Course logo
  • 49 Tutorials
  • 1,417,615 Pageviews
  • 1,276,450 Hours of coding
We have launched our new online course Data Science for Ecologists and Environmental Scientists! Join in for a free and self-paced journey through a tailored selection of Coding Club tutorials, quizzes and practical challenges and the chance to get a certificate for your work.
About us

About us

We are an enthusiastic group of ecology and environmental science students and researchers from the University of Edinburgh. We want to replace statistics anxiety and code fear with inspiration and motivation to learn. We believe that coding can be really fun and also understand the importance of quantitative skills for professional development.

Over the last four years we have been writing tutorials as well as organising in-person and online workshops. All of our materials are free for people to use and adapt - you can find more information on organising your own workshops or using Coding Club tutorials in your teaching here.

In autumn 2021, we are organising weekly in-person workshops in Edinburgh (subject to change depending on COVID-19 regulations) and also live online workshops over Zoom. Check out our most recent tweets for information on signing up for workshops!

Coding Club is for everyone, regardless of their career stage or current level of knowledge. Coding Club is a place that brings people together, regardless of their gender or background. We all have the right to learn, and we believe learning is more fun and efficient when we help each other along the way.

Our values and goals

  • Quantitative skills We empower students and future professionals to answer research questions and harness the power of data
  • Sustainable learning We support the future development of Coding Club through mentorship and training
  • Collaboration in learning We establish links between organisations and institutions which develop quantitative skills
  • Diversity Fostering a supportive and inclusive environment with diverse opportunities to learn
Data Science course details

Data Science for Ecologists and Environmental Scientists - a free online course

Data Science for Ecologists and Environmental Scientists is an online learning initiative for anyone wanting to gain data science skills in the programming language R, with additional content in Python and JavaScript. Our motivation is to overcome "code fear" and "statistics anxiety" in learners of all ages and from all walks of life. This course is developed for international audiences, but is also uniquely Scottish with real-world data to put quantitative skills into the context of key ecological questions.

The three course themes introduce learners to key elements of data science - ‘Stats from Scratch’, ‘Wiz of Data Vis’ and ‘Mastering Modelling’. The 16 individual tutorials that make up the course, in addition to the further 25 tutorials hosted by Coding Club, allow learners to create their own bespoke learning pathway to gaining key skill sets. Quizzes and challenges test knowledge, but also allow users to join a larger community of learners and gain confidence in their own skills. Join the hundreds of thousands of Coding Club users and develop your data science skills through this entirely free and engaging online learning initiative!



Data Science in Edinburgh logo

Data Science in Edinburgh (and now over Zoom anywhere!)

Schedule for our workshops in Jan-Apr 2022, in-person in Edinburgh and simultaneously live over Zoom so anyone can tune in!

Building on Coding Club, we have also started a new 4th year Data Science in Ecology and Environmental Science honours-level undergraduate course at the University of Edinburgh - you can find out course website and curriculum here.

Contribute

Our mission is to support a diverse learning community where we help each other to attain fluency in statistics and programming. We are very keen to expand our team and anyone can join in! We are looking for people interested in contributing tutorials and/or hosting workshops. You can also check out our blog post on Dynamic Ecology for more about our teaching philosophy. Feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback: we would really appreciate your input!

Funding

Coding Club was jumpstarted with support from an Innovation Initiative Grant from the Edinburgh Fund at the University of Edinburgh. We organised our first joint workshop with the University of Aberdeen with the help of a GESA Innovation Initiative Grant. We took Coding Club further with the help of a Principal's Teaching Award Scheme grant. We are working together with the NERC E3 Doctoral Training Partnership which supports some of our team members. Our Data Science for Ecologists and Environmental Scientists course is funded by the Data Lab in Scotland.

Data Lab logoInnovation Initiative Grant logoDTP and NERC logos

We are always looking for new ideas and feedback.

We are very keen to discuss ways to innovate teaching in quantitative analysis and are also happy to share our experience in creating and leading Coding Club. Feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback: we would really appreciate your input!