The Newsstand: News & Happenings @MTA_Libraries

Learn text analysis through Constellate Skill-Build 2024

Mount Allison currently has a four month trial for Constellate, a text and data analysis platform from the nonprofit ITHAKA.

Features include:

• Cloud-based environment for coding in Python using Jupyter Notebooks
• Cloud-based RStudio environment
• Access to academic texts for text analysis
• Synchronous and asynchronous classes on Python, text analysis, and Large Language Models (including ChatGPT)

Skill-Build 2024

Constellate has designed a 10-week long skill-build for all levels of learners that culminates in a capstone project. Constellate’s skill-build 2024 also teaches data literacy classes to instructors who want to learn how to teach text and data analysis in their classrooms and workshops. Upon course completion, learners will receive digital badges to reflect their learned skills. 

The program is scaffolded to help learners with no prior skills become researchers by the program’s end. You can join in for the whole skill-build or just the parts that most interest you! 

September (18 class hours and 10 hours solo work)

• *Orientation (September 13) 
• Python Basics (September 16-20)
• Python Intermediate (September 23-27)
• *Form your team (October 4)

October (13.5 class hours and 10+ hours solo work)

• *Build a Constellate Dataset (October 8-10)
• *Build a Custom Dataset (October 11)
• Office Hours (October 14, 16, 18)
• *Introduction to Large Language Models (October 21, 22, 25, 28, 30)

November (7.5 instruction hours and 15 hours solo work)

• *Automated Text Classification (November 11, 13, 15)
• *Teaching Data Literacy (November 18)
• *Capstone Projects Showcase (December 6)

*These classes, taken virtually or asynchronously, are required to receive a badge

Digital badging details

Constellate will award up to three digital badges to learners who complete Python Intensive (skill learner must complete Python Basics and Python Intermediate), and a LLMs & ML Researcher certificate  when learner completes the capstone project and Data Literacy Instruction.