
Michael Freeman and Joel Ross, both senior lecturers at the University of Washington Information School, have published a new textbook, 鈥淧rogramming Skills for Data Science.鈥
The book originated from the lecturers鈥 experience teaching an Informatics course, . They wanted a single textbook suited for students who were beginning to write code to wrangle, analyze and visualize data. In their book, Freeman and Ross teach how to work with datasets to build interactive visualizations, web applications and data reports.
A describes it as a 鈥渃omprehensive primer for people seeking data science skills that can be applied across a variety of domains.鈥 It notes that no coding background is required.
鈥淲e鈥檙e ecstatic to have our new book published and ready to integrate into our courses,鈥 Freeman said. 鈥淧ublishing the book challenged us to develop clearer explanations, more expressive diagrams, and more interesting real-world examples for our students.鈥
Nearly 1,000 students will be using the book each year in the iSchool鈥檚 INFO 201 course. They鈥檒l also have free access to the book online.
鈥淲e believe that the student experience will be improved,鈥 Freeman said. 鈥淭his new textbook provides clearer guidance for students navigating the challenges of writing code to work with data.鈥
鈥淧rogramming Skills for Data Science鈥 is available now at , , and some local bookstores. Students may have access through their university鈥檚 subscription to .