The pandemic has ignited an unprecedented shift in higher education. This past spring, 1.6 billion students worldwide were learning from home, and today more than a billion students are still impacted by campus closures. Colleges and universities continue to grapple with the impact of COVID-19 and what the transition to online and blended learning will look like this fall.
At the Coursera Conference in April, we previewed Live2Coursera, which enables instructors to integrate live meetings into their courses. Today, we’re excited to announce that Live2Coursera is available to all authors on Coursera. As we’ve seen over the past few months, recorded Zoom lectures have the potential to be valuable, long-term digital assets for both educators and learners.
Impactful tools for educators
To help make the transition to online learning a little easier, we’ve designed Live2Coursera to make live teaching as intuitive and efficient as possible. Live2Coursera helps you teach live classes, for example with fully online students or campus students who are learning remotely, in private course offerings. Live2Coursera also enables you to add Zoom recordings to your Coursera content library and leverage them for future classes and MOOCs.
We’re excited to share the following new features for educators:
Link your Zoom account: Now any author can link their Zoom account with Coursera to start offering live meetings within their courses. (Available today for all authors)
Schedule meetings: Authors can schedule Zoom meetings to seamlessly integrate them within their course’s learning experience for streamlined access to live meetings. (Available today for private course offerings)
Configure recordings: Meeting recordings are automatically stored in your course’s Asset Library for staff, and can also be configured to automatically publish to learners. Asset Library content can be leveraged for future offerings of this or any other course, so you’re adding to your content library with every live meeting. (Available today for private course offerings)
Import prior recordings: Do you have recordings from prior classes that weren’t on Coursera? We’ll soon be adding Zoom to our list of Cloud providers you can directly import videos from without needing to manually download them first. This enables authors to more efficiently import prior recordings, further adding to your reusable content library. (Coming soon for all authors)
Start teaching immediately: Now authors can launch private course offerings completely self-serve, so you can start teaching at any time within minutes without waiting for Coursera approval. (Available today for private course offerings)
Adapt on the fly: For private course offerings, authors can make changes to content and assessments at any time, meaning you can adapt your course on the fly based on student performance. We’ll soon be enabling module authoring (add, edit or delete) for private course offerings that have already launched. (Coming soon for private course offerings)
A seamless learner experience
Learners see live events and recordings right in their course experience, and receive reminder emails in the lead up to the event – all tailored to their individual timezone and localized to support learners across the world. (Available today for private course offerings)
A glimpse at the future
We’re humbled to serve more than 200 university and industry partners and 68 million learners around the world in their online teaching and learning journeys. Looking ahead, we will continue innovating across the platform to create the best experience for educators and learners – including live and asynchronous teaching.
Enterprise offering now includes private authoring of Guided Projects, courses, and assessments
By Shravan Goli, Chief Product Officer and Namit Yadav, General Manager, Rhyme
The pandemic has accelerated the rate of digital transformation among institutions, creating an urgent need to support skills development in new ways. With face-to-face training not possible in the current environment, institutions are using online learning to prepare for a digital future. The shift is at the heart of growing demand for Guided Projects, which offer hands-on learning experiences for job-relevant skills across data science, technology, and business.
Guided Projects have attracted over one million enrollments since launching in April this year, making it the fastest-growing product offering on Coursera. We now have more than 380 Guided Projects on the platform, with plans to offer over 1,000 by the end of the year.
Most people learn in an institutional environment, either on campus or at work. For this reason, many institutions are interested in developing customized content for their learners. Starting today, we are expanding our enterprise offering to include private authoring of Guided Projects, courses, and assessments. Using powerful authoring tools, organizations can now translate their knowledge into content tailored to their institutional needs.
Privately authored Guided Projects enable organizations to become educators, elevating subject matter experts to support institutional knowledge sharing. Organizations such as Hertz and others are using authoring tools to develop Guided Projects in areas like IT, SaaS management, application troubleshooting, data visualization, and software onboarding.
Organizations can create their own Guided Projects using Coursera’s authoring tools
Guided Projects advance the online learning experience by enabling immediate application of skills. According to the “Forgetting Curve” study, we forget about 75% of new information after just six days if we don’t apply it. Guided Projects address this challenge by using step-by-step guidance and a virtual cloud workspace to apply skills to real-world environments.
