Updated computing course teaches new approach to data analysis
Updated computing course teaches new approach to data analysis
https://news.unl.edu/article/updated-computing-course-teaches-new-approach-to-data-analysis
Publish Date: 2026-04-03 01:30:00
Source Domain: news.unl.edu
As artificial intelligence continues to advance at a rapid pace, computing courses at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are similarly evolving to prepare students for an AI-driven future. Courses previously centered on foundational topics are being updated and expanded to combine classic computing principles with cutting-edge technologies.
Data Analysis CSCE 320 has been offered in the School of Computing for several years, but it was redesigned to accommodate new technological advancements and shift focus onto modern methods. To align with the new direction, it will soon be renamed Data Analysis with Machine Learning. Students in the course taught by Ashok Samal, professor in the School of Computing, learn how to analyze data using current algorithms, machine learning tools and hands-on approaches.
“Two years ago, we completely changed the content to go from a traditional database focus to a machine learning focus,” Samal said. “We have courses where they learn the basic underlying foundations of machine learning, but this is more about practice. We focus on how to use machine learning techniques, what they are, and best practices.”
Samal said unlike many other computing courses, a high level of coding experience is not required for CSCE 320, since the curriculum focuses on leveraging tools rather than creating them.
“We have a lot of programming assignments, but they’re about how to use the existing APIs rather than starting from scratch,” Samal said. “They’ll still have some coding — not trying to code the machine learning tasks but learning how to use the APIs available already in all kinds of packages to solve the tasks.”
While the course is required for data science majors, the emphasis on application rather than development makes it accessible to students of all majors and offers particular value to non-computing majors in adjacent disciplines such as mathematics and engineering. According to results of the first assignment, which…
