by Angela Guess
A recent press release reports, “Last year, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication founded the Insights and Analytics Lab to offer its students something undergrads rarely get access to: real-world big data. Through partnerships with media analytics industry leaders comScore and Shareablee and self-service analytics platform Alteryx Inc., the UO SOJC became the first school in the nation to teach undergraduate students to do hands-on media analytics research on live media usage data using professional, state-of-the-art statistics and analysis tools.”
The release continues, “Over the past decade, the importance of self-service data analysis has increased dramatically. In response to these changes in the industry, the UO SOJC found a way to offer its students experiential learning in these new, highly sought-after skills. Assistant Professor Heather Shoenberger, who directs the Insights and Analytics Lab and teaches its accompanying class, reached out to comScore Shareablee and Alteryx to ask for student access to their proprietary databases and software. ‘This venture lets us offer our students vital tools that will prepare them for the rapidly changing job market,’ Shoenberger said. ‘And it produces research that will inform the future of advertising and journalism’.”
It adds, “Students in the Insights and Analytics Lab use cutting-edge, self-service analytics software from Alteryx to analyze comScore’s live TV ratings. The combination allows them to derive insights about television watching habits, a skill that gives them a front-line advantage in an evolving strategic communication and journalism landscape. ‘We at Alteryx feel strongly about giving back to worthy causes, which is why we started Alteryx for Good and partner with organizations, like UO SOJC, that are shaping the future of the workforce,’ said Seth Greenberg, chief marketing officer at Alteryx, Inc. ‘Analytical skills have become a necessity across industries, but particularly in the ever-changing world of media. We could not be more proud to encourage these students to accelerate their careers by harnessing the power of data’.”
Read more at journalism.uoregon.edu.
Photo credit: University of Oregon