Individuals and institutions around the world are benefiting from hands-on learning experiences.
Guided project enrollments around the world, August 2020
By accessing Guided Projects through the Coursera for Campus offering, students are learning to apply job-relevant skills in work environments.
“As a master’s degree student, Guided Projects have been incredibly valuable in helping me gain practical technology and business skills that I can apply to my studies. I am interested in designing my own product, so being able to learn skills like product management, Python, and HTML in a virtual way has been very helpful.” — Hagigat Hasanova, Estonia
Organizations like Nokia and Sanofi use Guided Projects to drive continuous reskilling across teams, benefiting from their accessibility in a virtual cloud workspace and how quick they are to complete.
“At Nokia, we use Guided Projects as part of our curriculum to equip global data science teams with the skills they need to adapt to the workforce of the future – one that’s fast paced and has a culture of sensing and reacting constantly. We are delighted with them so far. They provide the perfect learning transition from “I understand” to “I can do,” in a wide range of valuable, job-relevant skills.” — Steve Tadeo, Data Science and Analytics Specialist at Nokia
For more information about Guided Projects or private authoring for your institution, reach out to your Customer Success Manager.
“My name is Joel Charles. I am 31 years old and I live in the beautiful island naiton of Trinidad and Tobago.”
How did you learn about Alison?
I heard about Alison courses some years ago through various social media and through online advertising.
What was your first course on Alison, and why did you choose it?
I can’t recall my first course on Alison as I embarked upon multiple Alison courses at the same time!
How have Alison courses affected your career?
The law courses I studied with Alison opened up greater possibilities for promotion. Also, due to certain courses I’d taken with Alison, I was considered at job interviews for supervisor positions in security firms.
What’s your favourite way to relax from studying?
My favorite way to relax from studying is usually walking on the beach or just enjoying the sea breeze.
Where are you working or studying now?
I am presently working with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service as a special reserve police officer. My latest course of study with Alison has been along the line of supervisory management.
What’s next for you, in terms of education?
In terms of education, my goal next year is to probably do my associate degree in either paralegal studies or security management.
If you could learn absolutely anything in the world from an Alison course, what would it be?
If I could learn absolutely anything in the world from Alison it would be a course on the legal systems in various countries and how they use and apply the law.
What would you say to someone if they asked you about Alison? Would you recommend it and why?
If someone ask me about Alison I would say that the courses are free and are aligned with the job market. I would recommend Alison because the knowledge gained in the courses is world class and up to date with work standards.
Here at Codecademy, we’re not only passionate about teaching you how to code. We’re also passionate about giving you the tools you need to reach your coding goals! We know that sometimes it can be tough to stay motivated, which is why Lil from our Community Team hosts Group Focus Sessions twice a week.
Group Focus Sessions take place every week on Wednesdays and Fridays at 3pm Eastern Time. You can learn more and register to join upcoming sessions on the Codecademy Events page.
What is a Group Focus Session?
A Group Focus Session is an hour-long session on Zoom, with 45 minutes of uninterrupted focus time built in. Decide what you’d like to work on, find a quiet space to work and block out all possible distractions — phones, social media, and email notifications should all be shut off.
Lil has been running these sessions since October 2019 and she explains the benefits, plus her motivation for starting them:
“The main benefit is making progress toward your coding goals! Secondly, it’s a time and place to meet your fellow Codecademists. At the beginning of each session, we go around and say hi to the group stating our name, where we’re calling in from, and what we’ll be working on for the next 50 minutes.
“Group Focus Session is an accountability group, really. I started these after reading a lot about ‘Deep Work.’ I was inspired by Cave Day, too. I’ve only attended one Cave Day but I was really impressed with how much I could accomplish by cutting out distractions like email notifications, surrounding myself with others who are also focusing on their goals, and obviously, seeing the results at the end of the day.”
Who joins the Group Focus Sessions?
Group Focus Sessions will give you the opportunity to connect with other Codecademy learners from all over the world. We’ve had learners tune in from Australia, India, Italy, Nigeria, the UK, the United States, including California, New Mexico, New York, Colorado, Vermont, Florida, and more.
Lil says, “I really look forward to having facetime with our community members each week. It’s so great to meet our learners and see what they’re up to! I also look forward to hearing what our community members are working on each week. What’s excellent is that sometimes members in the group will be working on the same thing or just completed what another member is working on and they’ll be able to help each other.”
