Description
Gain a foundational understanding of key terms and concepts in public administration and public policy while learning foundational programming techniques using the R programming language. You will learn how to execute functions to load, select, filter, mutate, and summarize data frames using the tidyverse libraries with an emphasis on the dplyr package. By the end of the course, you will create custom functions and apply them to population data which is commonly found in public sector analytics.
Throughout the course, you will work with authentic public datasets, and all programming can be completed in RStudio on the Coursera platform without additional software.
This is the first of four courses within the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Specialization. The series is ideal for current or early career professionals working in the public sector looking to gain skills in analyzing public data effectively. It is also ideal for current data analytics professionals or students looking to enter the public sector.
What you will learn
Week 1 | Introduction to Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R
Welcome to the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R and the First Course—Fundamentals of Public Sector Data Analysis with R. This week will be your orientation to the certificate and the first course. You will also get to learn several fundamental terms and their definitions that we will frequently use throughout the course and the certificate.
Week 2 | Core Functions of Public Administration and R Basics
Welcome to Week 2! You will start this week learning about the core functions of public administration and the role of data analytics in these functions. You will also start developing your skills with RStudio.
Week 3 | Survey Data Analysis with the Tidyverse
Welcome to Week 3! You will learn this week several analysis skills for survey data—one of the most common types of data in the public sector. These skills will allow you to not only understand how survey data could be designed and collected, but also how to analyze such data in RStudio and how to interpret them.
Week 4 | Population Data Analysis with Custom R functions
Welcome to Week 4! You will learn this week several analysis skills for population data—one of the most common types of data in the public sector that allow answering basic population questions. These skills will allow you to not only understand the sources of population data, but also how to analyze such data in RStudio and how to interpret them.
