If you have not used or installed R previously, follow the instructions on this page to install R, RStudio, and swirl before the first day of class. Note: If you are a Windows user, you must have an administrative account to install software.
We will be using R & RStudio during class and for all class assignments. If you do not have a laptop or use a tablet (with iOS or Android) for your academic work, please see me during office hours so that I can direct you to web-based alternatives.
Overview. The steps are generally:
- Install “R”, which is the underlying statistical software program that performs all the data manipulation and analysis.
- Install “RStudio Desktop”, which is a software program that provides a nice looking user interface (aka GUI) that has additional features that make analysis easier.
Install R. Instructions for installing R are online. Choose your Operating System (e.g., Mac or Win) and follow the instructions for installing the base R package.
If you are unsure which version of the software to download and install, post a question to the class discussion board. Include with your question a link to the page you are asking about so that we can see which choices you have. This StackOverflow page has some useful guidance about how to post a good question, and I would recommend trying to follow this guidance when you post to the class discussion board.
Download and install R before you go on to the next step.
Install RStudio Desktop. Visit this page to download the free version of RStudio Desktop.
Download and install RStudio Desktop before you go on to install the swirl package inside RStudio. The instructions include a list of the swirl learning modules that I recommend for new R users, particularly those who have not used a command script with a statistical software program before.