At Group Focus Sessions, you’ll also be able to connect with members of the Codecademy Team. Josh, a Senior Software Engineer, tells us, “Consistent time during the day to focus in on work is really useful these days, especially since I’m constantly getting distracted by work messages and social media. It’s also great to talk with our learners and see what they’re working on. I appreciate knowing what’s going well or poorly for them because it helps inform where we need to improve Codecademy.”
Kenny, a Senior Curriculum Developer on the team, is also a regular at Lil’s Group Focus Sessions. He had the following to say:
“Joining these sessions has been really fun since they provide a concrete sense of who our learners are. At the beginning of our sessions we’re able to just chat as a group and talk through what we’re working on. At the end, we talk about our struggles and accomplishments. Luckily for me, a good chunk of our learners are doing web dev content (or some content that I’ve touched) and there are times that I can help out with a specific problem. So carving out this time that’s blocked from other meetings to do work and interact with learners is a win-win in my books.”
Nick, another Senior Curriculum Developer who regularly joins these sessions, tells us, “Lil’s community focus session is the most effective hour of my week: I’ve learned to timebox my work, received encouragement from peers, and met new learners.”
We hope you’ll join us!
Lil says, “The Group Focus Session is pretty special. In essence, we hold space for ourselves and each other to make progress towards our goals.” Find out more and join a future session here. We hope to see you there!
At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with travel restrictions in place worldwide, we launched a series — The World Through a Lens — in which photojournalists help transport you, virtually, to some of our planet’s most beautiful and intriguing places. This week, Mónica R. Goya shares a collection of images from the Spanish island of Lanzarote.
Situated some 80 miles off the southwest coast of Morocco, Lanzarote — with its stunning coastline, desert-like climate and plethora of volcanoes — is the easternmost of Spain’s Canary Islands. Major volcanic activity between 1730 and 1736, and again in 1824, indelibly altered the island’s landscape and helped pave the way for an improbable sight: a vast expanse of otherworldly vineyards.
In recent years, Spain has devoted more land to vines than any other country in the world. And while the Canary Islands, more broadly, have a longstanding wine tradition — the archipelago’s wines, for example, were mentioned in several of Shakespeare’s plays — nothing could prepare me for the uniqueness of Lanzarote’s vines.
The most remarkable wine area on the island is La Geria, a 13,000-acre protected landscape which lies at the foot of Timanfaya National Park, one of Lanzarote’s main tourist attractions. It was here in Timanfaya that volcanic eruptions buried around a quarter of the island (including La Geria) under a thick layer of lava and ash, creating a breathtakingly barren scene — and eventually leading to a new way of growing vines.
Many of the vines on Lanzarote are planted in inverted conical holes known as hoyos, which are dug by hand to various depths, each one made in search of the fertile soil underneath the ash and lapilli. In a counterintuitive twist, the ash plays an essential role in the vineyards’ success: It protects the ground from erosion, helps retain moisture and regulates soil temperature.
Low semicircular rock walls protect the vines from the merciless winds. Together with the hoyos, they contribute to an inventive growing method that might easily be mistaken for a network of sculptural art.
La Geria is a superb example of humans working hand-in-hand with nature. In a way, the immense — if desolate — beauty of this area is evidence of human resilience in the face of adversity: For hundreds of years, inhabitants here have managed to extract life from volcanic ash on an island often plagued by drought.
But changing weather patterns (including scarcer-than-usual rainfall) and harsh economic realities are persistent threats. The traditional hoyos system can yield about 1,200 pounds of grapes per acre. Other less traditional (and less time intensive) cultivation systems on the island can yield up to 6,000 pounds per acre — by utilizing higher-density growing techniques and some forms of mechanization.
An economist by trade and environmentalist at heart, the winegrower Ascensión Robayna has a strong connection to Lanzarote and a serious commitment to conservation. For years she has tended high-maintenance and low-yielding organic vineyards, adamantly asserting that this unique landscape, and the traditions embedded within it, must be kept alive.
“Growing vines in hoyos means that farmers adapted to the special circumstances of soil and climate, creating the most singular of the agrarian ecosystems,” she said.
