There's a lot one can learn while in lockdown but while choosing online courses for topics like Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health, one needs to be careful. You wouldn't want to learn these concepts from just anyone, would you? We found that courses offered by Octo Spaces, a co-working space and incubation centre in Hyderabad, would be a trusted place to start. Not just because they have established their credibility but also because they have partnered with the very best to deliver their courses. Specialising in AI and Machine Learning training, VersaQuant has been brought on board to deliver the masterclass on AI and the independent foundation Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) will be taking the masterclass on Digital Health. "Both these courses are in high demand for leading careers. Students will be awarded certificates after the completion of the course from reputed organisations," says Rahul Reddy, CEO, Octo Spaces. Apart from the certificate, what else can one look forward to while pursuing these courses, which are being offered till June? We find out this and other details in a conversation with the CEO. Excerpts:
1. Take us through the process of developing the AI curriculum, especially for an online audience.
For Artificial Intelligence, we are partnered with VersaQuant who specialises in AI/ML training in the USA and Mexico. This comprehensive course is designed specifically to empower new data scientists to build and validate alpha (α) generating models using best-in-class statistical, Machine Learning and deep learning techniques. With expert instructors from VersaQuant, the learners will master the basics in no time and be ready for advanced levels. The module focuses on beginners with no past experience.
2. What is being done to ensure that both the courses remain interactive and engaging?
The courses have been designed for maximum communication. They will be engaging courses where students can clarify their doubts during the interactive FAQ sessions. Also, 30 minutes will be dedicated to a Q&A session. The Digital Health course (online version) will have an introductory classes only but a lot of homework with regards to research will be given to the students.
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3. What have you done to make sure that these courses are different from the same courses that are being offered by others online currently?
Not only will learners master the building blocks but they will also have hands-on experience to use the most popular techniques available today. Experts with credible academic qualification and professional experience will be the primary instructors. Certificate courses are planned with a very real-time scenario in mind, students will experience this like never before.
4. How has the response been so far to these courses?
The response was very good; many inquiries for each but our batch size is limited and we have a selection process. We won't rerun on YouTube but we plan to have more batches and take up more students.
5. What other online courses are you planning to launch since more and more people are turning to online learning nowadays?
After the completion of the foundational course in Artificial Intelligence, an advanced course for working professionals is being planned (which will be offline mostly).
6. Is there some guidance being offered to participants as to how they can take the knowledge gained and use it to pursue the appropriate academic or career path?
Yes, there will be guidance offered to the participants and the course allows them to choose the industry in which they want to apply these techniques. The learner gets to choose which track makes the most sense to them. In the AI course, VersaQuant will work with the learner to provide them with options on practical industry-specific projects, like finance, pharma, healthcare and so on. The Digital Health course is designed for start-up founders to get an insight into the world of health tech and choose a path from there on.
The fundamentals that will be covered in Artificial Intelligence are:
- Foundational Stats and AI
- Fundamental Stats and Backtesting in Python
- Fundamental of Bayesian statistics and inference
- Foundations in Machine Learning and NLP
- Advance model development and Deep Learning
- Model optimisation
The fundamentals that will be covered in Digital Health are:
- Introduction to the healthcare system
- Existing and emerging technologies in healthcare
- Understanding healthcare data: Source to the application
For more on them, check out octospaces.com
