How to Integrate SAS University Edition into Classroom Training
On August 9, 2017 twenty-five (25) faculty members from across the Minnesota State System came together to be trained on SAS University Edition. This was a free training event sponsored by MN State IT COE and organized by current Minnesota State faculty members Rajeev Bukralia, Mankato State University, and Firasat Khan, Metropolitan State University as part of the New Directions in IT Faculty Conference Approved Projects.
In the May 2017, Forbes Magazine issue, Columbus (2017), a contributor, made a prediction that by 2020 the demand for Data Scientists will soar 28%. This means over 2 million positions across the United States will require candidates have Data Analytics knowledge. The article also stated that 59% of all Data Science and Analytics job demand is in the Finance, Insurance, Professional Services, and IT sectors (p.1).
This is the first in a series of blogs which will serve as an introduction to information technology careers, from the trends and drivers impacting change, to the career paths and earning potential, as well as future blogs with a discussion about how to be career ready for the IT industry.
As part of the MN State IT COE Academic Initiative to advance data analytic training and use in IT curriculum, two (2) SAS professional trainers from North Carolina joined our faculty to learn more about the SAS University Edition and how to use SAS to advance student learning.
Here are some of the comments from faculty who participated in this training last month.
“I learned that SAS is a comprehensive tool set for analysis and it’s free for training purposes.”
Another faculty stated,
“I learned how basic operating the SAS interface can be”
and yet another,
“I learned how to use SAS. The Power of SAS, and the resources available”
and finally one faculty member stated,
“this was a good opportunity to explore and get acquainted with SAS.”
All of these comments increase our commitment to provide additional training that can be used by faculty to advance their students’ knowledge as they prepare for the workforce.
Our hope at MN State IT COE is to advance our faculty development in areas that allow each of you to learn new and innovative skills that you can in turn share in your classroom to enhance and grow your students skills.
Along with SAS, data analytic tools such Python, R, PIG, MapReduce, Apache Hive, Big Data, and NoSQL are critical to the success of many small businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies. Because of the emphasis to use data and data analytics to make quality business decisions, the need for students to be proficient with at least one of these tools is critical as they enter the workforce. And as indicated in the Forbes articles, there will continue to be a need for data analytic skills, knowledge, and abilities.
With this continued industry demand, we at MN State IT COE will continue to provide additional trainings to both faculty and students in the data analytics field. We will host additional SAS and data training workshops for faculty, Student Data Derby Challenges, and a week-long Data Bootcamp next summer 2018 as part of our commitment to this very important aspect of IT curriculum at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
Here are some additional SAS resources and articles that may interest:
- Free SAS® software for academic, noncommercial use
- SAS Fact Sheet PDF
- IBM Predicts Demand For Data Scientists Will Soar 28% By 2020 | Forbes