What is data collection?

Data collection is the systematic process of gathering information like observations or measurements while doing research. When you’re performing research, you’re likely looking for answers to a question you have. When it comes to data collection, digging beyond the surface tells an intriguing story. Collecting data about what you’re researching can help you gain more insight into the details and information that’ll help you answer that question. Although it’s particularly useful in science-related applications, the beauty of data collection is that you can use it to discover answers to almost any query you dream up.

Why learn data collection?

Data are important for helping you (and others, and even computers) make all sorts of different decisions. It helps scientists learn whether their studies are working and assists marketers in sending the right messages to the right people. It's what lets us know if something new we tried is really working. As information becomes digitized, it becomes data that we can use in a variety of ways to accomplish whatever we’ve set out to do. But in order to do that, we need to gather the data first. Without data collection to compile that information, we can’t be truly efficient in analyzing those details — what if something is missing? If you’re aiming to understand how research is conducted and decisions are made, it’s essential to learn about data collection’s role.

What career opportunities can arise from learning data collection?

Almost every career that involves data provides opportunities for collecting those data, even if the primary focus isn’t only collecting data. A multitude of different analyst roles require plenty of time spent gathering data, whether you choose to work in fields like marketing, human resources or business or you’re specifically interested in working as a data scientist — someone who directs their efforts toward compiling data and translating it into information that others can use to make decisions. Even working as an actuary — a professional who assesses risks, often in insurance fields — allows you to focus much of your time on dealing with data. But these careers are just the beginning; dozens more give you the opportunity to collect data, so it’s an important skill to have and concept to understand even if it’s not the primary focus of your work.

How can taking online courses on Coursera help me learn data collection?

If you’re looking to boost your data literacy, taking our online classes provides a worthwhile opportunity to pursue your goals whenever it’s most convenient for you. Online courses give you the time and space you need to complete coursework from home while also providing you access to learning materials created by accomplished instructors and other field experts. You’ll enjoy learning the basic frameworks of data collection and analysis as you’re getting started learning about this topic by discovering the role of research, analysis and collection techniques. As you advance, you might choose to study more complex topics like utilizing the Python programming language to create programs that fetch and analyze data. And with a variety of learning programs, from certificates to specializations to course credits for college degrees, you can formalize your data analysis accomplishments as you continue to build skills.

Top Data Collection Courses - Learn Data Collection Online

Explore the Data Collection Course Catalog

Status: Free Trial
PwC
Data-driven Decision Making
Skills you'll gain: Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Business Intelligence, Data Literacy, Big Data, Data Storytelling, Statistical Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Data Visualization Software, R Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
6.1K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Data Analysis with R
Skills you'll gain: Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Sampling (Statistics), Statistical Inference, Exploratory Data Analysis, Regression Analysis, Statistical Reporting, Probability Distribution, Statistical Methods, Data Analysis Software, R Programming, Bayesian Statistics, Statistical Analysis, Data Analysis, Statistical Software, Statistical Modeling, Probability & Statistics, Probability, Statistics, Correlation Analysis, Data Literacy
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
7.5K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Colorado System
Algorithms, Data Collection, and Starting to Code
Skills you'll gain: Computational Thinking, Data Collection, Microsoft Visual Studio, Program Development, C (Programming Language), Programming Principles, Algorithms, Development Environment, Computer Programming, Data Structures, Debugging
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
376 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of California San Diego
Introduction to Big Data
Skills you'll gain: Big Data, Apache Hadoop, Scalability, Data Processing, Data Science, Distributed Computing, Unstructured Data, Data Analysis, Real Time Data, Data Storage
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
11K reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
SkillUp EdTech
Data Collection and Root Cause Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Root Cause Analysis, Correlation Analysis, Regression Analysis, Statistical Methods, Statistics, Data Collection, Descriptive Statistics, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Probability & Statistics, Statistical Analysis, Process Analysis, Lean Six Sigma, Data Analysis, Process Improvement, Statistical Inference, Analytical Skills, Pareto Chart, Performance Measurement
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
6 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Introduction to Data Science in Python
Skills you'll gain: Pandas (Python Package), Jupyter, NumPy, Data Manipulation, Data Science, Data Structures, Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Pivot Tables And Charts, Data Cleansing, Data Import/Export, Probability & Statistics, Python Programming, Programming Principles
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
27K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Microsoft
Preparing Data for Analysis with Microsoft Excel
Skills you'll gain: Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Spreadsheet Software, Power BI, Data Analysis, Productivity Software, Data Cleansing, Data Manipulation, Data Management
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
4.5K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM Data Warehouse Engineer
Skills you'll gain: Data Warehousing, SQL, Extract, Transform, Load, Apache Airflow, Linux Commands, Database Design, IBM Cognos Analytics, MySQL, Data Pipelines, Apache Kafka, Database Management, Bash (Scripting Language), Shell Script, Database Architecture and Administration, Data Store, IBM DB2, Relational Databases, Dashboard, File Management, Stored Procedure
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.1K reviews
Beginner · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Generative AI for Data Analysts
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, Generative AI, ChatGPT, Data Storytelling, OpenAI, Analytics, Data Analysis, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Dashboard, Large Language Modeling, Data Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, Program Development, Data Visualization Software, SQL, Python Programming, Query Languages, Content Creation, Image Analysis, Virtual Environment
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.7K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Michigan
Python for Everybody
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Data Processing, Relational Databases, JSON, Database Design, SQL, Network Protocols, Web Services, Restful API, Data Modeling, Programming Principles, Application Programming Interface (API), Data Structures, Data Collection, Data Visualization Software, Data Manipulation, Computer Programming, Python Programming, Scripting Languages, Data Import/Export
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
277K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
DeepLearning.AI
Deep Learning
Skills you'll gain: Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Image Analysis, Natural Language Processing, Artificial Neural Networks, Tensorflow, Supervised Learning, Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Artificial Intelligence, Applied Machine Learning, PyTorch (Machine Learning Library), Machine Learning, Debugging, Performance Tuning, Keras (Neural Network Library), Python Programming, Machine Learning Algorithms, Analysis, Data Processing
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
146K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Data Mining
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization Software, Text Mining, Data Presentation, Data Mining, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Dashboard, Tableau Software, Plot (Graphics), Natural Language Processing, Scatter Plots, Unsupervised Learning, Data Mapping, Unstructured Data, Statistical Analysis, Graphing, Big Data, Anomaly Detection, Analytics, Data Validation
4.5
Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
2.9K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months