Data Science can be defined as the intersection between Mathematics/Statistics, Computer Science, and Communication. In this course, you will learn the entire process of Data Science: Import, Clean, Explore, Model, and Communicate. This area of study is applicable to any student regardless of major, providing a competitive edge in the modern world. There will be one extensive group project giving all students the opportunity to apply their critical thinking and creativity skills to a dataset of their choice.

  • Instructor: Mario Giacomazzo

  • Lab Instructors:

  • Course Syllabus:

  • Lab Sections:

    • 320.400: F, 9:45AM - 11:45AM, Hanes 107, Callum

  • Office Hours:

    • Dr. Mario for 320.001
      • MTWTh, 9:00AM - 9:45AM, Hanes 134
      • MTWTh, 11:45AM - 12:00PM, Hanes 134
    • Callum: MTWTh, 3:00PM - 3:30PM, Hanes 107

  • Attendance: UNC Check-in App

  • University Approved Absences: Online Form

  • Textbook: R For Data Science (R4DS)

Complete Before First Day

  • Bookmark this course website in your browser
  • Get familiar with the course website and Canvas
  • View the syllabus using the hyperlink on the course website
  • Download the UNC Check-in App on your Mobile Phone
  • Install R and R Studio to your laptop
  • Read Introduction in R4DS
  • Bring your laptop and mobile phone to class

Course Material

Date Lecture Slides Supplement
JUNE 23 Introduction Slides
Data Visualization Slides Preview(.zip)
JUNE 24 Data Visualization (Cont.) Slides Preview(.zip)
Workflow in RMarkdown Slides
Data Transformation I Slides
JUNE 25 Data Transformation II Slides
Data Transformation III Slides
Data Transformation IV Slides
JUNE 26 Exploratory Data Analysis I Slides
Exploratory Data Analysis II Slides
JUNE 30 Final Project I Slides
Data Import Slides
JULY 1 Tidy Data I Slides
Tidy Data II Slides
JULY 2 Web Scraping Slides Preview(.zip)
JULY 3 Labs Are Happening Today Go To Your Lab
JULY 4 Independence Day (No Class) Remember Me
JULY 7 Joins I Slides
Joins II Slides
JULY 8 Factors Slides
Midterm 1
JULY 9 Programming I Slides Preview(.zip)
Programming II Slides Preview(.zip)
JULY 10 Programming III Slides
Final Project II Slides
JULY 14 Modeling 1 Slides
JULY 15 Modeling 2 Slides Preview(.zip)
Modeling 3 Slides Preview(.zip)
JULY 16 Modeling 4 Slides Preview(.zip)
Modeling 5 Slides
JULY 17 Modeling 6 Slides
Modeling 7 Slides Preview(.zip)
JULY 21 Modeling 8 Slides Preview(.zip)
Modeling 9 Slides Preview(.zip)
JULY 22 R Shiny Slides Preview(.zip)
Midterm 2
JULY 24 Work on Project Zoom

Assignment Tracker

All HW, Lab, and Analysis assignments are to be submitted via Canvas. Unzip folder and complete your homework using Rmd file. Midterms will be taken on paper in class. The table below shows all the assignments sorted by the assigned date.

Assigned Lab (L) Homework (HW) Analysis (A) Due Date (Time)
JUNE 23 HW1(.zip) JUNE 25 (5:00 PM)
JUNE 25 HW2(.zip) JUNE 27 (5:00 PM)
JUNE 27 L1(.zip) JUNE 27 (11:59 PM)
JUNE 27 A1(.zip) JUNE 30 (5:00 PM)
JUNE 30 HW3(.zip) JULY 2 (5:00 PM)
JULY 2 HW4(.zip) JULY 7 (5:00 PM)
JULY 3 L2(.zip) JULY 3 (11:55 PM)
JULY 7 A2(.zip) JULY 9 (5:00 PM)
JULY 9 HW5(.zip) JULY 11 (5:00 PM)
JULY 11 L3(.zip) JULY 11 (11:59 PM)
JULY 11 A3(.zip) JULY 14 (5:00 PM)
JULY 14 HW6(.zip) JULY 16 (5:00 PM)
JULY 16 HW7(.zip) JULY 18 (5:00 PM)
JULY 18 L4(.zip) JULY 18 (11:59 PM)
JULY 18 A4(.zip) JULY 23 (5:00 PM)

Final Project Details

Group Assignments

For the final project, students in STOR 320 will be divided into research groups of size 5 or 6. To ensure fairness, students will be assigned randomly. Also, I will try to ensure that all students in your group are in your lab section.

If you want to find your research group, see the table below:

Four Roles

Although everyone is responsible for the entire project, each member of the group will be assigned a specific role for accountability and consistency. These four specific roles are described as follows:

  • The Creator: Schedule and Meet with Dr. Mario to Propose Your Group’s Research Idea, Lead Designer in Slides

  • The Interpreter(s): Schedule and Meet with Dr. Mario to Share Findings from Exploratory Analysis, Evaluate Practice Presentation

  • The Orator(s): Give a Captivating 3-5 Minute Slideshow Presentation During Final Exam Day

  • The Deliverer: Deliver Assignments to Canvas, Polished and On-time

Four Parts Including Point Values

This final project will be divided into four parts worth a total of 100 points. Each part will have a clear rubric as non-subjective as possible. The parts along with total point values are found below:

Due Dates of Individual Parts

Part Description Method of Submission Involvement Survey Due Date (Time)
P1 Project Proposal Meeting + Canvas Survey 1 JULY 3 (11:59PM)
P2 Exploratory Data Analysis Meeting + Canvas Survey 2 JULY 15 (11:59PM)
P3 Final Written Paper Canvas Survey 3 JULY 24 (11:59PM)
P4 Final Presentation (Section 2) Canvas + Class Survey 4 JULY 28 (3:00PM)

Above Average Final Projects