Great Learning

In July 2024, I joined the Applied Data Science Program—my second MIT course but my first with Great Learning (GL). Although the initial marketing approach felt a bit aggressive by European standards, I was eager to dive into data science, machine learning,... Read More and deep learning. As an IT department head, inspiring and guiding teams in these areas is crucial.

Onboarding
The initial communication consisted of multiple emails—important ones, so make sure to read them rather than ignore them.

Platform Experience
Logging into the platform was straightforward, and the layout of the “Dashboard” and “Courses” tabs is intuitive, containing all relevant information for each phase of the program. A useful tip is to set your time zone correctly to avoid scheduling confusion.

Course Content
The program comprises several modules that don’t necessarily build on each other but progress logically. It starts with programming basics and statistics, then quickly ramps up into core data science concepts, providing a solid foundation and gradual progression.

Learning Resources
There are four main resources that worked well in combination:

- Readings and Info: Available on the website and provide a foundation for each module.
- Lectures with Q&A: These were led by excellent professors with well-structured slides and included extensive Q&A sessions during the week.
- Hands-On Tutorials with Q&A: These weekend sessions, conducted by industry experts, were invaluable for practical understanding.
- Online Tests: These helped reinforce the material covered.

Interaction and Support
Communication happened via Slack, WhatsApp, and the GL ticket system. I only experienced one rescheduled session due to a force majeure event, which was promptly communicated on the dashboard. Overall, sessions were well-organized and ran smoothly.

The capstone project was a highlight, where I took on the role of a “junior data scientist” analyzing bank loan data. It was eye-opening to see the insights that can be drawn from data, and I gained a new perspective on how data-driven insights can drive business decisions.

Points to Consider

- Time Commitment: Be prepared to dedicate your weekends for five months (June to October). It’s intensive but manageable given the program’s limited duration.
- Schedule Availability: The complete schedule is only provided via email and PDF; integrating it into the dashboard would be more convenient.
- Accent Variability: At times, certain accents required extra focus, though this is unavoidable in any global program.
- Programming Skills: Having a programming background made it easier to focus on the data science concepts, so brushing up on coding can be helpful for beginners.

Overall
This program opened up a new world of data science for me. It was challenging yet rewarding, and it has equipped me with a stronger foundation to drive data-focused initiatives within my organization.

ADSP is a brilliantly and expertly tailored course for both working professionals and upcoming students from colleges. This course has guest lectures from MIT professors. It also has mentors from Fortune 100 companies who provide practical insights and... Read More mentor the cohorts. I have done many online courses in my 23 years of professional IT career but never seen such well run course before. Great Learning is an excellent platform to learn and ADSP is one of the best I have come across. I highly recommend this course for anyone who is interested in pursuing career in AI field. This program would give you the perfect foundation to apply the concepts in practical life as Data Scientist.

The MIT Professional Education - Applied Data Science Program was a phenomenal learning experience that exceeded my expectations. The course offered a rich and well-structured curriculum covering essential data science and deep learning topics. The professors... Read More from MIT were exceptional, presenting complex material with clarity and making it accessible and engaging. The mentorship from industry professionals was invaluable, bridging the gap between theory and real-world applications. I also want to commend the program manager for their continuous support and guidance throughout the course. This program has not only enhanced my skills but also empowered me to pursue exciting new career opportunities. I highly recommend this program to anyone serious about advancing their career in this field!

This program is a great opportunity for aspiring leaders and learners given low code and full code options. There are many pros like learning at your own pace. Its hard to think of a con, however maybe if there were some more student benefits. This is... Read More for the applied data science program: Leveraging AI for effective decision making.

The program covers various integrated topics on data that applicable to gain insight and foresights. Further, live sessions (lecture and mentoring) offered opportunities to understand the topic better. Although it flexible, the schedule of live session... Read More often unmatched to working schedule of those who are working in middle east (weekend on Friday and Saturday). Once decided to pass the live session, it became challenging to catch what have missed although recording is availabe due to various topics that need to learnt too before the next mentoring sessions occurred.

Online classes are a delight, with excellently qualified proffessors from MIT. The material and topics are well organized and the dashboard is friendly and clean. Overall time for the complete course is tight, however. More so if you also have other activities... Read More like work or school. If you are struggling with this, you will find help the from kind program managers.

This program was fantastic. It challenged me to reinforce my understanding of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and the algorithms mathematics. The programs only drawback was its short length because there was so much to unpack. Nonetheless,... Read More it explored essential topics like linear and logistic regression, decision trees, network analysis, neural networks and deep learning, and recommendation systems. I now feel like a true AI professional, with a profound excitement for technology’s future—although this is only the start of a deeper academic path.

I attended this 12-week course designed for working professionals looking to enhance their data science skills. This program offers a blend of live virtual sessions led by MIT faculty and hands-on mentorship provided through a collaboration with Great... Read More Learning. It covers a comprehensive curriculum that spans from foundational topics like Python and statistics to advanced techniques, including neural networks, recommendation systems, and generative AI models such as ChatGPT.

Participating in this program was a transformative journey, both intellectually and professionally.

The program's structure was meticulously designed, balancing theoretical foundations with practical applications. Key concepts, such as machine learning, deep learning, and recommendation systems, were explained with remarkable clarity through a combination of live sessions from MIT faculty and hands-on mentorship by industry experts.

This program has not only enhanced my technical expertise but also opened doors to exciting opportunities. I’m grateful for the unwavering support from the program coordinators and mentors, who ensured that every participant could achieve their learning goals. For anyone seeking to excel in data science or transition into an AI-focused role, this program is an excellent choice.

I attended this 12-week course designed for working professionals looking to enhance their data science skills. This program offers a blend of live virtual sessions led by MIT faculty and hands-on mentorship provided through a collaboration with Great... Read More Learning. It covers a comprehensive curriculum that spans from foundational topics like Python and statistics to advanced techniques, including neural networks, recommendation systems, and generative AI models such as ChatGPT.

Participating in this program was a transformative journey, both intellectually and professionally.

The program's structure was meticulously designed, balancing theoretical foundations with practical applications. Key concepts, such as machine learning, deep learning, and recommendation systems, were explained with remarkable clarity through a combination of live sessions from MIT faculty and hands-on mentorship by industry experts.

This program has not only enhanced my technical expertise but also opened doors to exciting opportunities. I’m grateful for the unwavering support from the program coordinators and mentors, who ensured that every participant could achieve their learning goals. For anyone seeking to excel in data science or transition into an AI-focused role, this program is an excellent choice.

The Data Science and Business Analytics course provided various methods for learning: video lectures, weekly live lecture and discussion sessions, written materials and links to reference documents, hands-on exercises, practice quizzes, graded quizzes,... Read More and graded projects. The variety of delivery and assessment methods supported and reinforced learning.

Cons: General scheduling was given in advance for live project review sessions, but the exact date and time was published only a few days ahead. This was in contrast with the scheduling of weekly live lectures which had a constant date and time.

Pros: The pace of the course was challenging, bordering on intense since I was working full time, with weekly deliverables that discouraged any procrastination. Numerous materials were available for study. The mentored learning sessions were valuable, with instructors who were very knowledgeable, who encouraged interaction, and who shared their experience working professionally on machine learning implementations.