There’s an obvious sparkle in Ms. Robayna’s eyes whenever she descends into the lava fissures, called chabocos, where trees and grapevines — especially muscat grapes, among the oldest of varieties — are grown. (Puro Rofe, a winery founded on the island in 2018, recently released a wine made exclusively from her chaboco-grown grapes.)
In the late 19th century, a pestilent aphid, phylloxera, decimated grapevines throughout mainland Europe. (The wine industry there was salvaged by grafting European vines onto American rootstocks, which were immune to phylloxera.) By contrast, phylloxera never reached Canarian shores. As a result, vines here can be planted on their own roots — a relative rarity in the wine world.
Hundred-year-old vines and unique grape varieties are a common sight across the islands. Malvasia Volcánica is arguably the island’s most well-known grape variety; others include Listán Negro, Diego and Listán Blanco.
Once, while visiting a set of vineyards near Uga, a small village in southern Lanzarote, I followed the winegrower Vicente Torres as he climbed barefoot — the traditional way of working here — up the hillside to inspect his vines. With the lapilli tickling my feet, and while sinking slightly with each step, I found the ascent more arduous than I’d anticipated. Growing anything in this soil, I learned, is hard work.
According to regulatory data, this year’s harvest is expected to be less than half of last year’s, with a forecast of about 2.6 million pounds of grapes.
“The oldest men around here say they don’t recall a year as bad for vineyards as this,” said Pablo Matallana, an oenologist who grew up on neighboring Tenerife but has family roots on Lanzarote. “We have been enduring two years of extreme drought. Some plots have debilitated considerably, and the vigor of the vines has decreased,” he said.
Rayco Fernández, a founding member of the Puro Rofe winery and a distributor praised for having been one of the first to showcase quality Canarian wines, agreed. “The drought is ruining vineyards,” he said, adding that the ash, where there is a thick enough layer of it, has been a lifeline.
But Lanzarote faces other threats, too. Tourism accounts for a significant portion of the island’s gross domestic product. And, despite a relatively low number of confirmed coronavirus infections, this economic sector has largely evaporated.
According to a Covid-19 economic impact study conducted at La Laguna University, Lanzarote’s G.D.P. is projected to drop by 21 percent.
With the number of winegrowers falling, and climate change wreaking havoc, the future of winemaking on Lanzarote appears more challenging than ever.
There’s no doubt, though, that the island holds a kind of mythical sway over its visitors. It’s been almost a year since my last trip to Lanzarote, yet I continue to revisit certain images in my mind: of vines emerging from the majestic hoyos at the foot of Timanfaya — a splendor still to be treasured there, at least for now.
I came across this picture as I’ve scoured the internet for living room design inspiration. I adore the relaxing feel of the Blues & Neutrals color palette. This combination not only works great for room design but can also create a stand-out blog design as well.
Blues & Neutrals Color Palette
Below I have created for you a simple mood board featuring today’s color combination. It is in perfect Pinterest format, so feel free to pin it for later.
See our collection of other gorgeous color palettes by visiting our color palette section.
What do you think about our blue and neutrals color palette? Do you like this combination? Where would you use it? We would love to hear your thoughts, so make sure to share them in the comments below.
Lastly, learn about the power of color in blog design in our blog post to see how important colors are in all the projects you create.
Thinking about learning to code but not sure where to start? One of the most common questions we hear is, “What programming language should I learn first?”
The industry changes fast. And with over 600 possible languages to choose from, it can be overwhelming to sort through them and find the one that suits your needs. In the following video — and the rest of this article — we’ll do our best to set you up for choosing the best first programming language for yourself.
Before we can answer this question…
Before we dive into answering the question of what programming language you should learn first, there are a couple quick questions we want to address.
What are programming languages?
If you’re trying to decide which programming language to learn first, the first step is understanding what a program language is in the first place. The short answer, as defined in a recent blog post on what is a programming language, is that “programming languages are the tools we use to write instructions for computers to follow.”
Computers think in binary and programming languages help us translate 1s and 0s into something that can be more easily understood by humans. Programmers are the ambassadors between the worlds of humans and computers, and programming languages are the tools they use to tell computers what to do.
What if I choose the wrong programming language?
It’s also important to know, before you start learning your first programming language, that no matter what language you choose you’ll be learning valuable skills. There’s really no such thing as picking the wrong language.
