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Data Visualisation
Communicating data-driven insights in ways that are quick and easy to grasp is an essential part of many professions today. This summer course allows students to critically analyse data visualisations and use them as part of storytelling in presentations and argumentations.
Teaching period:
-
Application period:
1.2.2024 – 31.5.2024
Course format:
Campus
Duration:
2 weeks
full-time
Course level:
Graduate
Doctoral
Professional
Field of study:
Technology and Engineering
Credits:
5 ECTS
Organiser:
School of Science
Tuition fees:
1490€ tuition fee
Data visualisation enables us to process information faster, work more efficiently, and increase productivity. Today, everyone needs to have an understanding of data and its impact.
Data visualisation, visual communication and storytelling are essential tools for businesses. They enhance information usability and make use of efficient metaphors like hierarchies, graphs, charts, lists, maps, and timelines. This course especially benefits programmers interested in upskilling, designers who want to integrate data-driven design into their portfolio, and business professionals who want to learn how to turn data into easily understandable designs for better decision-making and presentations.
The course supports students in understanding the role of hybrid methods, from map-based visual communication to network analytics and from linked data to storytelling and time-series handling for supporting information visualisation.
Information for Summer School Applicants
Pre-work
Intensive weeks on campus: August 5th to 16th, 2024
- Daily morning teaching sessions
- Supported afternoon work
Post work
In this course, you will:
- Recognise the basics on how to visualise data in interactive and explorative ways and how to improve information usability for creating visualisations with web technologies based on data
- Understand the requirements for data and data descriptions for various visualisation and application scenarios, ranging from data journalism to business scenarios, and from research to art and design
- Create information visualisations based on data and enhance your presentation, communication and organisational skills
- Learn how to handle spatial, temporal and thematic data in creative ways
- Interact and collaborate with other students, share knowledge and ideas through workshops, presentations and demo sessions
The Data Visualisation course uses interactive teaching methods that enable students to produce their own projects while receiving feedback.
The online materials consist of podcasts, examples, tutorials and articles about preparing, handling and analysing data, and integrating different datasets. It also contains approaches to create visual demonstrations of data with maps, timelines and thematic overviews.
The intensive weeks on campus consist of sessions including mini-lectures, discussions, group works and presentations. Additionally, the course includes a demo day where students will present their works and get supportive feedback about their visual storytelling.
The total course workload of 135h (5 ECTS).
The workload includes pre and post-assignments. More information about the assignments and reading materials will be published closer to the start of the course.
The course is graded on a scale of 0-5, where
0 = fail, 1 = poor, 2 = satisfactory, 3 = good, 4 = very good, 5 = excellent
Please note that this course is designed for visiting students and can not be included in Aalto degree studies.
This course does not require previous experience in data analytics or data visualisation. It is well suited for people from different fields and can accommodate people with various perspectives on the topic, e.g., programmers, designers and business professionals.
The minimum requirement for applying to Data Visualisation is a finished bachelor's degree or the equivalent of 180 ECTS completed in the undergraduate degree.
Prepare to attach the following to your application:
- CV or LinkedIn profile
- Motivation letter or video
The recommended length for the motivation letter is 150-250 words, and the video is 1-2 minutes.
If you need a visa, we recommend applying by May 15th 2024
- This is to ensure that we have enough time to process your application and that you have time to make the tuition fee payment, book a visa appointment and wait for the application to be processed.
- You can apply and be accepted to the courses after April 15th. In that case, we recommend that you pay at your earliest convenience so that we can deliver your invitation letter to you promptly.
- According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the processing time for a visa application is 15 days. However, the processing time may be longer if a more detailed application examination is required.
Tuition fee
The tuition fee is 1490€ (including VAT 24%). The tuition fee is to be paid by credit card or a Finnish online bank. If the fee is not paid by the due date, the application will be considered lapsed.
Reduced tuition fee (-20%) for students from partner institutions of Aalto University. Please prepare to prove your student status with a study transcript before paying the tuition fee.
Unfortunately, Aalto University Summer School does not offer scholarships for participants.
Learn about the Aalto University Summer School cancellation terms. You will receive the full terms before making the payment and confirming the course participation.
Listen to the course teacher Tomi's podcasts
Discover the power of stories, time, space, and themes to create visualisations that inspire and engage.
Teacher Information
Tomi Kauppinen, Ph.D., leads Aalto Online Learning at Aalto University and the expert group on Creative and Collaborative Learning Environments at Unite! European University alliance. He holds a habilitation (2014) in geoinformatics and consecutively Privatdozent (2015) from University of Münster, Germany, and a title of docent (2014) and a Ph.D. (2010) in media technology from Aalto University, Finland.
Tomi Kauppinen is the co-author of Design Education Across Disciplines: Transformative Learning Experiences for the 21st Century (Palgrave, 2023). He has actively facilitated trainings and taught Data Visualization, design thinking, visual storytelling and AI in international settings, and led related projects. His areas of expertise include Cognitive Systems, Information visualisation, Information design, Ubiquitous Computing, and Online learning.
Summer school teacher interview: The Data Visualisation summer course equips you with the must-have tools for communication in a data-scentric world
This August, Aalto University Summer School offers a course on Data Visualisation that deep-dives into visualisation methods, digital tools, and principles of storytelling. Course instructor Dr. Tomi Kauppinen, Head of Aalto Online Learning at Aalto University, shares his thoughts on why data visualisation is such an important skill in your toolkit today.
Contact
Summer School team
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Use this form to apply to Aalto University Summer School graduate courses
Graduate summer courses
We offer multidisciplinary academic summer courses for students and professionals with completed undergraduate degrees.
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