PSCDSPPE1005 - Practical Python for the New Economy

Module 1: Download and Installation through Anaconda.
While Anaconda makes this very straightforward, it is possible that individuals experience unique challenges depending on their operating system, hardware, device permissions, or other factors. For this reason, this module will be covered before the course officially begins. Expect to follow along a simple instructional video ahead of time and to be in contact with the instructor should you encounter any difficulties.

Module 2: Jupyter Notebooks and “Magic.”
This module will cover how to interact with Python through a very user-friendly integrated development environment. These Notebooks allow you to run individual blocks of code in cells and control what Python sees in what order. They also allow clear stylized commenting, which means they are excellent for learning and sharing. We will cover how to set them up and move them around with Anaconda, and we will cover how to get them to do various special things with Python (called “magic”).

Module 3: Variables and Data Types.
This module dives into the technical detail, exploring how code is executed through references to objects and information stored in temporary memory. From here, the module covers the various common data types and their comparative utility. Participants will engage in various challenges to simulate how Python interprets code as well as how data is stored and retrieved through variables. Finally, this module will cover real world examples making use of various data types.

Module 4: Loops and Conditional Logic.
A great deal of value that code offers stems from the capacity of a computer to execute repetitive tasks extremely quickly and accurately. This module covers how Python can be used to step through recurring processes and make changes based on conditions defined by the developer. The syntax and logic will be developed intuitively using group activities and real-world use cases.

Module 5: Functions and Methods.
Although we typically write Python code with a particular use case in mind, we can enable the code to be reused in other contexts as well. Functions and methods allow us to build something once that can continue to add value indefinitely. This module covers what functions and methods are, how to create them with prescribed inputs and outputs, and how Python handles and remembers their components. A variety of examples will be explored in different contexts to drive home the habit of thinking systematically about breaking our work into components that we can handle by building reusable tools. This module will also cover the art of pseudo-code, or the planning process for writing code that resembles the outline of an essay.

Module 6: Libraries and Pip Install.
This module covers how to find, install, and reference free libraries of Python tools from the internet. Python is open-sourced, meaning that communities create and publish libraries for all to explore and use. The number of technically adept users and contributors ensures that the emerging libraries are safe and optimal, which is why Python is trusted and supported by the world’s leading companies. While this module requires participants to leave Jupyter Notebooks and engage in operating system commands, the calls are simple, quick, and reliable.

Module 7: Data and File Manipulation.
Python is often used by practitioners in many fields to read data from files, explore and manipulate that data, and then write it back into files. For example, perhaps some software the firm uses requires input data to be, perhaps the insight needed to make an important business decision needs to be extracted from the data, or perhaps a mathematical process needs to be automated to avoid human error. In this module, we will explore libraries (including Os, Numpy, and Pandas) to build competency with finding, exploring, transforming, and reformatting data. This module will consist of multiple example use cases each broken down into various mini challenges.

Module 8: Data Visualization.
This module will cover how to plot and otherwise visually represent data using popular libraries (Matplotlib and Seaborn) that many other libraries rely on. This will be a shorter (“bonus”) module, as there is less logic to cover. This module also serves as an example of the process that course participants are expected to undertake after the course as they explore the Python community for libraries and learn how to integrate them. Data visualization is popular and useful, but we have also selected it here because it requires relatively more syntax to use effectively than most Python libraries. Walking participants through a tougher example will build a better foundation allowing participants to carry out this process on their own after the course.

Module 9: Final Project.

All participants will have the option to engage in a final project. Those who do so can choose from among pre-arranged final project options or else can pursue a final project of their own design. Final project participants will also be able to choose to either work in a group (recommended) or on their own.

Pre-arranged final projects include:

• Basic web scraping -- pulling information from a website and organizing it based on your selected criteria
• Basic game design -- building an interactive text-based game playable through your computer’s terminal or command prompt
• Basic natural language processing -- exploring large bodies of unstructured human generated text to discover and synthesize major topics
• Basic spreadsheet reformatting automation -- adjusting data entries in tables to fit the requirements of other programs

For those interested in designing your own final project, we encourage you to pick a goal relevant to your work and overlapping with your interests. For example, a group of medical professionals may define a project scope around building a script to automatically augment a patient database from various types of files. (Note that no true patient data would need to be used in the project, as such data could be added in privately later.) The scope of your project must be limited such that you have a reasonable plan for completing your project by the end of the course (recommended) or within a month after the end of the course. You will have access to the course instructor for periodic consultation throughout this process, although instructor availability will decrease following the end of the course. Upon completion of your project, you have the opportunity to share it with others from the course and with the developer community at large. Sharing is highly encouraged, as one of the major indicators of Python familiarity that firms look for is a published example project with an explanation of its scope of application.