Programming languages may look different on the surface, but they have a lot in common. They share similar patterns and structures and by learning one language you’ll be introduced to key coding concepts that will help you learn other programming languages in the future. Once you pick up your first programming language — no matter which you choose — it’ll be easier to pick others up.
You should also know that it’s not uncommon for a developer to move between different languages throughout their career as they are asked to solve different sorts of problems. You’re definitely not locked in to using the first programming language you choose. So don’t worry too much about focusing on whether you’re learning the best programming language. Instead, focus on gaining that foundational knowledge with whatever language you choose.
What programming language should you learn?
Now that you’ve got some background, it’s time to decide what programming language you should choose. There are a couple routes you can go with making this decision. The first is to choose a programming language based on your goal and the second is to choose a programming language based on what’s the most in-demand or popular in the industry.
Finding the best programming language for your goals
Why do you want to learn a programming language? Are you programming just for fun? Curious about what coding is like? Trying to build something specific or get a new job? Answering this question is a great way to get an idea of what language might be best to start with.
If you’re just learning for fun, pick any language you like! Some popular languages for those starting out include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or Python. You can learn more about these in the following section.
If you’re at the very beginning of your coding journey, you’ll want to learn basic markup languages like HTML and CSS just to get your foot in the door. These two are essential to front-end web development and can be used to design attractive webpages simply by adding some interactive elements.
Learning HTML and CSS is an excellent starting point for those who want to build websites from the ground up. Once you are familiar with HTML/CSS, you can move on to languages like JavaScript, Node, or React to give your website the functionality it needs. Keep in mind that you will need to showcase a diverse portfolio of your past projects to become a web developer.
Want to analyze data? SQL is a great option if you’re looking for help with accessing data and Python and R are good starting places for data visualization. Ruby, JavaScript, and Python are useful for automating tasks.
If you’re looking to make a career transition or get a new job, talk to people in the industry you’re interested in. If you’re interested in mobile development, web design, data science, IT, AI, or another industry, reach out to folks in those communities and ask what a typical day looks like for them. What languages do they use and what do they recommend starting with? You can also join the Codecademy forums or our community on Facebook to ask for advice.
Popular programming languages to choose from
If you’re considering a career in coding, it’s recommended that you stick to mainstream languages when you’re getting started. They generate the highest demand in the tech industry, with countless job openings listing them as required skills for entry-level developers.
Check out the following list of some of the most popular programming languages to learn more about them and what they’re used for. We’ve listed them here in alphabetical order.
C++
C++ is a powerful, all-purpose programming language used for building applications with faster performance and far more effective scalability. In fact, the basic foundation of most Windows software was written in C++.
C++ is ideal for managing resource-heavy applications like web browsers, operating systems, desktop apps, cloud computing, and even video games. It’s used in a variety of industries, including VR, robotics, software and game development, and scientific computing. The key features of this language are its cross-platform hardware support and adaptability to a changing internal environment.
C#
C# is Microsoft’s programming language. Being one of the most popular languages, it has since been adopted into the Windows, Linux, and iOS and Android platforms. C# is also known for having a huge collection of libraries and frameworks.
It is often the language of choice for game developers and mobile app creators, though it has also been implemented in enterprise software like Azure and IoT. If you’re interested in game design, you’ll most likely encounter C# when building assets in the Unity engine for a new game.
JavaScript
A dynamic programming language, JavaScript is used primarily in web development to design interactive, user-friendly websites. It provides stylized web pages with added functionality and allows brands to increase their user engagement by displaying animated elements on their websites.
This versatile programming language is the core component of web browsers and is suitable for most beginners who are curious about front-end web development or mobile game development.
Ruby
Ruby is general-purpose, dynamic programming language, most popularly implemented with the Ruby on Rails framework. Ruby on Rails is praised for its disruptive, server-side framework and for providing users with cutting-edge features, all thanks to its concise syntax and object-oriented support.
Although Ruby is a backend language, it is designed to be readable by people instead of just machines. It has turned into a staple language valued by many tech companies. On top of that, Ruby has attributed to the success of software implemented on Twitter, Airbnb, and GitHub.
