and best practices for you to have a
good learning experience on Coursera.
Course completion to obtain a certificate
To submit graded assignments and be eligible to receive a Google Advanced Data Analytics
Certificate, you must:

 Pay the course certificate fee or apply and be approved for a Coursera scholarship.

 Pass all graded quizzes in the certificate with a score of at least 80%. Each graded quiz in
a course is part of a cumulative grade for that course.   

Healthy habits for course completion

Here is a list of best practices that will help you complete the courses in the program in a timely
manner: 

 Plan your time: Setting regular study times and following them each week can help you
make learning a part of your routine. Use a calendar or timetable to create a schedule, and
list what you plan to do each day in order to set achievable goals. Find a space that allows
you to focus when you watch the videos, review the readings, and complete the activities.

 Work at your own pace: 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, feel free to progress 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. You can extend your deadlines at any time by going to
Overview in the navigation panel and selecting Switch Sessions. If you have already
missed previous deadlines, select Reset my deadlines instead.

 Be curious: If you find an idea that gets you excited, act on it! Ask questions, search for
more details online, explore the links that interest you, and take notes on your
discoveries. The steps you take to support your learning along the way will advance your
knowledge, create more opportunities in this high-growth field, and help you qualify for
jobs. 

 Take notes: Notes will help you remember important information in the future,
especially as you’re preparing to enter a new job field. In addition, taking notes is an
effective way to make connections between topics and gain a better understanding of
those topics.

 Review exemplars: Exemplars are completed assignments that fully meet an activity's
criteria. Many activities in this program have exemplars for you to compare to your own
work. Although there are often many ways to complete an assignment, exemplars offer
you guidance and inspiration about how to complete the activity. 
  Chat (responsibly) with other learners: If you have a question, chances are, you’re not
alone. Use the discussion forums to ask for help from other learners taking this program.
You can also visit Coursera’s Global Online Community. Other important things to know
while learning with others can be found in the Coursera Honor Code and Code of
Conduct. 

 Update your profile: Consider updating your profile on Coursera to include your photo,
career goals, and more. When other learners find you in the discussion forums, they can
click on your name to access your profile and get to know you better.

Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and labs for course

activities
To complete certain activities in the program, you will need to use digital documents,
spreadsheets, presentations, and/or labs. Data analytics professionals use these software
applications to collaborate within their teams and organizations. If you need more information
about using a particular tool, refer to these resources:

 Microsoft Word: Help and learning: Microsoft Support page for Word

 Google Docs: Help Center page for Google Docs

 Microsoft Excel: Help and learning: Microsoft Support page for Excel

 Google Sheets: Help Center page for Google Sheets

 Microsoft PowerPoint: Help and learning: Microsoft Support page for PowerPoint

 How to use Google Slides: Help Center page for Google Slides  

 Common problems with labs: Troubleshooting help for Qwiklabs activities

Weekly, course, and certificate glossaries

This program covers a lot of terms and concepts, some of which you may already know and
some of which may be unfamiliar to you. To review terms and help you prepare for graded
quizzes, refer to the following glossaries:

 Weekly glossaries: At the end of each week’s content, you can review a glossary of
terms from that week. Each week’s glossary builds upon the terms from the previous
weeks in that course. The weekly glossaries are not downloadable; however, all of the
terms and definitions are included in the course and certificate glossaries, which are
downloadable.
  Course glossaries: At the end of each course, you can access and download a glossary
that covers all of the terms in that course. 

 Certificate glossary: The certificate glossary includes all of the terms in the entire
certificate program and is a helpful resource that you can reference throughout the
program or at any time in the future. 

You can access and download the certificate glossaries and save them on your computer. You
can always find the course and certificate glossaries using the course’s Resources tab. To access
the Advanced Data Analytics Certificate glossary, click the following link and select Use
Template.

 Link to the glossary: Advanced Data Analytics Certificate glossary

OR

 If you don’t have a Google account, you can download the glossary directly from the
following attachment.

Advanced Data Analytics Certificate glossary

DOCX File

Data Analytics Certificate glossary

If you completed the original Google Data Analytics Certificate, you may recognize some
overlap with several of the glossary terms in this program. Refer to the Data Analytics Certificate
glossary, linked in the Resources tab, to review these foundational terms and concepts. The
definitions of some terms in the Data Analytics Certificate glossary differ from the definitions of
the same terms in this program since the Advanced Data Analytics Certificate builds upon the
concepts taught in the previous program.

Course feedback
Providing feedback on videos, readings, and other materials is easy. With the resource open in
your browser, you can find the thumbs-up and thumbs-down symbols. 

 Click thumbs-up for materials you find helpful. 

 Click thumbs-down for materials that you do not find helpful.

If you want to flag a specific issue with an item, click the flag icon, select a category, and enter
an explanation in the text box. This feedback goes back to the course development team and isn’t
visible to other learners. All feedback received helps to create even better certificate programs in
the future. 

For technical help, visit the Learner Help Center.