Incubator Lesson Spotlight: Interactive Data Visualizations in Python

The Incubator Lesson Spotlight highlights a lesson under development by our community in The Carpentries Incubator. In this edition, we look at the progress being made on the “Interactive Data Visualizations in Python” lesson, and hear from the authors about how The Carpentries community can get involved with the ongoing development of this lesson.

Lesson Profile

• Title: “Interactive Data Visualizations in Python”
• Lesson Pages: https://carpentries-incubator.github.io/python-interactive-data-visualizations/
• Lesson Repository: https://github.com/carpentries-incubator/python-interactive-data-visualizations

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how to wrangle data into a tidy format using the pandas library.
2. Learn how to create some basic visualizations using the Plotly Express library.
3. Learn how to create a web app using the Streamlit library for sharing the visualizations, as well as interacting with the data and visualizations via widgets.

Target Audience

This workshop is appropriate for learners who have recently completed the “Plotting and Programming in Python” lesson (or have some experience with Python and pandas), and is targeted specifically to those who want to learn more about creating data visualizations and building interactive dashboards. The lesson can be taught in 1 hour (if you skip the exercises and include Episode 1 in the prep) or up to 2 hours (if you include time for students to work through all the exercises and include Episode 1 in the workshop time).

Lesson Progress

The lesson is currently in “Alpha” stage - all of the episodes are written, there are exercises included, and there are instructor notes that may be helpful on that extras page. I have taught the lesson once earlier in its development. It is now ready to be taught by other instructors (but has not yet been taught by other instructors), and I am looking forward to everyone’s feedback on the lesson.

How You Can Help Develop This Lesson

I would love for other instructors to teach the lesson and provide feedback on the experience, especially as regards pacing, clarity, and points where learners struggled. I’d also welcome feedback from anyone willing to simply look the lesson over!

To contact me directly regarding questions about the lesson, you can email me at jenna.jrdn@gmail.com. You can also reach me on Twitter, at @JennaJrdn. If there is a problem with the lesson, or you have a suggestion for improvement, then please submit an issue to the GitHub repo!

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About This Series

Incubator Lesson Spotlight is a regular feature in The Carpentries blog and Carpentries Clippings newsletter, highlighting the great work our community is doing to develop new lessons in The Carpentries Incubator. Developers of any lesson in the Incubator are encouraged to submit details about their material for inclusion in the series. If you would like to increase the visibility of your lesson and encourage Carpentries community members to contribute to its ongoing development, fill in this short form.