July
July
Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had productive and restful weekends! There are only 9 days left until the course ends, but as I’ve said before, it’s not too late to catch up!!! Stay focused on August 8, set realistic daily goals that you can stick to, and prioritize reaching 100%!
We’ve been pushing hard for people to progress, and we’ve seen a major increase in course progress over the past couple weeks. Over the past weekend alone, this community collectively completed more than 1 million concepts, which is a 32% increase in concept completion vs the previous weekend. This is amazing to see, and is evidence of the hard work and commitment that everyone is pouring into their course work. Keep it up!!
Friendly reminder to continue completing the weekly recap form, shout-outs form, and adding your photos to the Facebook album.
Hi everyone, and happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week, we have now passed the 2-week mark until the end of the course, and are excited to see that your motivation, energy, and participation is not slowing down! But remember, your #1 priority should to finish the course right now!
A quick clarification: I’ve gotten some questions about Ryan’s email, and how you’ll know if you’ve completed the course. Everyone got Ryan’s email on Wednesday, regardless of progress. And if your classroom is showing 100%, then that is also what we see! There is no email or formal confirmation once you’ve finished the course, other than the message you see in Lesson 33.
Daniel and I spent this week going through your project submissions, and were impressed by some of the work that you all put together. Many of the projects demonstrated an impressive range of skills and theories from the challenge course, and we loved how creative groups got with finding data sets to work with!
We picked 14 projects that we found engaging, focused, and clearly communicated, and posted these on the website. All submissions will be posted on the website next week, but before then, we want to give you all a chance to review a handful of projects and pick YOUR favorites.
Please note that for participation, we consider all project submissions equally. We know people put a lot of time and effort into these, so if your project wasn’t one of the ones that we highlighted, please know that we see you and applaud you! Again, all project links will be added to the website next week so you have a chance to see everyone’s work- we don’t want to hide these awesome initiatives from view!
I know it’s nearing the end of the course and you’re busy with coursework and extra challenges, but please remember to continue uploading photos, filling out the weekly recap form, and shouting each other out- this is an important way for us to see your efforts when we know a lot of your participation isn’t done in the main Slack channels, so keep it up!
Following up on a question that Dan got last week while I was out, please be sure to tag members of your group on Facebook. You do not need to include Slack name or email address unless the person you’re tagging’s Facebook name is different from their legal name.
Would you be interested in writing about your experience with the program? Did you solve a problem with the things learned in the course? Have you gathered resources about a specific subject? Then, you can write for our collaborative blog! In just 4 days there were more than 2k views and we would love you to be a part of this effort!
Want to learn more? Visit #blog_collab, review the FAQs, or connect with @helenn, who is leading this initiative!
The LiveQuiz team is organizing Kahoot (game-based) live quizzes on Saturdays and Sundays (same questions) guided by a quizmaster who explains the right answers. This weekend is about Python and SQL (lessons 28 and 29).
There is nothing to download, just click the corresponding Hangouts link now and be in Hangouts at the scheduled time.
More information about live quizzes here!
Last but certainly not least, I have updated the shout-outs page of the website for both this week and last week, since I was out. Check them out here!
I also got feedback that it would be great to highlight all of the shout-outs, but I get so many that it would take ages to format them all! Instead, I just created the #shout-outs channel, where you can tag one another in a more public space to celebrate each other’s awesomeness.
Hi everyone, and happy Monday! I'm happy to be back with you all this week! Some announcements to kick things off:
The first motivational AMAs are today, and there are three times to choose from! Join one or more sessions in the #ama-sessions channel at the times below to hear other students' tips, strategies, and tools that have helped them make progress in the course.
Note that all sessions are in the #ama-sessions channel and are 100% student-led.
Today’s Sessions:
Future Sessions:
There are 16 days left in the challenge course, which means that the #30_days_of_data initiative is almost half over, but it’s not too late to join! Head over to that channel to get some inspiration from your peers. The goal is to make at least 15 minutes of progress every single day for the remainder of the challenge course and post about your progress for accountability. We're also sharing some periodic themes to keep your motivation up!
For those of you who weren’t able to tune into last week’s webinar live, never fear! You can watch it at any time on YouTube. I have heard great feedback from folks who have watched it- Juno, Josh, and Dylan shared some golden nuggets of wisdom, so check out what they have to say here.
Regular AMAs this week will be back on Wednesday, but the timing will be different. It will be from 8:00am - 9:00am UTC. Note: this is the standard weekly AMA that I usually lead, NOT the motivational AMAs announced above!
Thank you to everyone who submitted a project to the Student Project Showcase! @Udacity-Dan and I are going to review your projects over the next few days, and will announce the top submissions to the community on Friday so you all can vote on your favorites.
A few different folks have reached out about collecting course feedback, both to help out me and Dan and to collect some great data for analyzing. Dan and I will be sharing a survey with you all before the course ends- we're eager to hear your feedback! In the meantime, we kindly ask folks to refrain from surveying each other- we love the enthusiasm, but want to make sure we're collecting your feedback in one place so it can be as comprehensive as possible!
