Are you ready to master one of machine learning’s most powerful and interpretable algorithms? This course will guide you through the complete journey of understanding, building, and evaluating decision tree models using Java, the enterprise-standard programming language. You’ll start by exploring the core concepts, how decision trees partition data, why splitting criteria such as entropy and the Gini index matter, and when decision trees outperform other algorithms. From there, you’ll move into hands-on implementation, using industry-standard tools like Weka’s intuitive GUI and Java API along with Smile’s high-performance library to develop, tune, and deploy models. Through practical exercises, you’ll learn to configure hyperparameters, balance rapid prototyping with production-ready design, and apply robust model evaluation techniques such as confusion matrices, cross-validation, and key performance metrics.

Build & Evaluate Decision Trees for ML

Build & Evaluate Decision Trees for ML
This course is part of Level Up: Java-Powered Machine Learning Specialization


Instructors: Starweaver
Access provided by Martin Luther Christian University
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Explain decision tree fundamentals including tree structure, splitting criteria, and how recursive partitioning builds predictive models.
Build decision tree classifiers using Weka GUI and Java API, implement models with Smile, and configure hyperparameters for optimal performance.
Evaluate decision tree models using confusion matrices, accuracy metrics, cross-validation techniques, and interpret results to assess model quality.
Skills you'll gain
Tools you'll learn
Details to know

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January 2026
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