Python
Python is another general-purpose programming language. It has played an important part in data science, machine learning, and web development. Python’s documentation library covers how to visualize and compile large quantities of data using Matplotlib, Pandas, and more. People have also used it to program desktop applications.
Python has a low barrier to entry. It’s simple but elegant, with many real-world applications — one notable example being artificial intelligence. As seen in web scraping, Python has the capability to extract a large amount of data.
R is another statistical programming language suitable for data analysis and visualization.
SQL
SQL (pronounced “sequel”) is a data-driven programming language. Its purpose is to store information into separate data sets so you can retrieve them to generate accurate reports based on your search query. SQL is an absolute must for any aspiring data scientist, given that data science uses relational databases. However, it’s not the best language for building apps from scratch.
SQL allows marketers to translate and analyze business data to understand how well certain products perform on the market or which sales funnels are converting leads into customers. SQL is inputted into database systems like MySQL, Oracle, and MS Access for manipulating structured data. It identifies connections between multiple variables for creating new tables.
More resources for getting started
If you’re still unsure about which programming language to learn first, we’ve got a couple more tools to help you out.
The first is our sorting quiz! Take the quiz for a recommendation on which language is right for you. It’s kind of like a personality test, except that it gauges your programming preferences and finds the right language for you. Basically, it determines what language best matches your approach to problem-solving.
You can also check out our Career Path in Code Foundations. Code Foundations will introduce you to the world of code, explain the paths of web development, data science, and computer science, and help you make an educated decision about which path (and language) is right for you.
Whichever language you end up choosing, we’re excited you’re getting started with coding and we wish you all the best on your journey!
(1) Biwer, F., oude Egbrink, M. G., Aalten, P., & de Bruin, A. B. (2020). Fostering effective learning strategies in higher education—A mixed-methods study. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.
(2) Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58.
The Macquarie Business School at Macquarie University is proud to partner with global analytics leader SAS in offering SAS Certification as part of the Global MBA program. The Global MBA SAS Partnership includes the opportunity for professionals certified through the SAS Certified Specialist: Visual Business Analyst program to gain credit when studying for Macquarie University’s Global MBA through the Generate Insights unit.
Speaking at the signing of the partnership agreement, Associate Professor Lan Snell (Macquarie Business School’s Academic Program Director for the Global MBA) said, “We are proud to partner with SAS, one of the world’s leading enterprise analytics providers.” Professor Snell went on to observe that “the future of work and learning is about collaboration and building ecosystems to optimize the learning experience and student choice.” Speaking specifically about SAS, Snell noted that the organization “has a strong learning culture, and our partnership demonstrates this value.” Assessing the impact of the partnership, Snell stated that ,“co-creating curriculum”, thought leadership, and developing learning pathways for SAS workforce through the Global MBA are just some areas where we are creating values.”
Lynette Clunies-Ross, Region Vice President of SAS Australia and New Zealand, shared this enthusiasm stating that “SAS congratulates Macquarie Business School for the far-sighted concept and objectives of the Global MBA.” Clunies-Ross notes the timeliness of the partnership: “As highlighted by the 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey—which found that 43 percent of millennials expect to change jobs within two years and 62 percent consider ‘gig’ careers viable—rising generations are increasingly seeking to equip themselves with the skills they will need in the future, whatever careers they follow.”
Global MBA students interested in developing data analysis and technology skills have the opportunity to take the SAS Certified Specialist: Visual Business Analyst Certification Program. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), Data and AI will experience the highest annual growth rate for job opportunities, making this program an ideal launchpad for an in-demand career.
The SAS Certification program through the Macquarie Business school offers two free courses for study:
1. SAS® Visual Analytics 1 for SAS® Viya®: Basics
2. SAS® Visual Analytics 2 for SAS® Viya®: Advanced
These training courses are ideal for students who are technical specialists in the fields of data science, computer engineering, IT, and full stack web development. The program is well-recognized, and, as recent analysis performed by job site Indeed.com shows, SAS skills within job postings are increasing.
Students can also access SAS Viya for Learners as part of this partnership. SAS Viya for Learners is a full suite of cloud-based software that supports learning analytics, visualization, and artificial intelligence, including machine learning, across the analytics lifecycle—from data to discovery to deployment—by orchestrating the analytics life cycle with a balance of choice. The focus is on accessing the data you need and applying the most appropriate analytics and control—applying governance and allowing for scale, across all data, analytics, and talent investments.
