Level: Beginner to Intermediate

This course will meet for two hours on consecutive Tuesdays, beginning on August 11 and finishing on September 15.

Weekly sessions run from 9:00 am - 11:00 am Pacific and will be recorded.

There will be take-home lab assignments between sessions.

Any team can employ machine learning to analyze data and discover powerful insights into the business. This intensive six-week course is designed to springboard teams with foundational skills in Python into applying machine learning and AI to their business data.

The curriculum is designed specifically for any professional and does not require any previous background in advanced mathematics or statistics. Attendees build practical, actionable skills via hands-on labs using free, open-source software.

Through 6 weekly 2-hour sessions and 7 hands-on labs, attendees will receive a thorough introduction to state-of-the-art machine learning techniques.

By the end of the 6 weeks, you will understand how algorithms work, how to engineer features for the best predictive models, and how to tune models for optimal predictive performance.

You Will Learn

• The different types of machine learning
• The two forms of supervised learning – classification and regression
• The CART classification tree algorithm
• The mathematics of classification trees
• Overfitting – the bugbear of machine learning
• The bias-variance tradeoff
• Tuning CART classification tree models
• Measuring the accuracy of your classification tree models
• Engineering predictive features for your decision tree models
• The CART regression tree algorithm
• The mathematics of regression trees
• The random forest algorithm
• Why the random forest is state-of-the-art for production systems
• Tuning random forest models
• Additional resources for honing machine learning skills

Geared To

• Business and data analysts
• BI and analytics developers and managers
• Business users
• Data scientists
• Anyone interested in using machine learning to analyze business data
• No prior skills in programming are required

Pre-requisites

Students must be familiar with Python and Jupyter notebooks or complete the pre-recorded course “Python Quick Start” prior to the class.

This pre-recorded course will be made available in advance to any students who need it.

Laptop Setup:

You must have a computer with the required software installed before the bootcamp.

Note on Corporate Laptops:

This course requires installation of software, as well as the ability to download data files, library files, and code.

If your corporate laptop blocks these activities:

• Contact your IT department early for assistance in preparing your laptop
• Or use a personal device instead

Machine Requirements:

• Windows or Max OS X
• 64-bit operating system
• 8 GB available RAM, 16 GB preferred
• 5 GB of HD space for Anaconda Python installation

Anaconda Python is used in this course because it is free, easy to install, and has all the needed libraries.

Setup:

Laptop preparation is required BEFORE the workshop. Instructions will be available on the seminar site prior to the first session.

There is no time allotted in class for laptop preparation.