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NUS: DSBE001x Data Science for Construction, Architecture and Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Coding

  1. I am able to successfully copy the google colab notebooks to my own google account, but how can I copy all the folders?

Option 1: You can download the entire folder(s) and then reupload them to your own google drive. By doing this, you are now the owner of these files and can further modify them and interact freely with them.

 

Option 2:

Link to Google Drive Folder

Once you're in the folder, click on Shared with Me

Locate the folder 'EDX Data Science for Construction, Architecture and Engineering', click on it and press 'Shift' + 'Z' to add to your drive. That's it!

 

We also have the files available in the Github repository of this course. If you are familiar with Github you can clone the repository or if not, simply download the files directly.

 

  1. I’m trying to load a file and I keep getting an error that the file doesn’t exist. What should I do?

One should be extra careful when loading files, the names should match exactly, so it’s always good to double-check the spelling for potential typos, capitalized letters, or spaces.

 

Another probable scenario is that you are currently not in the right directory. One simple way to verify your file is in the directory you currently are, is by running the UNIX command ls. This command lists all the files in your current directory (assuming you have mounted your google drive, it will show the files in the folder you just mounted to). If you are running the command in a code cell with python code, don’t forget to add the character ! before it (e.g., !ls).

 

If you still can’t see your file after running this command, you might need to change directories to the one where your file is located or to bring your file to your current directory.

 

  1. I feel like I still don’t fully understand python and these coding exercises are still too much for me.

It’s ok! We try to make the quizzes and exercises simple enough so that students without a coding background can go through the course but we also want to make them challenging so it encourages students to think a bit harder. However, we understand this can still be challenging for some students. We provided some python exercises under the Section 1 folder but there are plenty of good resources out there. The error messages in python are not always the most helpful, but googling them, or a paraphrasing of the problem, will most likely provide a helpful Stackoverflow result!

 

If you find that the course is moving too fast and you want to start with something slower first, we recommend taking the Python for Everybody course on EDx.

 

  1. I want to attempt the exercises that Garth provides at the end of the notebook. However, when I click on it, it directs me to the main page of Collab. How do I access them?

You can directly clone Garth’s project into your own project and run it from there. 

 

  1. I use the seaborn package to draw box plots to observe distributions of different categories, but I cannot see the x-axis labels well... What should I do?

No worry! Just use fig.set_size_inches() to adjust the figure size as you want, but do remember to set fig and ax for the plot firstly. Here’s the sample code you can take a look:

fig, ax = plt.subplots()

fig.set_size_inches(40,6)

sns.boxplot(x="Climate", y="Air temperature (C)", data=ieq_data)

Although now you can clearly see x-axis labels now, it’s not an elegant graph. One possible way is to switch x- and y-axis like this:

fig, ax = plt.subplots()

fig.set_size_inches(10,10)

sns.boxplot(y="Climate", x="Air temperature (C)", data=ieq_data) 

Try to adjust parameters until you find the best graph!



Admin

  1. I would like to know more about the topics of each section, where can I find the syllabus?

The syllabus pertaining to the topics as well as important dates can be found in the Syllabus tab.

 

  1. I see there are quizzes but I can’t find them

Quizzes are only available, and required, for verified learners. You can always skim through the exercises, and we encourage you to try to solve them!

 

  1. When will the answers for quizzes and exercises be posted?

We will release the answers after the entire course is finished in March 2021. 

 

  1. Will we still be able to view course materials after the course ends?

Yes, for verified learners, the course will still be accessible under ‘View Archived Course’ with all the materials intact. 

 

  1. I’m not sure if my quizzes are marked since edX is not showing a green checkmark next to the section in the ‘Courses’ tab. 

Check the ‘Progress’ tab! Sometimes the green checkmark might not show up, but as long as the Progress tab indicates your correct grades, you are all good.

 

  1. What is the passing rate to receive the certification? 

You will need to achieve an overall grade of 75% or more.