Equipping Students for Success: How to Transform Education With Alteryx

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Source: Alteryx

Discover how your university can harness the power of Alteryx and SparkED to equip students for success in a data-driven world. From hands-on curriculum integration to industry partnerships, this article unveils the secrets to staying current and career-ready in today's rapidly evolving landscape.

Introduction

Staying current with the newest data analytics tools and methodologies is critical for students seeking a competitive edge in their professions in an era where data is the new currency. Universities are critical in providing students with the skills necessary to prosper in a data-driven environment. This article looks at how educational institutions could use Alteryx, specifically through the SparkED pathway, to help their students stay current and fulfill the ever-changing job market expectations.

As someone who has been in a few industries and has helped in scoping out hiring requirements, I’ve noticed one consistent thing that separates the students who are hired versus those who are not. This is their drive to learn the tools necessary for the business case. Often, students are not aware of such differentiators in an opportunity, and this is where I believe educational institutions step in to fill that lacuna with them.

Why Alteryx Specifically?

Alteryx has gained prominence as a leading data analytics and automation platform over many decades, making it a valuable choice for educational institutions aiming to equip their students with essential skills that are highly sought after in the job markets of today – and tomorrow.

Here's why Alteryx is a noteworthy option:

User-Friendly Interface:

Alteryx offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to a wide range of students, including those without extensive coding backgrounds. This ease of use encourages broader adoption among students with diverse skill levels and helps bridge the gap in learning concepts relevant to their studies. For instance, general knowledge of logic is improved alongside enhancing domain knowledge in certain areas of business.

Comprehensive Data Analytics:

Alteryx is a comprehensive tool that covers data preparation, blending, advanced analysis, and visualization. This all-in-one solution allows students to learn various aspects of data analytics within a single platform, streamlining their education paths. It also opens the world of data to students, allowing them to choose the areas in which they excel and improve on them as their career progresses post-University.

Real-World Relevance:

Alteryx is widely used in the business world, making it a practical choice for educational institutions. Students can transition seamlessly from the classroom to the workplace, armed with skills that are in high demand by many employers in many different fields. The major disconnect most universities are facing is how education translates to ready-to-go job skills that most employers want. Starting with Alteryx gives students the ultimate superpower to get ahead of the curve.

Maveryx Community and Resources:

The Maveryx Community offers a wealth of resources, including tutorials, forums, and a network of great users. This ecosystem supports self-directed learning, enabling students to expand their Alteryx knowledge outside of the classroom. The Academy is a great resource available to all those with a Maveryx account – and is curated by the Alteryx education experts, who have done a great job in teaching it online.

Certifications:

Alteryx offers certifications that validate a student's proficiency and credibility. These certifications can enhance a student's resume and demonstrate their competence to potential employers whilst showing their drive to do something out of their comfort zone. The resources available as well are curated by Alteryx to prepare students for their success.

Industry Partnerships:

Alteryx has a large network of partners that are engaged with the company in a variety of ways. Many industries and companies use Alteryx for data analytics. By integrating Alteryx into the curriculum, universities can bridge the gap between academia and industry, preparing students with the specific tools and skills they will encounter in their careers. Plus, leveraging Alteryx’s partnerships helps expand a student’s and university’s network effect.

Alteryx as an Educational Catalyst

Have you heard about Alteryx SparkED? It is specifically designed and provided by Alteryx as their educational arm – giving back to the wider community through free resources and support for educators and students alike. It is a great program that has spawned many success stories and has provided countless students with meaningful opportunities.

Learning Pathway. Source: Alteryx SparkED

The program is designed and managed by a great group of passionate and driven education experts within Alteryx. It comes with full-fledged support and licensing support that covers a holistic learning pathway approach that helps the student from ideation all the way to jobs.

The best way to start is to get an Alteryx license for educators through SparkED and test out the waters. The next step will be to reach out to the Alteryx SparkED team, who will help you plan, coordinate, and allocate your resources to enable your success with Alteryx. They can even coordinate with the industry to keep your methodologies in line with requirements and give your students opportunities to explore potential career opportunities!

Many educators are still not fully aware of this great initiative – and that’s a great shame because it is a program imbued with great thought, passion, and dedication. The people behind SparkED are amongst the most passionate of education-loving people I have met. I know this because I work quite often and closely with the SparkED APJ Office with the amazingly passionate Cheryl Lie of Alteryx!

