Tableau, NTU Singapore to equip students with data analytics competencies

By Digital News Asia September 19, 2018

Two mandatory modules, one elective will be introduced at NTU’s Nanyang Business School
Involve students enrolled in Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Accountancy courses

Tableau, NTU Singapore to equip students with data analytics competencies

TABLEAU Software, Inc announced that Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) will be using its visual analytics software to equip 900-1,000 students each year with modern data analytics skills.

Starting from this academic year (2018-19), two mandatory modules and one elective are being introduced to all NTU’s Nanyang Business School (NBS) students enrolled in Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Accountancy courses.

Analytics is gaining the spotlight as a necessary skill as Singapore doubles-down on data literacy in its Smart Nation drive.

Both the private and public sectors are realising that data gives everyone – from scientists looking for the next breakthrough, to Human Resource managers trying to improve employees’ productivity – reliable information to derive insights and make better decisions. This points to a demand for analytics skills for everyone, instead of just specialised users.

In an age where data is the new oil fuelling today’s digital marketplace, the modules will provide students the skills they will need to be competitive in the workplace of the future.

As part of this collaboration, students and professors will be provided with free Tableau Desktop licenses and learning resources through the Tableau Academic Programmes.

To-date, the programme has helped over 500,000 students and instructors worldwide to use Tableau in the classroom. Tableau aims to empower educators and help fuel the next generation of data workers with its academic programmes.

“We are entering an era of analytics ubiquity, where everyone will be empowered and will work with data. Given the rising importance of data in today’s economy, analytics is becoming a must-have skill for people entering the workforce.

“As the pace to which technology is augmenting the skills required in the workforce continues to accelerate, it is imperative that technology companies and educators join together to ensure our workforce has the right skills,” said JY Pook, senior vice president, Asia Pacific, Tableau.

“Using visual analytics tools like Tableau, all knowledge workers can have fast access to actionable insights. This is what modern analytics looks like, and NBS is recognising this evolution by ensuring that students learn analytics in the modern way.”

IDC predicts that worldwide revenues for big data and business analytics solutions will reach US$260 billion in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.9% between 2017-2022.

As data becomes part of the DNA of future-ready organisations, employability will depend on candidates’ proficiency in a range of skills, from the ability to prepare data for analysis to the ability to communicate data-driven insights effectively.

Recognising this necessity, NBS is introducing two mandatory courses, Technological Innovations and Development, Accounting Information Systems, and one optional module, Business Analytics Consulting.

The Technological Innovations and Development module is mandatory for students pursuing Bachelor of Business and Bachelor of Accountancy degrees. In this module, students will be introduced to the analytics software that are being used in the modern workplace.

Bachelor of Accountancy students must also study the Accounting Information Systems module, which provides an in-depth understanding of key business processes and enterprise information systems in an organisation, and how the data is captured during business process flows through to management and financial accounting.

The students will be tasked to perform visual analytics on Tableau to address queries and other accounting requirements. The course will help the students develop a strong conceptual foundation for effective performance in accounting and auditing in the digital era.

Students pursuing the Business Analytics Specialisation will be able to choose Business Analytics Consulting as an elective, where they will learn how to use data to solve business challenges through activities such as data hackathons.