1. The role of this book¶
This Jupyter Book is the central reference for SDS320.
You will use it to follow technical examples, connect topics to your own project and return to important instructions during the semester.
The book is not meant to be read once from beginning to end and then forgotten. It is closer to a project companion. Some pages introduce concepts, some guide your project decisions, some provide technical reminders and some help you check whether your work is ready for submission.
2. Main parts of the book¶
The book is organised into several main sections:
Course gives you the orientation material: course idea, schedule, assessment, AI use, resources and feedback.
Python & project setup helps you prepare your working environment and reactivate Python, notebooks, scripts and Git.
Project handbook supports your independent project from first idea to final report and presentation.
Lessons introduce weekly topics and method-oriented workflows.
Project gallery collects selected student projects from previous years as inspiration.
Reference provides glossary entries, cheatsheets, model evaluation guidance, common errors, datasets and further reading.
3. How lessons are structured¶
Most lessons follow a modular structure. They start with an overview page that introduces the topic and gives you the learning path. The subsequent chapter pages then guide you through focused parts of the topic.
A typical lesson includes:
an overview page with context, motivation, learning objectives and roadmap,
conceptual chapter pages,
workflow-oriented pages,
practical advises and common pitfalls,
a project-transfer page.
The project-transfer page is especially important. It helps you connect the lesson to your own SDS320 project.
4. How to study before class¶
Before the session, start with the overview page. Read the context, motivation and learning objectives. If you find the topic relevant or interesting, work through the subsequent pages in order.
You don’t need to understand every detail perfectly. The important thing is that you get a general idea and perhaps come up with some specific questions.
Useful preparation for a topic of interest usually means:
reading the relevant lesson pages,
running or inspecting provided code examples where relevant,
noting unclear concepts,
thinking about how the topic connects to your project,
updating your project notes or repository when a lesson affects your plan.
5. How to use the book during projects¶
During independent project work, you will often move away from the weekly topics.
For example, you may return to the Project handbook when refining your research question, planning your workflow, improving your repository or preparing your report.
You may return to the Reference section when you need a quick reminder about terminology, common errors, model evaluation or datasets.
This is expected. Project work is iterative, and you will often need to revisit earlier decisions.
6. When you feel lost¶
If you are unsure where to start, go back to the parent page of the current lesson. Check the roadmap and identify which chapter page addresses your current question.
If your question is project-related, check the Project handbook first. If it is technical, check the setup and troubleshooting pages. If you still need help, ask on MS Teams in the appropriate channel so that others can benefit from the discussion as well.
You can also use the feedback page to report unclear explanations, broken links or code that does not work as expected.