I have now completed course one and two in the Google Data Analytics certificate program. I thought I'd review my experience thus far and reflect on the learning.
The good:
- The program is set-up with videos, readings, reflections, and hands-on activities. It keeps the course moving and doesn't lead to video/reading burnout. It serves as an example of what good practices in online learning should look like.
- The teachers are Google employees with ample experience in the field. They're easy to follow and talk at an appropriate speed-- sometimes I push it to 1.25x playback speed when it's moving through an area I'm proficient in.
- The workload is overestimated by a long shot. I finished each course (that are 4-5 weeks long) in one week, give or take a day. I'm doing the reflections and activities. I even participate in the optional discussion board prompts. I know what I get out of this program is going to equal what I put in so I go all in. Even so, it's not taking as much time as I thought to progress.
The less good:
[There's no 'bad' section of the review because I haven't found anything to be bad.]
- The courses move at a slow rate. It starts with the building blocks of knowledge in each topic because the courses aren't supposed to have any prerequisites. I'm talking, here's a cell and this is a range in a spreadsheet, type of building blocks.
- If you're advanced in your data analytics knowledge, this course might not be for you or you might find yourself getting frustrated at the slow pace very quickly.
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| [An example of a table I created for a hands-on assignment to practice formulas/functions] |
Through my professional experience and the MBA program, I've got this material down in my sleep. I speed through it, but I don't skip it. Even though I tested out of Course Two, I chose to do it anyway. I believe you can always learn something new, even about topics you're proficient in, when you learn from someone new.
An example of this that I think of frequently was from my last year of teaching. I drove a van for a UIL trip and while I was trying to figure out where the gas tank was, a student told me to look at the small arrow on the car's dashboard display. The arrow points to the side of the car where the gas tank is.
I'd been driving 15+ years and learned something new from a student with a learner's permit.
I believe there are shards of knowledge to be gleaned everywhere and I've always got my eyes peeled for them. These classes are rich with information and I'm excited to continue on through them.
Looking forward,
LBG
TL;DR: The Google Data Analytics certificate courses one/two are high-quality online instructional courses. Good for learning for the first time or as an in-depth review.
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