Prior independent study for R novices
Emma Rand
Introduction
I consider it essential to complete this independent study before the first workshop. It allows you to learn some of the basics at your own pace on any computer without having to first install programs.
You will be using DataCamp’s online tutorial. I would expect it to take no more than an hour but please do not worry too much if it does.
What is R?
R is a free, open source language for statistical computing and graphics. The R community is one of R’s greatest assets, being vibrant, inclusive and supportive of users at all levels.
Artwork by @allison_horst
Hey! You there! You are welcome here
RStudio is an IDE that makes R easier to use and it is what we will be using throughout this module. The DataCamp tutorial looks and acts like RStudio.
Learning Outcomes
By carrying out this independent study the student will be able to:
- use the R command line as a calculator and to assign variables
- use the basic data types in R
- create vectors in R, name them, select elements from them and compare different vectors
- ….and more if you ‘Want more?’
Start learning
Go to DataCamp and create a free account. This is easy and requires only an email address. Then go to ‘Start learning R for Data Science’ then ‘R Programmer’ and enroll. This will start the ‘Introduction to R’ course.
Do all of Chapter 1 - Intro to basics and Chapter 2 - Vectors.
These chapters have been added to the 17C team as ‘assignments’.
Jake Chong made this 2min 40 second Introduction to Datacamp for me whilst on work experience if you need it. It goes through the process of signing up for an account and doing the first exercise.
Want more?
Watch Getting started with RStudio (and try not to judge me :) ).
Do Chapter 4 - Factors and Chapter 5 - Dataframes. Note you can miss chapter 3 on Matrices. These chapters have also been added to the 17C team as ‘assignments’.
Learn how to make Fun and easy R graphs with images
Getting R on your own computer
This is not needed for this session but R is easy to install and putting it on your own computer will make easier for you to practice R when it suits you. You will need to:
- First download and install R from http://www.r-project.org/
- Then download and install RStudio from http://www.rstudio.org/ide/
There is a video of the steps Installing R and RStudio on your own pc. It’s equally straight forward on a mac.
