Whatever industry you work in, knowing how to harness data to generate insights and make decisions is a vital professional skill. In the online world of e-commerce, data analysis is still more essential than in many other industries.
On this six-week microcredential from Deakin University, you’ll gain a comprehensive introduction to data analytics and a toolkit of techniques for preparing, decoding, and visualising data. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to identify useful and actionable insights to drive your decision-making.
Through practical weekly activities, you’ll gain the skills you need to clean, prepare, and analyse data, while also exploring the context and ethics of data analysis. You’ll learn how to apply these skills using real data sets and use cases from the e-commerce industry.
Master exploratory data analysis and diagnostic analysis
You’ll start the course with an introduction to two kinds of data analysis: exploratory analysis and diagnostic analysis. The aim of exploratory data analysis is to identify general patterns within a data set, while diagnostic analysis provides deeper insight into the causes and consequences of these trends.
With the help of your course leaders, you’ll examine every phase of exploratory and diagnostic analysis. From importing and tidying raw data to determining actionable conclusions, you’ll master the many processes involved in data analytics.
Learn how to use Tableau for data visualisation and data communication
As well as an understanding of different types of data analysis, you’ll also gain the technical skills to carry out that analysis efficiently. You’ll develop your data proficiency using a range of digital tools, particularly Microsoft Excel and the data visualisation software Tableau.
You’ll practise using Tableau to tidy your data, create interactive charts, and prepare dashboards presenting key business metrics. To ensure your analysis is relevant to e-commerce, you’ll be given a genuine industry data set to work with.
Delve into complex issues of data ethics and data governance
In the final week of the course, you’ll consider the political, legislative, and ethical context of data. You’ll explore complex issues surrounding data protection and data governance, discussing how data sourced on e-commerce platforms can be used responsibly and legally.
By the end of the six weeks, you’ll understand the vital role data has to play in the future of e-commerce. With your new skills in data analysis, you’ll be able to drive sales for your own e-commerce platform or organisation.
How will the skills I learn help in my career?
This microcredential will equip you with certified expertise in a vital area of business today. You’ll learn how to analyse, interpret, visualise, and communicate data, then use your conclusions to inform business decision-making. Throughout the course, your learning will be grounded in the real context of e-commerce.
You’ll also gain other applicable skills, like project management and business strategy, while developing your understanding of data ethics, data legislation, and data governance. All of this will enable you to harness data in an informed and responsible way for the benefit of your organisation.
Finally, as part of the course, you’ll be given access to a dedicated Tableau student licence. This licence lasts for 12 months from your first day on the course, giving you plenty of time to continue developing your data analysis and presentation skills using an industry-standard tool.
How will I be assessed?
You will need to write a 1,500-word report in which you use data to communicate critical insights in relation to a given scenario from the e-commerce industry. You will also create an interactive Tableau dashboard to visualise the data.
