Students in this fall’s HCC Big Data Computing course got an extra dose of hands-on learning, thanks to Boulder-based Zayo Group.
The class worked with the company to solve real business challenges using data analysis, said Zayo digital marketing manager Cierra Camacho. Students were given a sample data set from Zayo’s customer database, which they analyzed for several weeks. They were asked to project their findings onto a list of prospective customers and propose the best use of the company’s sales resources.
At the end of the project, students participated in a hackathon at Zayo, where they put together an official proposal and presented it to Zayo staff members. The winning team of four students proposed pursuing sales channels based on whether the potential customer was a large or small business.
“We were blown away by the different findings and solutions each of the teams presented us with,” Camacho said.
Zayo is a frequent supporter of CU-Boulder computer science students. They have been a sponsor of Hack CU, and have provided scholarships for the past two years to send students to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.