Going Practical with Alteryx

Once your partnership with Alteryx SparkED is sparked (pun intended), it is time to get the rigs ready – literally. Setting up Alteryx on learning environments and student computers should not be an issue, but if you do face issues – the SparkED team can help resolve them for you with the help of their own internal Alteryx support teams.

Once every student is equipped with Alteryx, there needs to be a proper game plan to get things to work and stick. Depending on their background, some students may have a hard time understanding Alteryx or even comparing it to other tools that they may be aware of, so the goal of using Alteryx should be to prioritize fun. When one is having fun, everything flows naturally.

Step 0: Design your curriculum around Alteryx.

As you are onboarded with Alteryx SparkED, the team will be working with you on your requirements and recommendations to make the program a success! If I were a student again, I would have thoroughly enjoyed going through practical activities – something like a weekly challenge or even a full-fledged Datathon! Educators, please include this!

The gamification program on the Maveryx Community with user ranks, user badges, and certifications are great milestone achievements as well for your students if you wish to track them quantitatively. If you are looking for a qualitative perspective – you can see how a student solves a problem with what tools they know on Alteryx. As many like to say – there are many ways to build something in Alteryx – but all roads lead to Rome – I mean the solution.

Step 1: Get your students signed up with Alteryx and acquainted with the Maveryx Community!

Pro-tip for educators, make sure to keep track of all your students by their emails and license keys! Keep it somewhere that you will remember to check. It will be an important checklist down the line! Also, it helps Alteryx determine the number of licenses required, the students involved, and helps you track their individual progress.

Once that is done, sign them up to the great Maveryx Community! Then, get them to join the SparkED Maveryx group here! This group helps keep you and your students aware of any events that SparkED might have and provides updates on what educators can expect from the program.

For their first activity – get them to tidy up their profiles and write an introduction here in the Maveryx General forum! The community loves new members!

Step 2: Have Weekly/Monthly Cadence Meetings with Alteryx SparkED

Use this opportunity to continuously update Alteryx on your progress and to see what more can be done. This is a good time to take stock of the progress and what the outcomes are shaping up to be for your students. Having these sessions will also signal and inform Alteryx of your needs and help you in areas where you feel are lacking or need improvement.

It is also a good idea to update them on how students generally feel about Alteryx and what they want to do with it. If you are educating students who are about to graduate, speaking with SparkED can also help coordinate your resources to maximize your student’s success in finding a job.

Be open, frank, and candid with Alteryx SparkED. The support network is immense and valuable.

Industry Partnerships and Participation

If you are an industry partner reading this, reaching out to Alteryx and being part of the SparkED network is a great way to recruit Alteryx talent for your organization! As someone who can make decisions on hiring talent for my team, one challenge I face is finding good Alteryx talent to fill entry-level roles. SparkED helps bridge that gap – getting students involved earlier on in their education journey and preparing them for the working world once they graduate.

If you are an educator reading this, think about the competition you faced when you graduated from school or university in your time. If you think back then was tough, today’s climate of competition is getting insanely tough. There are more people competing for higher-skilled jobs today than ever before – and many do not have the skills to even be considered for an interview. Being an educator is more than just someone who teaches – it is being someone who is responsible to the next generation and leaving behind a generation that is better off than they were. Big words, I know. But while not every student in your classes will see it now, once they are older, they will realize the value you brought them. That is the ultimate prize as an educator – and I truly believe that teaching them a valuable skill fits into that category.

Now, bringing both the educator and the industry together is the job of Alteryx SparkED. The team works tirelessly to connect with many stakeholders and expand their network to facilitate opportunities for students and recruiters alike. Connect and speak with them to see how you can engage with SparkED, and together you can create a strong plan for your students.

Conclusion

Now that you have read about SparkED and how Alteryx can transform education  – it is time to act!

Contact the Education Program Manager for your region of the world:
– APJ: Cheryl Lie
– Americas West and LATAM: Jay Garcia
– Americas East, Canada, and EMEA: Kim Yohannan

Sign up for it here: https://www.alteryx.com/sparked/educators

Happy Alteryx-ing with your students! Enjoy the thrill of solving like never before.

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