DSCI 100: Introduction to Data Science
Time and Place
Sept-Dec 2019, Tues/Thurs 12:30 - 2:00 pm, ORCH 4074
Description
Use of data science tools to summarize, visualize, and analyze data. Sensible workflows and clear interpretations are emphasized.
Prerequisite Mathematical Knowledge
- distance between points on a graph
- percentages, average
- powers, roots, basic operations, logarithm, exponential
- equation of a line / plane
As an example, British Columbia's Math 12 or Pre-Calculus 12 courses would satisfy the prerequisite.
Textbook
We are using an open source textbook available free on the web: https://ubc-dsci.github.io/introduction-to-datascience/
Expanded Course Description
In recent years, virtually all areas of inquiry have seen an uptake in the use of data science tools. Skills in the areas of assembling, analyzing, and interpreting data are more critical than ever. This course is designed as a first experience in honing such skills. Students who have completed this course will be able to implement a data science workflow in the R programming language, by “scraping” (downloading) data from the internet, “wrangling” (managing) the data intelligently, and creating tables and/or figures that convey a justifiable story based on the data. They will be adept at using tools for finding patterns in data and making predictions about future data. There will be an emphasis on intelligent and reproducible workflow, and clear communications of findings. No previous programming skills necessary; beginners are welcome!
Course Software Platforms
Students will learn to perform their analysis using the R programming language. Worksheets and tutorial problem sets as well as the final project analysis, development, and reports will be done using Jupyter Notebooks. Students will access the worksheets and tutorials in Jupyter Notebooks through Canvas. Students will require a laptop, chromebook or tablet in both lectures and tutorials. If a student does not their own laptop or chromebook, students may be able to loan a laptop from the UBC library.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Download and scrape data off the world-wide-web.
- Wrangle data from their original format into a fit-for-purpose format.
- Create, and interpret, meaningful tables from wrangled data.
- Create, and interpret, impactful figures from wrangled data.
- Apply, and interpret the output of, a simple classifier.
- Make and evaluate predictions using a simple classifier.
- Apply, and interpret the output of, a simple clustering algorithm.
- Apply, and interpret the output of, a regression model.
- Make and evaluate predictions using a regression model.
- Distinguish between in-sample prediction, out-of-sample prediction, and cross-validation.
- Apply and interpret a bootstrap analysis in a regression context.
- Accomplish all of the above using workflows and communication strategies that are sensible, clear, reproducible, and shareable.
Learning outcomes per lecture are available here.
Teaching Team
| Position | Name | office hours | office location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor | Tiffany Timbers | tiffany.timbers@stat.ubc.ca | Tuesday 3:00pm | ESB 3152 |
| Instructor | Trevor Campbell | trevor@stat.ubc.ca | Thursday 2pm | ESB 3116 |
| TAs | Daniel Alimohd, Alex Chow, Jordan Bourak, Grandon Seto & Petal Vitis | Wednesday 10am & 3:30pm, Friday 11am | ESB 3174 |
Assessment
Course breakdown
| Deliverable | % grade |
|---|---|
| Lecture worksheets | 5 |
| Tutorial problem sets | 15 |
| Group project | 20 |
| Two quizzes | 40 |
| Final exam | 20 |
Group project breakdown
| Deliverable | % grade |
|---|---|
| Proposal | 3 |
| Peer review | 2 |
| Final report | 10 |
| Team work | 5 |
Schedule
Lectures are held on Thursdays. Tutorials are held on Tuesdays and build on the concepts learned in lecture.
