🗓️ Week 02 - Basic blocks of data: getting familiar with the most common data types and file formats

2025/26 Autumn Term

What does data look like? And how do we organise it? This week’s lecture will discuss what a dataset is and what is data. It will briefly discuss ways to store datasets and introduce the concept of tidy data and how to organise data, even if in a spreadsheet. We will also discuss the different data types and how to deal with them as well as get to grips with the most common types of file formats.

👩🏻‍🏫 Lecture Slides

Either click on the slide area below or click here to view it in fullscreen. Use your keypad to navigate the slides. You can also find a PDF version on Moodle.

🎥 Looking for lecture recordings? You can only find those on Moodle.

✍️ Coursework

Prepare for the 💻 W03 class by following the instructions on this page

✍️ Summative: worth 30%

• Each group within the class selects an article to present on the Week 05 class (the groups need to be formed by class time on Oct 8th or they’ll be randomly assigned)
• The articles to be presented should be vetted by October 13th.
• Every member of the group will have to take part in the presentation (15 minutes)
• A discussion will follow the presentation (5-7 minutes)
• For details on the content of the presentation and marking criteria, refer to this page

📚 Recommended Reading

• Check the end of slides for the list of references cited in the lecture.
• Check the 📔 Syllabus for this week’s complete list of indicative and recommended readings.

📟 Communication

• Post your reflections, questions, and links on Slack (depending on your purpose, use either of the #social or #help channels - you might also want to use the #interesting-materials channel).