Frequent Questions
- Isn't 2950 usually in the Spring? Yes! One nice thing about the pandemic scrambling everyone's schedule is that we have the ability to run the class in both semesters.
- So I can take it in Spring 2021? Yes. If you were planning to take the class in the Spring, you will be able to.
- I'm not in Ithaca. Is that ok? Yes. There will be no required in-person activities. Students are encouraged to attend remote meetings live if possible, it's a lot more useful and fun than me talking to a screen for 75 minutes.
- I'm really really not in Ithaca. We will have dedicated TA staff for students in East and South Asian timezones. Although all materials will be recorded in sessions that will be open to all students, you will not be required to attend anything live.
- Will the class be hard to get into? 2950 is required for IS majors and minors, and that means I have a responsibility to make sure that students stay on track to graduate. Our main limitation is TA staff to support students. Because we have expanded the class to both semesters this year, I'm hopeful that we can accommodate more non-IS folks.
- I have a potential conflict for the 1:25–2:40 time slot. Can I still take the class? We like to record "lectures" with a live audience, but you don't absolutely have to be there. We do want to make sure we have a dedicated time for one of the Friday discussion sections. (We will assess this for distant timezones once we get a sense of enrollment.)
- What are the prereqs? Data science is the intersection of programming, statistics, and real-world experience. This should not be your first experience with programming or stats. CS 1110 and a stats class, or the equivalent, are necessary if you want to get something from the class.