FAQ for Educators

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Getting Started in Communities

I have a question. What do I do now?

The SAS Support Communities are here to help! First, search Communities to make sure your question hasn’t been answered already. Didn’t find the answer you needed? It’s time to make your first post in SAS Communities! Don’t worry, @BeverlyBrown has you covered. Check out her articles on posting and editing a question and getting fast, helpful answers. While you wait for SAS employees, experts, and your peers to help you, take a look at other tips and tricks for new Communities users like you!

Where should my students and I post our questions?

• Regardless of whether you are a new SAS user or a SAS Certified Professional, try searching our archive of previously answered questions! If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you can easily post your question and receive a detailed answer from a SAS expert!
• If your questions are specific to SAS OnDemand for Academics or SAS Viya for Learners, you can find everything you need in the SAS Software for Learning Community!
• If you’re taking a SAS course, take a look at our course-specific forums:
  • Base Programming
  • Advanced Programming
  • SAS Academy for Data Science

How can I contact someone for help?

There are a few simple ways to get help:

1. A keyword search on the SAS Communities homepage or even a Google search will quickly tell you whether your topic has been addressed in the SAS Support Communities. If your question is completely unique (good for you!), then you can easily post it to our forum. A dropdown menu will help you decide which forum it should go to.
2. Chat with a Customer Engagement Agent by clicking the gray and white chat icon in the lower-right corner of this page. It looks like this!
3. You can also send an email directly to the Contact Center for questions about SAS Communities usage. For all other inquiries, reach out to academic@sas.com to get in touch with your academic program manager.

 

Resources for Educators

Why SAS?

SAS has been the world’s leader in analytics for over four decades, but we are more than that. We also believe that curiosity is at the heart of human progress and that education empowers new generations to reach their full potential. As part of SAS’s commitment to higher education, the SAS Global Academic Programs team supports faculty and students with aligning skill development to industry demand. Our resources include free software for academics, teaching materials for educators and training opportunities for students. To learn more, check out our resources or take a look at the questions and answers below!

Do educators and students get free access to software?

Yes! SAS believes in supporting the academic community and its data literacy efforts at no cost. Using an academic email address, you and your students can access SAS academic software for free!

• For SAS OnDemand for Academics:
  • To create an account, start here!
  • Already have an account? Log in here!
  • Watch this video for a step-by-step guide to getting started.
• For SAS Viya for Learners:
  • If you do not have an account, start here!
  • Already have an account? Log in here!
  • Watch this video for a step-by-step guide to getting started.

Unsure what software you need? Watch this introduction to our software platforms by @Rachel_Nisbet, an analytical consultant on the SAS Academic Programs team.

Do you provide free instructional resources to educators?

We want to help you integrate SAS analytics into your courses and provide a variety of resources to this end. The SAS Educator Portal is the home of all the resources we provide to educators like you.

Within the Educator Portal, you will find:

• Teaching kits: These bundled instructional resources are designed for use in our SAS corporate training courses and include course notes, data sets, and slide decks. These kits serve as a great resource to begin incorporating SAS skill into your curriculum, and you should feel free to modify the materials to suit your needs.
• Educator guides: These guides align SAS-provided teaching assets with the requirements for a Tier 1 Academic Specialization—in SAS Programming or Visual Analytics in SAS Viya—and package them in such a way that they could be lifted “off the shelf” and into your curriculum.
  

  The Educator Guides are currently only available in the SAS Educator Portal for North and South American institutions. If you are outside this region, please reach out to academic@sas.com or your academic program manager for access.

• Classroom activities: These activities are written for higher education students and designed for immediate use in the classroom. They come in a variety of formats such as problem sets, guided activities, course projects, and gamified learning activities that give students a glimpse into industries where SAS is used. Check out the industry overviews below and register for the SAS Educator Portal to learn more!

Banking + Financial

Health + Life Sciences

I want to develop SAS skills. Do you provide free training to educators?

Yes! SAS provides all the resources you need to become a savvy SAS User for free!

• For self-paced learning, use your academic email address to request access to the SAS Educator Portal. Here you will find robust and engaging e-learning courses in foundational topics like programming and visual analytics as well as more advanced subjects like machine learning and predictive modeling.
• Browse our library of detailed video tutorials here.
• If you prefer hands-on training, a SAS Academic workshop may be right for you! Check out our current Educator Workshop schedule*.
  

  *Public workshops are not available in all regions. Please reach out to academic@sas.com or your academic program manager for information on local offerings.

• Want to arrange a private workshop* for your institution? Contact academic@sas.com or your academic program manager for support.
  

  *Private workshops are not available in all regions. Please reach out to academic@sas.com or your academic program manager for information on local offerings.

What resources are available to my students?

We are excited to help you develop the next generation of analytical talent! To this end, we provide your students with a free suite of educational resources to complement your efforts in the classroom. Encourage your students to sign up for a SAS profile with an academic email address to access powerful e-learning, in-person training, and many video tutorials!

• For an engaging e-learning experience, certification prep and discounts, and career resources, students should check out SAS Skill Builder for Students.
• Students have access to our extensive library of detailed video tutorials here.
• For a more hands-on experience, students can register for select SAS academic workshops*. Check out our current offerings here!
  

  *Public workshops are not available in all regions. Please reach out to academic@sas.com or your academic program manager for information on local offerings.

• Students even have their own FAQ in SAS Communities!

What are the benefits to becoming SAS Certified?

SAS skill is in high demand, and SAS certifications can give students a competitive edge in their careers. According to a recent survey by Certification Magazine, individuals in the US holding the SAS Certified Specialist: Base Programming certification---the most popular SAS certification among academics---achieved a median salary of more than $100,000 with a full-time employment rate of nearly 97%.

If you are interested in bringing SAS certifications to your institution, you may have questions. Check out our Getting Started Guide. Faculty can become SAS certified proctors and host SAS certification testing events on their campuses.

We also provide certification preparatory materials and exam discounts to support your efforts:

• A practice run is always a good thing. You can test your knowledge ahead of time with free practice certification exams!
• Learn what to expect and get expert help with free certification webinars!
• Students and educators can take global certification exams for US$75* by requesting a discount voucher through SAS Skill Builder for Students and the SAS Educator Portal, respectively. Discount vouchers must be requested before exam registration. Learn how to request a discount voucher here!
  

  *This discount is not available in China or India. Please email the country office in China or India to inquire about other discounts or promotions that may apply. Students and educators in Japan, please contact your local SAS office to inquire about discounted certification exams.

• Want to know how the pros prepare for their exams? Here are 4 tips to prep for your SAS Certification exam.

Who do I contact for academic resource and software support?

Contact academic@sas.com to connect with your SAS academic program manager.