edX: A New List of Free Training Courses For Business Analysts

Ready to get started in 2016 with this list of free BA courses?  

edX is a non-profit online initiative created by founding partners, Harvard and MIT, for providing interactive online classes offered by some of the world’s best universities. It has courses from MITx, HarvardX, BerkeleyX, UTx and many other renowned universities.

Here’s a new compilation of free training from edX that you can explore:

1. Data Analysis for Your Business

Here’s a course that can help to improve your data analysis skills. If you are interested in importing, cleaning, interpreting and visualizing data using Excel, this course provides a great start.

Here’s an excerpt from the course:

The Data Analysis XSeries will help you become a resourceful and independent data analyst who can assist organizations in reaching their goals. You will learn advanced techniques and touch upon data science principles with Excel and external plugins. 

2. Business and Data Analysis

This course will teach you how to evaluate data through targeted analysis and present insights effectively. You will learn the skills needed to use Excel as an analytical and communications tool.

3. Knowledge Management and Big Data in Business

The term, “Big data”, has been thrown around for a while but it’s one buzzword that is here to stay. Businesses now have to understand the challenges, complexities and opportunities presented by big data.

Steven Gara's article touches on how big data will create opportunities for Business Analysts. He emphasizes that the requirement to manage big data will redefine the business analyst role, opening up more opportunities for BAs. BAs will be required to provide the story behind the numbers, facts and figures generated from raw data. These new challenges he states, are expected to result in higher compensation for Business Analysts. Read more on Big Data & The Business Analyst.

4. Data Analysis: Visualization and Dashboard Design

This course builds on one of the courses compiled in edX: A List of Free Training Courses For Business Analysts, called EX101x Data Analysis: Take It to the MAX().

If you are looking to learn how to make sense of data faster, this course is for you.

Here’s an excerpt:

Struggling with data at work? Wasting valuable time working in multiple spreadsheets to gain an overview of your business? Finding it hard to gain sharp insights from the piles of data on your desktop? This advanced data analysis course is for you.

5. Creative Problem Solving and Decision-Making

Interested in learning how to solve complex business problems with analytics-based decision-making and solution designs? The professional world of business analysts is rife with business problems to solve. Drawing on an analytical methodology for identifying the best solution can help you get ahead faster.

Here’s an excerpt from the course:

There are multiple ways to make decisions, but one option proven to be very useful is the analytical approach - a methodology for making the problem explicit and rationalising the different potential solutions. In short, analytically based support of decision-making, design and implementation of solutions.

6. Introduction to Management Information Systems (MIS): A Survival Guide

If you would like the opportunity to understand technology and how it can add value to business, consider this course.

Here’s an excerpt:

This MIS course will cover supporting tech infrastructures (Cloud, Databases, Big Data), the MIS development/ procurement process, and the main integrated systems, ERPs, such as SAP®, Oracle® or Microsoft Dynamics Navision®, as well as their relationship with Business Process Redesign.

Happy Learning!

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