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Future coders start intensive training at the University of Exeter

Future coders start intensive training at the University of Exeter

The next generation of computer coders have started intensive training as part of a new summer school at the University of Exeter.

The course, run by the University as part of the Government’s £20m investment in digital skills around the UK known as the Institute of Coding (IoC), will run for six weeks. The course is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students to learn about data analytics and computer programming for the first time.

The Summer School takes place at the University of Exeter’s newly built Computational Social Science Laboratory. It gives undergraduate and postgraduate students who may not yet have learned these digital skills, such as those from the humanities and social sciences who have a desire to challenge themselves, an opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in coding, algorithmic thinking, and data analysis and visualisation.

The University of Exeter’s Institute of Coding is led by world-leading experts from Computer Science and its new Institute for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (IDSAI), the Graduate School of Education, and the Exeter Q-Step Centre, which provides social sciences students with training in quantitative methods. 

Professor Richard Everson, the inaugural Director of the IDSAI said: “We are delighted to have the first students on this course starting work. They will boost their digital skills and hopefully become the next generation of digital economy leaders.” 

Dr Emily Paremain, Project Manager of the Institute of Coding at the University of Exeter said: “Being part of the Institute of Coding provides a wonderful boost to the University of Exeter’s focus on delivering the sort of STEM skills which lie at the heart of the government’s Industrial Strategy.”  

Professor Susan Banducci, director of Exeter Q-Step, said: "Computing skills are important for today's students in the humanities and social sciences and equally, they need to understand the connection between social and cultural questions and data science.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The IoC summer schools give us the opportunity to deliver national impact by developing new teaching methods that will roll out to support students and employers across the digital economy. They will also bring people into the region, to understand and be part of our ambition to build Exeter as an international hub for analytical enterprise and data-driven business.”

The Summer School at Exeter is structured in three separate two-week blocks of intense training. The programme includes a two-week boot camp on algorithm thinking and collaborative programming through the use of Python. This is followed by two weeks of learning fundamental statistical concepts, data visualisation, and social research methods. The final block then involves students developing their understanding of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

 

 

 

Date: 10 July 2018

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