Sign up for special hands-on classes at NICAR18

Want to supercharge your data skills? Consider adding one of our extra hands-on classes to your 2018 CAR Conference registration.

We’ll be offering more than 138 hours of hands-on training in Chicago March 8-11. These classes take place in computer labs, and the vast majority are already included in the cost of your registration. Seating is first come, first served. That means all you have to do is show up in Chicago and snag an open computer!

In addition to these free classes, we also have 10 special hands-on classes that require pre-registration and an additional fee. These classes often run several hours (some span multiple days) and allow you hone your skills on a specific skill or piece of software.

New to data? You might consider taking “Digging into data for stories: A crash course,” a shortened version of IRE’s popular CAR Boot Camp. You’ll learn the cornerstones of data journalism, including how to gather and analyze data, tease out story ideas and bulletproof your work. 

Already familiar with the basics? Become your newsroom’s spreadsheet expert with “Upping your Excel game.”

Learn basic programming concepts in Python in “PyCAR.” You can also try out “First Python Notebook: Rapid data analysis in the newsroom” or “Level up your Python game: Refactoring your code” if you already have some experience with Python.

Want to try out R? “Intro to R” will get you started and “Exploring the tidyverse in R” will teach you how to make the most of this collection of R packages.

You can also spend some time learning about data viz and presentation. “How to find stories in data through visualization” will focus on the concepts of using design to find stories using the R programming language. Boost your mapping skills with “Map Camp: QGIS,” a condensed version of our Mapping Boot Camp. If building a news app has been on your wish list, check out “First graphics app.” This six-hour class will walk you through the process, including writing Javascript, HTML and CSS. 

You can register for any of these classes when you complete your conference registration. If you’ve already registered and want to add a class, please contact Amy Johnston at amy@ire.org. Space in each class is limited, though, so don’t wait too long to reserve your seat.