Forge
Envision - Data Visualization Course
Learn to create beautiful, informative data visualizations in D3.js.
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1) Course Overview
Discover what you'll learn in Envision. Learn more ↓
2) Meet Your Instructor
Get to know your new data viz guide. Learn more ↓
3) Extra Perks
Explore Forge student perks. Learn more ↓
4) All the Details
Learn about dates, deadlines, & tuition. Learn more ↓
Course Overview
Take your data visualization skills to the next level
In Envision, you'll break free of bar charts and box plots and learn how to display data in creative new ways. Throughout this course's 10 weeks, you'll learn techniques and strategies to make your visualizations increasingly flexible and interactive, helping viewers of all technical backgrounds to deeply explore your dataset.

With D3, visualizations aren't static image files—they're full-blown, responsive, infinitely shareable web pages. In addition to mastering the art and science of displaying data, you'll also pick up the basics of front-end web development, learning how to structure, style, and animate your visuals with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Skills You'll Learn
Web Development
Using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Data Visualization
Using D3.js as the main data visualization framework, a tool that has become popular for storytelling and interactive data journalism.
Finish with a stunning final project
As a culmination of all your hard work, you'll develop a richly informative visual deep dive into a topic of your choosing. We'll walk you through how to publish your site so that you can share your new insights with the world!

This course is designed for people with some experience working with data. Prior experience of basic coding structures (for loops, if-else statements) is recommended, but not required. If you're new to data science, check out Node or Node Lite!

Projects You'll Complete
Project 1: Personal Website
Since D3 creates visualizations for the web, our first step in Envision will be to learn how to code, style, and animate webpages—each student will start by building and hosting a personal website that they can show off to friends, family, or potential employers!

Project 2: Visualization in D3
You'll work over the course of the semester to build a compelling data story in D3 on a topic of your choosing. As we learn new techniques in D3, you'll add them to your project, finishing with a well-styled, informative, and highly interactive visual deep dive on your topic.




Meet Your Instructor
Izzy Shehan
Izzy will be your guide in learning D3 this fall. Izzy's a Forge member who has done it all. She completed the Launch UX program her first year, taught the UX track the following summer, completed the Node Pro course, and then co-taught Envision last year. She is also a soon to be alum of UVA, graduating with a degree in Computer Science in 2022. Izzy is a pro, so don't miss out on your chance to learn from her.

Our student teaching model means our courses are constantly changing and improving, enabling you to learn skills that are more up-to-date than what you might learn in a typical classroom.

It also means we can be better mentors and guides for you. We know where you might get stuck and how to guide you through those challenges because we've been in your shoes before. And we know what makes a lesson fun (or extremely boring), so we always design programs that we'd want to participate in ourselves.
Joining the Forge Community
At Forge, we give our people the skills they need to realize their big ideas and a community they can call home. Our courses are a great place to get to know our community, make new friends, and prepare for your future. All of our students get access to exclusive perks and opportunities beyond whatever course they're taking:
Free access to all of our member events
Exclusive community events and jobs
Opportunities for (sometimes paid!) projects to practice your new skills
Priority applications for Launch summer internship program
Explore more about the Forge community experience.
Dates, Deadlines, and Tuition
Fall 2021 Workshop Schedule
Envision meets in our clubhouse in Charlottesville, every Sunday from 5-7pm.

This course starts the week of September 12th and continue for 10 weeks.
Time Commitment
Courses expect a 4-6 hour/week commitment. Outside of the 2 hours in your workshop meeting time, you can expect to meet with your instructor weekly for labs (at flexible times) and to spend some time working with your classmates on projects.
Application Process and Deadlines
Fall 2021 applications have closed. Applicants will be notified of their status by September 9th.

Get notified when Spring 2022 applications open.

$135 Course Fee
This is less than a twelfth of the average cost of a college course*. We also offer reduced payment options on a needs-basis, no questions asked. See below for more information on our financial aid.

*EducationData.org
Do you offer financial aid?
We are committed to making our courses accessible to all. We reduce or eliminate the program fee to all students who need it, no questions asked. Our aim is to enable everyone who wants to learn and join the Forge community. This is made possible by $20,000 in generous donations from our alumni network each year.

15% of students receive financial aid from Forge. 54% of aid goes to first-generation college students, and 80% of aid goes to people of color.
What's your refund policy?
We think you'll love Forge, but if you decide you need to drop, you may request a refund within 10 days of your course's first workshop meeting time. You'll receive a full refund, less a $20 operations fee. Beyond this date, no refunds will be given.
What are your online courses like?
We know how to do online teaching right. Our Skills Courses will be all-online for the foreseeable future to protect the health of our students and instructors. Teaching online is not new for us - we know how to make online courses fun, engaging, and interactive. We know you can't just film a traditional lecture and hope for the best!

Since we've moved our courses online, our student satisfaction ratings haven't changed -- 95% of students would still recommend their course to a friend.
Do I need to have any background experience to apply?
No, you don't! This course is designed for people with little-to-no background experience.
What's your climate impact?
We donate 1% of all course tuition to carbon removal initiatives around the world. We also power our clubhouse with 100% clean wind and solar power. Learn more.
I have a question that wasn't answered here.
No problem! Reach out to hello@joinforge.co, and/or come to our online Open House to talk to our team and learn more.
"Envision is the best course Forge has ever offered. A unique intersection of data, technical, and creative, Envision has created a community of students diverse in the skill sets, passions, and backgrounds -- yet alike in their enthusiasm, drive, and energy. Thoughtful and inclusive design is having a moment (it's impossible to overstate how critical and influential visualization is within our rapid trend and social media cycle), and it's incredibly exciting to be able to foster a collaborative and compassionate environment within the viz community."

- Izzy, Envision Program Lead
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