| Lecture date | Topic | Description | Lecture pre-reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chapter 1: Introduction to Data Science | Learn to use the R programming language and Jupyter notebooks as you walk through a real world data Science application that includes downloading data from the web, wrangling the data into a useable format and creating an effective data visualization. | Introduction to Data Science | |
| Chapter 2: Reading in data locally and from the web | Learn to read in various cases of data sets locally and from the web. Once read in, these data sets will be used to walk through a real world data Science application that includes wrangling the data into a useable format and creating an effective data visualization. | Reading in data locally and from the web | |
| Chapter 3: Cleaning and wrangling data | This week will be centered around tools for cleaning and wrangling data. Again, this will be in the context of a real world data science application and we will continue to practice working through a whole case study that includes downloading data from the web, wrangling the data into a useable format and creating an effective data visualization. | ||
| Chapter 4: Effective data visualization | Expand your data visualization knowledge and tool set beyond what we have seen and practiced so far. We will move beyond scatter plots and learn other effective ways to visualize data, as well as some general rules of thumb to follow when creating visualations. All visualization tasks this week will be applied to real world data sets. Again, this will be in the context of a real world data science application and we will continue to practice working through a whole case study that includes downloading data from the web, wrangling the data into a useable format and creating an effective data visualization. | ||
| Transition week | Quiz 1 | ||
| Chapter 6: Classification | Introduction to classification using K-nearest neighbours (k-nn) | ||
| Chapter 7: Classification, continued | Classification continued | ||
| Chapter 8: Regression | Introduction to regression using K-nearest neighbours (k-nn). We will focus on prediction in cases where there is a response variable of interest and a single explanatory variable. | ||
| Chapter 9: Regression, continued | Continued exploration of k-nn regression in higher dimensions. We will also begin to compare k-nn to linear models in the context of regression. | ||
| Transition week | Quiz 2 | ||
| Chapter 10: Clustering | Introduction to clustering using K-means | ||
| Chapter 11: Introduction to statistical inference | Introduce sampling and estimation for sample means and proportions. | ||
| Chapter 12: Introduction to statistical inference, continued | Introduce confidence intervals, and calculating them via boostrapping. | ||
| Exam period | Final Exam |
Policies
Late/Absence
Regular attendance to lecture and tutorials is expected of students. Students who are unavoidably absent because of illness or other reasons should inform the instructor(s) of the course as soon as possible, preferably, prior to the start of the lecture/tutorial. Students who miss quizzes 1 or 2 or an assignment need to provide a self-declaration and make arrangements (e.g., schedule an oral make-up quiz) with the Instructor as soon as possible. Failing to present a declaration may result in a grade of zero.
A late submission is defined as any work submitted after the deadline. For a late submission, the student will receive a 50% deducation of their grade for the first occurrence. Hence a maximum attainable grade for the first piece of work submitted late is 50%. Any additional pieces of work that are submitted late will receive a grade of 0 for subsequent occurrences.
Missed Final Exam
Students who miss the final exam must report to their faculty advising office within 72 hours of the missed exam, and must supply supporting documentation. Only your faculty advising office can grant deferred standing in a course. You must also notify your instructor prior to (if possible) or immediately after the exam. Your instructor will let you know when you are expected to write your deferred exam. Deferred exams will ONLY be provided to students who have applied for and received deferred standing from their faculty.
Academic Concession Policy
Please see UBC's concession policy for detailed information on dealing with missed coursework, quizzes, and exams under circumstances of an acute and unanticipated nature.
Re-grading
If you have concerns about the way your work was graded, please contact the TA who graded it within one week of having the grade returned to you. After this one-week window, we may deny your request for re-evaluation. Also, please keep in mind that your grade may go up or down as a result of re-grading.
Academic Integrity
The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. Violations of academic integrity (i.e., misconduct) lead to the breakdown of the academic enterprise, and therefore serious consequences arise and harsh sanctions are imposed. For example, incidences of plagiarism or cheating may result in a mark of zero on the assignment or exam and more serious consequences may apply if the matter is referred to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. Careful records are kept in order to monitor and prevent recurrences.
A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the University’s policies and procedures, may be found in the Academic Calendar at http://calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,0.
Code Plagiarism
Students must correctly cite any code that has been authored by someone else or by the student themselves for other assignments. Cases of code plagiarism may include, but are not limited to:
- the reproduction (copying and pasting) of code with none or minimal reformatting (e.g., changing the name of the variables)
- the translation of an algorithm or a script from a language to another
- the generation of code by automatic code-generations software
An “adequate acknowledgement” requires a detailed identification of the (parts of the) code reused and a full citation of the original source code that has been reused.
Attribution
Parts of this syllabus (particularly the policies) have been copied and derived from the UBC MDS Policies.