While telling stories with data has been part of the news practice since its earliest days, it is in the midst of a renaissance. Graphics desks which used to be deemed as “the art department,” a subfield outside the work of newsrooms, are becoming a core part of newsrooms’ operation. Those people (they often have various titles: data journalists, news artists, graphic reporters, developers, etc.) who design news graphics are expected to be full-fledged journalists and work closely with reporters and editors. The purpose of this class is to learn how to think about the visual presentation of data, how and why it works, and how to doit the right way. We will learn how to make graphs like The New York Times, Vox, Pew, and FiveThirtyEight. In the end, you can share–embed your beautiful charts in publications, blog posts, and websites.
(67 reviews)
Recommended experience
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Add to your LinkedIn profile
7 quizzes
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 6 modules in this course
In this module, you will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and the learning environment.
What's included
1 video3 readings2 quizzes1 discussion prompt
This module starts with a summary of the history and emerging trends of data visualization in journalism. You will then explore various types of charts and compare their pros and cons. By doing so, you will be able to recognize a wide variety of graphical forms and evaluate their capabilities/shortcomings as well as what situations each chart type is typically used in storytelling. We will also go through the classic reading by Edward Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, and learn how to locate and articulate errors and deception in data visualization.
What's included
3 videos2 readings1 quiz1 ungraded lab
In this module, we will first look at some examples of successful data visualizations in journalism. We will then drill down on numbers, learning the process of transforming data into information. Next, we will explore theories in visual perception and concepts in visualization and familiarize ourselves with the visual channel ranking—a useful guideline in designing news visualizations. You will evaluate pre-attentive attributes and why they are important in visualizations. You will also have hands-on practice to learn how data wrangling helps us make informed decisions.
What's included
3 videos2 readings1 quiz1 peer review2 ungraded labs
In this module, we will learn about the frameworks and techniques that can be used to integrate visualizations into a narrative. You will examine the role messaging and interactions play in drawing readers into a story package that contains greater detail. For the hands-on exercise, you will start creating graphs in Python. You will apply design theories and concepts you previously learned to build line charts, bar charts, and scatter plots.
What's included
3 videos2 readings1 quiz2 ungraded labs
In this final module, we will explore some related concepts of cognition and memory in visualization. You will examine the importance of using the “right” amount of color in the right place and apply Gestalt principles to de-clutter your data visualization. In the end, we will work on various exercises to create interactive maps with Python.
What's included
3 videos2 readings1 quiz1 peer review1 ungraded lab
What's included
1 quiz
Instructor
Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Data Analysis
Board Infinity
Xi'an Jiaotong University
Peking University
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Learner reviews
Showing 3 of 67
67 reviews
- 5 stars
73.52%
- 4 stars
16.17%
- 3 stars
4.41%
- 2 stars
2.94%
- 1 star
2.94%
New to Data Analysis? Start here.
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
You will be eligible for a full refund until two weeks after your payment date, or (for courses that have just launched) until two weeks after the first session of the course begins, whichever is later. You cannot receive a refund once you’ve earned a Course Certificate, even if you complete the course within the two-week refund period. See our full refund policy.