Global MBA students can sign up for free and quickly and access the SAS Certification Program as part of the Global MBA Program. Macquarie University and SAS strongly recommend that students who are new to the IT sector, or who do not have proficiency in descriptive statistics, complete the GMBA8023 Generate Insights unit before continuing onto the SAS material. Students completing the SAS courses will receive a SAS Learn Badge.
Additionally, students have the option of taking the exam to become an SAS Certified Specialist: Visual Business Analyst and earn their SAS Certification badge. SAS makes this exam available to students at a 50% discount (subject to local country pricing). Note – the discount is available to all students excluding India and China, and is not exclusive to the MQ MBA program.
The Global MBA curriculum is designed to build six cross-disciplinary management capabilities highlighted by the World Economic Forum as skills needed in the workplace of the future:
Leading
Strategising
Analysing
Influencing
Adapting
Problem solving
The course also features a stackable model that allows students to earn certificates and start learning before committing to the full program.
Graduates of the Global MBA program who pass the required exam will also qualify as SAS Certified Visual Business Analysts and will be listed as such in the SAS Certified Professional Directory, which is regularly accessed by employers and recruitment agencies across the globe.
About Macquarie Business School
Macquarie Business School offers the acclaimed courses, including the global top 100 MBA, to help you rewrite the rules of business. courses combine practical learning and innovative thinking with a multidisciplinary approach. Their courses give you the resilience and versatility to meet current and future challenges in a shifting business landscape. They provide a dynamic, collaborative environment where a staff of experienced academics, industry experts, and corporate partners give students the platform to understand and lead on real business issues as they learn.
About SAS
SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative software and services, SAS empowers and inspires customers around the world to transform data into intelligence. SAS gives you THE POWER TO KNOW®.
“My name is Sumudu and I am from Sri Lanka. I have a bachelor’s of science in Immunology and Integrative Molecular Biology and I am graduating this year. I’m always interested in conveying scientific information to the general public in order to pique their interest in science.”
How did you learn that Alison was looking for translators for its coronavirus course?
I received an email from Alison saying that they were looking for volunteers to translate the coronavirus course at the beginning of the pandemic. At the time, the number of cases in Sri Lanka was very low but after a while we went for an island-wide lockdown and now we are slowly coming back to the new normal. Since it was a very timely project and given my educational experience, I was happy to take part in it.
What was your experience of Alison before volunteering to translate? Had you studied with Alison before?
I studied several courses on Alison. I am a big enthusiast of online learning platforms. I first studied a course on Alison during high school.
Why did you offer to translate our coronavirus course?
Since misinformation was spreading fast through the internet, I thought it was my responsibility to share accurate information and support the means by which people could get accurate information and knowledge.
Why is it important that everyone has access to important information on coronavirus?
Misleading information can cause chaos. Accurate information about the disease and preventive measures can help communities to cope better. I believe it is important that people follow reputable platforms to get this information, rather than blindly sharing what’s on social media.
Tell us a little about your method when translating.
During the translation process, Google Translate could not provide a very accurate translation for my language. Since Sinhala sentence structure is different, direct translation can cause a totally different meaning. So I read again and again to confirm the right sense was being translated and there were certain instances when I had to translate whole sentences myself. When the actual word wasn’t in the language’s vocabulary, I described the word and put the English word in brackets for a better understanding.
Why is free learning so important and why is it important to translate it into many languages?
I believe that free learning breaks barriers and allows everyone to access knowledge without restrictions. Translation can help to break another barrier, that of language.
Have you been learning through Alison during the pandemic? How has the lockdown been for you?
From convocations to higher education, things got postponed for me during lockdown. However, online learning platforms have helped many, including myself, keep ourselves interested by studying topics we haven’t tried before. I have started taking a few courses on mental health and psychology with Alison. This is to have a better understanding of prominent mental health conditions so that I can help and understand people around me who are struggling with such conditions.
What would you say to people who might be interested in translating for Alison?
I believe translating is a method of sharing knowledge. It provides access to vital information that some people could not access due to a language barrier. So why not contribute to translation!
If you’d like to play your part in overcoming the coronavirus pandemic by helping Alison give people access to the information necessary to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, please get in touch.