By the end of this course, you will have the capacity to utilize free and open resources online to continue to execute increasingly complex projects. For example, if you want to analyze music saved on your computer and program a light to blink in time with the beat, you will be able to find and utilize pre-existing tools and code that you can tailor to meet this objective. If you want to automatically find email addresses from your inbox and send emails to everyone meeting certain criteria depending on the content contained within prior email attachments, you will be able to find and utilize pre-existing tools and code that you can tailor to meet this objective. The boundaries are only limited by your imagination and the needs of your business.

• Managers and company leaders who want to gain a strong understanding of how their teams can perform optimally in a competitive landscape
• Employees looking to create step changes in their contributions on the job
• Job seekers who want to secure a place in the new economy
• Ambitious students who want to get ahead in their preparation for joining the professional world and who want to carry out their academic efforts in the world’s platform of choice
• Lifelong learners who care to understand beneath surface level those trends which are shaping the future

Prerequisites for this course

1. You must be comfortable with basic computer interaction.

• Web browsing (search engines, tabs, scrolling, refreshing)
• Copying and pasting content using your operating system's clipboard
• Opening new windows in programs
• Checking and sending email
• Using Microsoft Excel and Word
• Using Zoom to join video calls

2. No coding background is necessary. If you have experience scripting in other languages, you are still welcome and encouraged to join this course. You will not be bored.

3. You must also be comfortable with high school math by the time the course begins. Note, if you need refreshers on any of the below, you are still encouraged to sign up for this course. If you do, you will receive resources that help you solidify your understanding before the course commences. Topics to be familiar with besides basic arithmetic include:

• Powers
• Order of operations
• Functions
• Graphing
• (no trigonometry or calculus)

4. No prior working experience is required for you to attend this course.

• Set up Python to think programmatically and to use the various building blocks that the language provides.
• Ability to write scripts and packages to systematically pull and organize data from various file types types (.xlsx, .csv, etc)
• Find important information across bodies of data otherwise difficult to navigate, automatically execute workflows that used to take hours or days to do yourself, and integrate with other programs and systems
• Option to conclude the course with a capstone project relevant to your interests and utilizing a library of your choosing to add to your portfolio
• Expedite data filtration and analysis tasks - Automate file handling and data organization tasks
• Display trends in your data to help drive decisions
• Connect with a community of likeminded learners and continue to collaborate
• Reference materials from the course whenever you forget anything

What will Set Me Apart?

• Stand out in the job market with an important and widely sought-after skill.
• Earn rewards on the job for improved efficiency and effectiveness.
• Become indispensable as the owner of the tools your team uses.
• Distinguish comparative value between third party offerings and development options.
• Accurately gauge the expertise and time requirements for projects at work.

Financial assistance information can be found on Rice Financial Aid's Visiting and Continuing Education Students page.

The estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) is $950.00

Due to the high demand for courses, registrations are considered final as of 10 working days before class starts. No refunds will be issued after these dates and credits will not be given for future classes. No refunds will be granted for participants who miss a portion of a program. Refund requests before the deadline are subject to a 10% processing fee and must be made in writing to gscs@rice.edu. If books have been issued, the cost of the books and any shipping fees will be deducted. Refunds for credit card payments will be processed as credits to the accounts from which they were paid and may not appear as a credit until the following statement. Refunds for enrollments paid by check take up to four weeks to be processed and mailed by the Rice University accounting office. There is a $30 charge for any check returned for insufficient funds.

An individual may be able to claim a tax deduction or a tax credit for the cost of attending this continuing education program. However, we do not issue 1098-Ts. Non-academic credit programs such as continuing education courses do not require a 1098-T per IRS guidelines. Please keep a copy of your receipt and consult with your tax advisor about whether your payment meets the regulations that apply to tax deductions and tax credits. The University’s Federal Tax ID Number is 74-1109620