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

DeepLearning.AI
AI For Everyone
Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Market Opportunities, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Artificial Intelligence, Team Building, Machine Learning, Strategic Thinking, Data Science, Needs Assessment, Deep Learning, Business Ethics, Artificial Neural Networks, Engineering Management
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
48K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Python Project for Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Data Transformation, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Manipulation, SQL, Integrated Development Environments, Data Processing, Databases, Application Programming Interface (API), Code Review, Restful API, Python Programming, Unit Testing, Style Guides
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
771 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Science Fundamentals with Python and SQL
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, SQL, Descriptive Statistics, Jupyter, Statistical Analysis, Data Analysis, Probability Distribution, Pandas (Python Package), Data Visualization Software, Statistics, Data Visualization, Web Scraping, Relational Databases, Stored Procedure, Databases, Computer Programming Tools, Automation, Data Science, GitHub, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
71K reviews
Beginner · 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
Status: Free Trial
Google
Share Data Through the Art of Visualization
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Literacy, Data Visualization, Data Presentation, Interactive Data Visualization, Tableau Software, Presentations, Data Visualization Software, Dashboard, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
9.6K 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
IBM
Data Engineering Foundations
Skills you'll gain: Web Scraping, Database Design, SQL, MySQL, Data Transformation, Data Store, Extract, Transform, Load, IBM DB2, Relational Databases, Data Architecture, Jupyter, Data Pipelines, Big Data, Data Warehousing, Data Governance, Data Manipulation, Stored Procedure, Databases, Automation, Python Programming
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
56K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Google Data Analytics Capstone: Complete a Case Study
Skills you'll gain: Interviewing Skills, Data Analysis, Data Processing, Analytical Skills, Artificial Intelligence, Recruitment, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Storytelling, Project Documentation, Presentations, Portfolio Management
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
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
Google
Process Data from Dirty to Clean
Skills you'll gain: Data Cleansing, Sampling (Statistics), Data Integrity, Data Quality, Data Validation, Sample Size Determination, Data Analysis, Data Manipulation, SQL, Data Transformation, Spreadsheet Software
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
18K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
PwC
Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach
Skills you'll gain: Analytics, Business Analytics, Data Analysis, Microsoft PowerPoint, Data Presentation, Presentations, Excel Formulas, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Dashboard, Data Storytelling, Business Intelligence, Microsoft Excel, Customer Analysis, Data Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Data Literacy, Big Data, Verbal Communication Skills, Data Cleansing, Spreadsheet Software
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
11K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Prepare Data for Exploration
Skills you'll gain: Data Ethics, Data Analysis, Data Literacy, Data Security, Google Sheets, Data Cleansing, Databases, Data Access, Data Quality, Data Management, Data Collection, Relational Databases, SQL, Metadata Management, Unstructured Data
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
22K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months