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
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
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
Google
Foundations of Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Data Ethics, Data Analysis, Workflow Management, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Analytical Skills, Data Science, Project Design, Communication, Business, Business Workflow Analysis, Stakeholder Communications, Machine Learning
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
3.2K reviews
Advanced · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Exploratory Data Analysis for Machine Learning
Skills you'll gain: Exploratory Data Analysis, Feature Engineering, Data Cleansing, Data Access, Data Analysis, Statistical Inference, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Data Quality, Data Science, Probability & Statistics, Jupyter, Machine Learning, Data Manipulation, Pandas (Python Package), Statistical Analysis, Data Transformation, Artificial Intelligence
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
2.2K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Data Science Methodology
Skills you'll gain: Jupyter, Peer Review, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Cleansing, Business Analysis, Data Mining, Predictive Modeling, Data Quality, Data Storytelling, Analytical Skills, User Feedback, Decision Tree Learning, Stakeholder Engagement
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
21K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Multiple educators
DeepLearning.AI Data Engineering
Skills you'll gain: Apache Airflow, Data Modeling, Data Pipelines, Data Storage, Data Storage Technologies, Data Architecture, Data Transformation, Requirements Analysis, Data Processing, Data Warehousing, Query Languages, Apache Hadoop, Extract, Transform, Load, Data Lakes, Amazon Web Services, Apache Spark, Database Systems, Data Integration, AWS Kinesis, Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
448 reviews
Intermediate · Professional Certificate · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Generative AI for Data Scientists
Skills you'll gain: Prompt Engineering, Generative AI, ChatGPT, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Ethics, OpenAI, Feature Engineering, Predictive Modeling, Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Data Storytelling, Program Development, Data Modeling, Data Presentation, Predictive Analytics, Data Synthesis, Data Analysis, Data Cleansing, Data Visualization Software, Image Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6.9K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 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
6.8K reviews
Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Key Technologies for Business
Skills you'll gain: Cloud Computing Architecture, Cloud Services, Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Security, Data Literacy, Data Mining, Cloud Platforms, Cloud Computing, Generative AI, Data Ethics, Cloud Storage, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS), Software As A Service, Big Data, Emerging Technologies, ChatGPT, Data Analysis, Data Science
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
101K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
Applied Data Science
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Data Visualization Software, Plotly, Data Visualization, Predictive Modeling, Interactive Data Visualization, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Wrangling, Data Analysis, Jupyter, Matplotlib, Pandas (Python Package), Seaborn, Data Presentation, Data Import/Export, Web Scraping, Automation, Data Science, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Python Programming
Build toward a degree
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
58K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
IBM
IBM AI Foundations for Business
Skills you'll gain: Large Language Modeling, Artificial Intelligence, Data Literacy, Data Mining, Generative AI, Data Ethics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), Big Data, Information Architecture, Strategic Decision-Making, Enterprise Architecture, ChatGPT, Cloud Computing, Data Analysis, Data Science, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Data Strategy, Business Strategy, Business Process Automation
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
94K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Google
Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions
Skills you'll gain: Spreadsheet Software, Stakeholder Communications, Dashboard, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Data Analysis, Analytical Skills, Data Presentation, Business Analysis, Expectation Management, Quantitative Research, Communication
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
34K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks