This is an on-demand course designed for actuaries to build their skillset in R. When you register for this course you will gain access to the following items (except as noted) from the day you register for life.
An overview of our R Course
Predictive analytics is increasingly pushed as being part of the actuarial skillset. R is the software most associated with predictive analytics. For this course you are not required to have experience in R since we start from the ground up.
Why take R Course?
- This course is ideally suited for actuaries of all levels to build their skillset in this space
- Unlike other software training courses, the R course has a distinct actuarial focus taught by an FSA actuary
- Your instructor has already helped thousands of other actuaries become more proficient in technical skills
- Earn up to 5 SOA/EA CPD, CAS CE Credits/Training Hours
Modules Included:
- R foundational knowledge
- Data Cleanup in R
- Data Visualization and Exploratory Analysis using R
- Predictive Analytics Machine Learning using R
- Additional information about each module can be found in our expanded features below
What is in the course?
- Lectures in each module with instructor commentary that simplifies difficult concepts
- An actuarial focused project for each module to test you new skills
- A Capstone project where you will be given a raw dataset and use all the skills you learned in the course to create a predictive model.
- Video solutions for each actuarial project and step in the capstone project along with commentary on the proper method to solve them.
TIA Study
TIA Study
A Modern Learning Platform
- Lessons, practice problems, flashcards, sample exams, and more all scheduled to have you ready on exam day
- Tasks scheduled only on the days you plan to study
- Create your own custom tasks
- Miss a day? Your schedule will automatically redistribute all your remaining tasks
Instructor
Roger Rosales
- FSA, CERA |
- R Course,
- Python Course,
- Technical Skills Course
Roger has over 15 years of experience working as an actuary in the insurance industry. In 2012, Roger became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and also received the Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst designation. He served on an SOA exam committee after obtaining his FSA. In 2020, Roger earned the SOA's predictive analytics certificate.
Roger is a proven innovator and has already taught thousands of actuaries technical skills with his TIA Skills Courses. Roger was born in Portland, Oregon USA and continues to live there with his wife and two kids. Another fun fact is that Roger worked for the NBA Portland Trailblazers basketball analytics team.
Expanded Features
R Foundational Knowledge Module
Learn the basics of R including reading data in, working with vectors, matrices, and data frames.
Data Cleanup in R Module
Learn how to handle missing data, implement impute methods, and filter your dataset.
Data Visualization and Exploratory Analysis using R Module
Learn how to create stunning visualizations via the ggplot2 package. You'll make all sorts of charts and use color to highlight trends in your data. You will explore your data visually to make your predictive models stronger.
Predictive Analytics Machine Learning using R Module
Learn how to split your data to train and test your predictive model. Create various machine learning models including linear regression, stepwise regression, generalized linear regression (GLM), and logistic regression.
SOA/EA CPD, CAS CE Credits/Training Hours
Actuaries taking this course can earn up to 5 SOA/EA CPD, CAS CE credit/training hours. Actuaries taking this course are responsible for appropriate documentation of actual time spent in the course modules.
Comprehensive Course
90+ comprehensive video lessons (7+ hours) covering all the topics that simplify complicated info into more understandable terms and illustrate important concepts through examples and graphics.
Online Discussion Forum
Active dedicated course forum loaded with existing questions and answers on syllabus material and past CAS exam questions. Instructors and our Support Team try to ensure everyone's questions are answered in a timely manner.
Actuarial Projects
This course includes actuarial projects with each project having a video solution walking you through the best way to solve it. These projects are created to give you a true sense of what you can expect in an actuarial setting.
Capstone Project
The R Course capstone project starts from a raw dataset consisting of people who survived and who didn't survive a catastrophic event. Your task is to predict who survives and who doesn't survive. But first, you must clean up the data, visualize the data, and create new variables. Then you will create a predictive model and apply your model to "test" data. Finally, you will be introduced to Kaggle, the home of data science competitions. Through Kaggle, you will submit your predictions and receive a score on how well you did. You will also learn how to create a Kaggle Kernel, which gives you the ability to show your work. The instructor provides a video solution for each step in this R capstone project.
Offline Videos
Take our videos with you everywhere you go and don't worry about a data cap or WiFi signal. Use the TIA Study app on your mobile device to download lessons or solutions videos and have them right at your fingertips. ?
Variable Speed Playback
Watch our lessons and video solutions at your pace! When watching our videos on a desktop or our Learn App you can select the speed that makes the most sense for you. The variable speed increases all the way up to 2x.
Background Audio Playback
Just want to listen to our lessons? We have you covered! Now when you download the TIA Study app on an iOS or Android device, you can start a video and simply lock your device and the audio will continue to play.
Student Discount
This course offers a student discount to full-time students currently enrolled at a college or university. To receive the discount, click here. The discount code will then be sent to the school issued email. ?
Excellent Customer Service
You're never alone with The Infinite Actuary. Get help from your instructor and assistants in our online forum. Anything else you need help with, not related to the course material, just reach out to our customer service team and they will get your questions answered!
Note for Exam PA Students
Our R course is not intended to be an exam prep course for Exam PA at this time. Our R course was developed well before Exam PA, and the goal of our R course is to provide a foundation in R concepts related to actuarial work in general. ?
Lifetime Access
As long as The Infinite Actuary offers this course, you will have access. The access is given for all of the material from this course, including updates! In fact, we encourage you to check in periodically to see new topics. ?
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I obtain a student discount?
- Will the R Course prepare me for the Predictive Analytics Exam?
- I do not have R or R Studio on my computer. Am I able to participate in the course?
- I have no prior knowledge of R. Will I still benefit from the course?
- Can I share my account with others?
- The videos aren't working on my personal computer. What can I do?
How can I obtain a student discount?
Any full time college student can obtain a 50% discount off the online material for the Technical Skills Course. To receive a discount code, you can send an email to [email protected] from your college email address. Please be sure to include in your email which course you would like the discount for. This will help us to give you the correct code in a timely manner.
Will the R Course prepare me for the Predictive Analytics Exam?
Until the SOA releases full details regarding how that assessment will work and what materials should be used to prepare, we can't know the extent to which our R Course will prepare you for the PA Exam. That said, many topics in the proposed syllabus are addressed in the R Course. The primary goal of our current R Course is to provide actuaries with a foundation in R using actuarial examples. After completing our R Course, actuaries should have a better idea about how they can apply R in a practical, actuarial context.
I do not have R or R Studio on my computer. Am I able to participate in the course?
You will need to download and install two things to participate in our R course: R (itself) and RStudio, which makes it easier to run and interact with R on your computer. Both are free.
I have no prior knowledge of R. Will I still benefit from the course?
Absolutely! For this course, you are not required to have experience in R since we start from the ground up.
Can I share my account with others?
No, we do not allow sharing of accounts. Each registered user should take measure to avoid this as he or she has purchased the rights to our videos and associated bandwidth. If non-paying customers clog up our website traffic, it will negatively impact everyone. We also monitor login histories and have the authority to terminate user accounts for this type of abuse. While the gesture of sharing your account information with a friend or coworker may seem innocent, it can have far-reaching negative implications for you and other legitimate users.
The videos aren't working on my personal computer. What can I do?
You can try the suggestions listed here. Likely, these suggestions will solve the problem you are experiencing: (1) Try a different web browser. We suggest using Firefox for the best results with our website. Other browsers will work but make sure you are using the newest version of the browser. (2) Download the newest version of the movie player that you are using (Windows Media Player, Flash or QuickTime). (3) If one movie player does not work, try the other. (4) Test your bandwidth at the following site. Make sure it is at least 700kbps. Bandwidth Place | Internet Speed Test. (5) Clear the CACHE on your computer by clicking the "CTRL" and "F5" buttons at the same time. (6) Try clearing your browsers cookies. How to delete cookies. (7) Make sure your operating system has all its important updates. If you're on a Mac, run Software Update from your Apple menu (or Mac App Store if you're running OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion or newer). If you're on Windows, click the following link. Microsoft Windows Update. (8) If you are using third-party web browsers like Firefox, make sure you're running the latest version. (9) The previous suggestions should help. However, if you are still unable to open the videos please let customer service know what error message you receive and we will be happy to look further into your situation.
The videos will not play on my work PC. What can I do?
Usually, this is the result of your employer's network placing some restrictions in the company's firewall settings. You need to make sure that there is no block placed on the domain ( edgecastcdn.net ) from where our videos are streamed. Many employers will block sites like these to restrict video content from being streamed to their employee's PCs. Edgecast is a Content Delivery Network where we store all of our content. This network distributes our content to multiple servers all across the world so that if any one server goes down, there are plenty of backups in place. Websites like YouTube use their own CDNs and as a result, CDNs are not high on company's approved website lists. Feel free to call Tech Support (877-883-5275) if you need any further help.
Can I download the videos to my hard drive so that I can view them without an Internet connection?
Our videos are only viewable while logged in and connected to the Internet. While we realize the convenience of having all the files on your local drive, it also puts our company's assets at jeopardy. Our instructors spend hours upon hours creating the content for you. It would only take a few students, who illegally share their material with others, to discourage instructors from ever producing any more content. We do try to make our videos as accessible as possible by offering them in three different formats (Windows Media, Flash and QuickTime) and even through devices like the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Given the global accessibility to the World Wide Web, we believe that the majority of the actuarial population will be able to view our videos without trouble. However, we do understand the need to study on the go and that internet access is not always accessible. You have two options: (1) Download the MP3 versions of the lessons and follow along in your notes. (2) Open the TIA site and let the video fully load before you leave, but do not press play. Just close the lid on your laptop and leave the browser open. When you are ready to watch the video just open the laptop and press play.
Why can I not download the PDFs? I always get an error message or an empty zip file.
Some computer networks are configured to not allow opening of zip files directly from an external site. Many of our downloadable files are in zip format. After clicking on the link, you should be given an option to either open or save the file. Try saving the file to your hard drive and then opening the zip file from there. You can also try right-clicking on the link and choosing the "Save Link As" option. If those do not work, then please contact customer service. They will determine if the link is incorrect or the file is missing from its proper location. At the minimum, they can email you the needed files so that you can move on with your studying.