Fundamentals of Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R

Grow your skills with Coursera Plus for $239/year (usually $399). Save now.

Fundamentals of Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R

This course is part of Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Specialization

Instructors: Christopher Brooks

11,341 already enrolled

Included with

Learn more

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

56 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

56 reviews

Intermediate level

Some related experience required

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Understand key terms and concepts in public administration, public policy
Learn foundational techniques using the R programming language
Create custom functions to analyze population data commonly found in public sector analytics

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

R Programming

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

12 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

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.

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.

What's included

5 videos7 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt1 ungraded lab

5 videos Total 36 minutes

Welcome from the University of Michigan! 6 minutes
What is the Public Sector & What are Public Goods/Services? 6 minutes
Data Science and Data Analytics: An Introduction 7 minutes
What Does Public Administration & Public Policy Mean? 10 minutes
Introduction to RStudio 8 minutes

7 readings Total 84 minutes

Certificate Road Map 7 minutes
Course Syllabus 15 minutes
Help Us Learn About You 10 minutes
Course Glossary of Terms 5 minutes
Meaning and Significance of Data Analytics for the Public Sector 20 minutes
7 Reasons for Policy Professionals to Get into R Programming 20 minutes
Week 1 Optional Readings & Resources 7 minutes

1 assignment Total 15 minutes

Week 1 Quiz: Introduction to Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R 15 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Meet Your Fellow Learners 10 minutes

1 ungraded lab Total 60 minutes

RStudio 60 minutes

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.

What's included

13 videos3 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

13 videos Total 83 minutes

General Organization of Government Bureaucracies 5 minutes
Examples of Government Bureaucracies 7 minutes
Core Functions of Public Administration: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, & Directing 6 minutes
Core Functions of Public Administration: Coordinating, Reporting, & Budgeting 5 minutes
Applications of Data Analytics to Public Administration Functions 10 minutes
Getting Started with R: The Basics 6 minutes
Getting started with R: The Basics of Vectorized Language 8 minutes
Getting started with R: Attributes of Data 8 minutes
Exploring R Dataframes: Columns as Variables 6 minutes
Using Vectors to Select and Analyze Data 7 minutes
Exploring R Dataframes: Dealing with Missing Values Through Boolean Masking 8 minutes
Exploring R Dataframes: Creating Statistics from Cleaned Dataframe 3 minutes
One More Thing for This Week! 3 minutes

3 readings Total 42 minutes

POSDCORB: Important 7 Steps, Functions, Strength, Criticism 20 minutes
RStudio Cheat Sheet 15 minutes
Week 2 Optional Readings & Resources 7 minutes

2 assignments Total 50 minutes

Week 2 Quiz: Getting Started With R 30 minutes
Getting Started With R: Practice & Knowledge Check 20 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 20 minutes

Public Administration Functions: Point of Reflection 20 minutes

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.

What's included

14 videos2 readings4 assignments

14 videos Total 111 minutes

Survey Data Analytics: Importance, Types and Examples of Survey Data Analytics in the Public Sector 9 minutes
What Analysts Need to Know About Survey Designs & Types 9 minutes
What Analysts Need to Know About Survey Deployment 4 minutes
What Analysts Need to Know in Understanding Survey Data | Part 1 10 minutes
What Analysts Need to Know in Understanding Survey Data | Part 2 2 minutes
Example: Reading a Codebook 13 minutes
Example: Dashboards 10 minutes
Example of a Codebook: The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 5 minutes
Data Manipulation with dplyr: Tidyverse & Exploring the Data 10 minutes
Data Manipulation with dplyr: Pipe Operator & Adding Variables 9 minutes
Data Manipulation with dplyr: Formulas in R 6 minutes
Data Analysis: Grouping by Variable 10 minutes
Data Analysis: Grouping by Multiple Variables 6 minutes
One More Thing for This Week! 8 minutes

2 readings Total 37 minutes

Required Resources Needed Ahead 30 minutes
Week 3 Optional Readings & Resources 7 minutes

4 assignments Total 70 minutes

Week 3 Quiz: Analysis Skills for Survey Data 30 minutes
Survey Data Analytics Knowledge Check 10 minutes
What Analysts Need to Know: Knowledge Check 10 minutes
Data Manipulation: Practice & Knowledge Check 20 minutes

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.

What's included

7 videos2 readings4 assignments

7 videos Total 61 minutes

Importance of Population Data Analytics & the Three Main Demographic Processes 9 minutes
Population Data Analytics: Key Population Data Sources 4 minutes
Population Data Analytics: The Answer to a Basic Population Question 7 minutes
Creating Custom Analytics 11 minutes
Applying Custom Analytics to Groups 5 minutes
Writing Functions 10 minutes
Alternative Analytics for TDR 15 minutes

2 readings Total 17 minutes

Resources Needed for Week 4 10 minutes
Week 4 Optional Readings & Resources 7 minutes

4 assignments Total 72 minutes

Week 4 Quiz: Analysis Skills for Population Data 30 minutes
Generating & Interpreting Population Data 20 minutes
Custom Analytics: Practice & Knowledge Check 2 minutes
RStudio Function for Data Analysis: Practice & Knowledge Check 20 minutes

Welcome to Week 5, the last week in this course! This week, you will get to hear stories from public sector data analysts, with the goal of recognizing the challenges associated with the profession of a data analyst.

What's included

4 videos1 reading1 assignment2 discussion prompts

4 videos Total 30 minutes

Day-to-Day Role of Public Health Data: Interview with Joneigh Khaldun 8 minutes
Interview with Javed Ali (Part 1): National Security & Government Bureaucracy 11 minutes
Interview with Javed Ali (Part 2): The Role of Data in National Security as a Public Good 9 minutes
One More Thing for This Week: Congratulations! 3 minutes

1 reading Total 10 minutes

Course Survey 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Final Quiz 30 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 45 minutes

Point of Reflection: Day to Day Role of Public Health Data 15 minutes
Point of Reflection: National Security, Data & Government Bureaucracy 30 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructors

Instructor ratings

(10 ratings)

Christopher Brooks

15 Courses 959,337 learners

Paula Lantz

University of Michigan

5 Courses 38,974 learners

Offered by

University of Michigan

Explore more from Data Analysis

University of Michigan
Data Analytics in the Public Sector with R
Specialization
University of Michigan
Assisting Public Sector Decision Makers With Policy Analysis
Course
University of Michigan
Exploratory Data Analysis for the Public Sector with ggplot
Course
University of Michigan
Politics and Ethics of Data Analytics in the Public Sector
Course

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

5 stars
75.43%
4 stars
14.03%
3 stars
7.01%
2 stars
0%
1 star
3.50%

Showing 3 of 56

Reviewed on Mar 28, 2024

Great course that lays a solid foundation for the rest of the specialisation.

Reviewed on Jan 10, 2023

Instructors get 5 stars. Content gets 4.5. The 4 star rating due to some issues with the answer key/grading and some of the R assignments expected more knowledge than that presented.

View more reviews

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription

Learn more

Advance your career with an online degree

Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online

Explore degrees

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.