That's it for Monday- I hope you have a GREAT week. With just over 2 weeks left in the course, it's more important than ever to stick to your goals, take advantage of the motivational resources available to you, and keep your eye on the August 8 prize!
Feeling stressed? Burnt out? Overwhelmed? That’s all normal! As we approach the end of the course, we know it’s easy for stress to take over, so @Tamar had the fantastic idea to host motivational AMAs led by students so you can hear the tips, strategies, and tools that have worked for them.
Several students have signed up to lead sessions over the coming week or two. They spaced these out to cover a range of times that will hopefully allow everyone interested to attend at least one that works for your schedule.
Schedule:
@Udacity.Dan and I know that no matter how much encouragement we share, it’s not the same as hearing tips and strategies from other students. So join your peers at one of the above times in #ama-sessions to share your challenges, hear about others’ experiences, and share some great motivational energy to finish out the course strong!
If you are participating in the Student Project Showcase, your submissions are due before end of day this coming Sunday, July 22. You can find everything you need to know about the projects on the website.
There are currently 19 days left in the challenge course, which means 19 days left in #30_days_of_data! It’s not too late to join the challenge and commit to spending at least 15 minutes (or more!) in your classroom every day to finish phase 1 strong. You are almost there, and don’t feel like you need to finish the course alone! Use your peers as motivation to stick to your goals and keep making progress. You can do it!
Hi everyone, and happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend!
As a reminder, I will be out of the office all this week. Here is how this will impact you:
Thank you for your flexibility, and I look forward to being back with you next week! Now, on to announcements for this week:
This Wednesday, July 18, join live to hear from Dylan Lennard, Data Analyst at Shipt and Data Analyst Nanodegree graduate, and Juno Lee and Josh Bernhard, Content Developers for the School of Data at Udacity.
Dylan, Juno, and Josh will share their insights into the field of Data Science, how Udacity's curriculum prepares students for the field, and how to leverage your Udacity experience when working towards a career in data. They will spend time answering your prepared questions, and there will also be a live chat in YouTube during the event where you can ask questions throughout the webinar.
Four of the fantastic student leaders in #women_who_code, @Gasia Atashian, @Reshu Singh, @PN10, and @jéssica.happatsch, have launched a collaborative book project for women techmakers to share their story as a way to inspire aspiring female technologists. Interested? Head over to #women_who_code and read through the pinned post to see what it’s about!
If you are participating in the Student Project Showcase, your submissions are due before end of day this coming Sunday, July 22. You can find everything you need to know about the projects here on the website.
If you haven't joined #30_days_of_data yet, head over today! It's not too late! We're challenging you to commit to spending at least 15 minutes every day in your classroom between now and August 8. Some of you may need to spend more time to finish, but by setting daily goals and sharing your progress with your peers, you'll be on track to finish the course!
That's all to kick off your week, happy learning!
Hi everyone, and happy Friday!! I hope you all had a great week, and welcome to day 5 of 30 Days of Data! Your energy and enthusiasm in that channel has been amazing to see- for anyone who wants to jump in, it’s not too late! It’s better to have 25 days of data, or even 5 days of data, than none at all! See what the excitement is about and head over to #30_days_of_data.
Due to an unexpected family situation (everything is ok!) I will need to be offline next week. I sincerely apologize for the last-minute update.
Here is how it will impact you:
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On to announcements- they are all reminders today; there is a lot happening right now, so I hope these help you stay on track!
There are still a LOT of people looking for groups in the group project spreadsheet. If your group is still recruiting people, check out the “Seeking a Project” tab to see if anyone there is interested in what you’re doing. For folks who are looking for groups, check the same tab to try to find others who are interested in the same thing as you. Remember, projects are optional and due July 22!
Are you a teacher, educator, or work in education in some capacity? We want to hear from you! Please head over to the new #educators channel to join in the conversation!
As you all work to finish your course, don’t forget about the resources database! Lots of great info has been shared here that will help you finish strong before August 8, and remember to add your own resources too!
A quick reminder when uploading images to post a separate comment, and if you’re replying, please reply in thread on the separate comment post. With all the amazing study photos being posted (keep them coming!) the channels are getting a little hard to navigate again.
Head over to the website to review this week’s shout-outs!
Thank you all so much, and I hope you have a great weekend!
Hello scholars, and happy Tuesday! I hope you all had a great weekend. I was at an event for Udacity today, so thank you for your patience with my Monday kick-off announcement:
As of Tuesday, we are officially 30 days away from the end of the challenge course, and to provide the push you may need right now to finish strong, we are launching 30 Days of Data!
The idea is simple: we are challenging you to commit to working on your course for at least 15 minutes every day for the next 30 days, and Tweet, write a Facebook post, share a photo of your workstation on Instagram, or post an update in Slack every day. I created the channel #30_days_of_data especially for this in the last month of the challenge course, and we’re excited to hear about all the progress you make over the next 30 days! Remember to use #PoweredByBertelsmann, #UdacityDataScholars, and #30DaysofData when you post!
