Imagine a programme that has the ability to learn and better itself without any manual input, just like human beings do. What if it could auto-programme itself? Indeed it is possible via machine learning, which is an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems with the ability to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed.
Business and technology management (BTM) department at the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) has been congruous in delivering what is required for the business students. Recently, the department introduced the first batch of the online short course titled 'Big Data Analytics and Machine Learning' for equipping the young minds with necessary skills to harness the power of technology and make them better prepared for the post-pandemic world.
The department has invited two accomplished experts from the business and technology industry for conducting this short course focusing on diverse career paths, allowing the interested learners to connect with the business world. The course was 10-week long and was conducted by Shahidul Mannan, the head of data engineering and innovation at the Mass General Brigham, USA, and Jahangir Alam, associate director of data science and innovation at Novartis, USA.
The Vice-chancellor of IUT professor Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Islam believes that it is important to learn big data analytics as making smart business decisions saves organisations a lot of money while helping them identify new opportunities to generate revenue. "Big data and analytics are at the core of making business decisions. This is the right time to be the expert of big data analysis, realising the greater role of big data analytics in the fourth industrial revolution," he added.
The short course was prepared to provide the participants with a conceptual framework for big data analytics and machine learning with hands-on learning programming using R-language. It helped the participants get introduced to data analytics and teach them how data analytics is transforming today's digital world. The course also included a hands-on capstone project to provide the participants with an opportunity to solve and validate real-world machine learning problems. There were participants from all over the world, including students and professionals from the savvy business-tech field.
Fatima Muhassanun Rudaba, a participant of this short course, shared her learning experience quoting, "As a business student, to compete with the real world now, I need some trending knowledge in the technical fields. This session has been a real breakthrough for my interest. I believe the knowledge that I've gained here will help me understand how I can integrate the use of the concepts of big data analytics to digitalise a business."
To maintain pace with the post-pandemic world, the BTM department thrived on involving its students in various skill-developing webinars and short courses. These short course has significantly helped students and professionals to discover new horizons in the world of data analytics. Including IUT, 62 participants from 15 organisations participated in the first batch. The organisers of this short course are jubilant that in the upcoming days, they want to organise more short courses like this aiming to create opportunities to bridge down the gap between the business and technology fields.
According to the head of the BTM department, professor Dr Md Anayet Ullah Patwari, "In today's world where data run everything, one must be capable enough to analyse the data and make the best use of it to transform business processes. The department is really grateful for building a bridge between the world of technology with business professionals and students. In the future, the department wants to organise more short courses focusing on other trending concepts like fintech, bitcoin technology, AI in business and others."
Mumu is a third-year student of the BTM department at the Islamic University of Technology. She can be reached at
jinnatulraihan@iut-dhaka.edu