At the end of the 30 days, I’ll be sharing some data about what you accomplish in this last month- let’s all commit to making this final stretch a stellar one!
REMINDER: Questions for A Day in the Life of a Developer Webinar!
If you have questions for Dylan, Juno, and Josh, reminder to fill out this form by end of day Tuesday, July 10!
And please register via Eventbrite!
Are you passionate about inspiring women to enter the tech workforce? Head over to #women_who_code for a pinned announcement shared yesterday. Several student leaders from that channel are sourcing blog and Medium posts geared towards empowering women to pursue careers in tech, and they want to hear from YOU! They put together some great resources to help you get started, so if you haven’t joined that channel already, head on over and see what it’s about!
Please head over to the shout-outs page of the website to see which of your colleagues from last week were highlighted!
Note: due to the number of shout-outs, not every entry will be featured on the website each week, but please know that every entry is seen, considered, and appreciated, so keep them coming!
We are still collecting stories! We at Udacity know that the best ambassadors for our scholarships are our scholars themselves. We’d love to give you the platform to share yours, and show the world why it’s important to democratize access to education internationally.
If you’re interested, please fill out this form.
As a reminder, I will be offline Friday (just popping in for announcements!) I may be delayed in my response time, so thank you for your patience.
Hello scholars, and happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week!
As a reminder, I am OOO today (Friday July 6) and Monday (July 9), so I may be delayed in my follow up. If there are any urgent course access issues, please email scholarships-support@udacity.com.
Please read below for some announcements to wrap up your week:
This Saturday and Sunday, @Ursula and @Gourav will be hosting HQ-style trivia in the Metaverse app. Download the app via the link below, and put your knowledge to the test!
The more people join, the more fun it will be, so don't miss out!!
Huge thanks also to @carlospfister for getting this quiz off the ground!
To join, please follow these steps:
Day of the event:
@Linson put together an awesome database of job opportunities in Airtable. Find jobs that your peers have shared based on experience required, date posted, location, and more! Know about a job opportunity? Add it to the database!!
More info in the forums!
After several typos and locked forms, the webinar on July 18 with Dylan, Josh, and Juno is up and running! Sorry about the delay and thanks for your patience!
Reminder that the Student Project Showcase is due July 22, which is 2 weeks from Sunday! See the group projects formation spreadsheet to find a group to work with and check out the Project Showcase page on the website for all the info you need to get started.
I’ve seen some posts recently from people feeling discouraged by others’ progress. Shout-out to all my turtles, late-starters, working parents, double-trackers, and all-around-busy-lifers out there- don’t be discouraged!! You are NOT alone; most of the people in the challenge course are in the same boat as you, believe it or not. You still have over a month left before the challenge course ends. Even if you logged in for the first time today, you have enough time to finish the course!! Some tips:
Whatever your strategy, make sure it works with your schedule and life. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!
Hi everyone! I hope you had a GREAT Sunday Fun-day yesterday! I’ve seen some awesome photos floating around the different community spaces, and I’m glad that at least some of you took advantage of a well-deserved day off.
If you missed any of the Wellness Week announcements last week, never fear! They will still live here on the scholarship website.
Back to our regularly scheduled announcements this week, please read below for reminders on things you need to know:
Kathleen OOO
I will be out of the office this Wednesday, July 4, Friday, July 6, Monday, July 9, and Friday July 13 for holiday/work travel.
REMINDER: Student Project Showcase
If you’re interested in participating in the Student Project Showcase, now’s the time to get started! Projects are due on July 22 at 11:59pm UTC. Learn more here on the scholarship website.
WEBINAR: A Day in the Life of a Data Scientist
On Wednesday, July 18, join live to hear from Dylan Lennard, Data Analyst at Shipt and Data Analyst Nanodegree graduate, and Juno Lee and Josh Bernhard, Content Developers for the School of Data at Udacity.
Dylan, Juno, and Josh will share their insights into the field of Data Science, how Udacity's curriculum prepares students for the field, and how to leverage your Udacity experience when working towards a career in data. They will spend time answering your prepared questions, and there will also be a live chat in YouTube during the event where you can ask questions throughout the webinar.
DATE/TIME
Date: July 18, 2018
Time: 5:00pm PT/00:00 UTC (midnight, July 19)
RSVP
If you’re interested in attending, either live or if you plan on watching the recording, please register via Eventbrite.
This helps us know who is watching! While this event was created specifically for Bertelsmann students, we are also opening it up to other students, alumni, and the general public.
To submit a question, please fill out this form
REMINDER: Visibility
I am still getting some questions from folks about how to ensure your participation is visible. You can find more information about how to share updates about your participation on the updated FAQs page of the website- please refer here!
That's it for today- keeping things brief after the slew of announcements last week. Enjoy the rest of your days, and have a FANTASTIC week!