Introduction to R

When:: Wednesday, 26th August 2015
Time:: 9:30am - 4:30pm (lunch break included)
Where:: Lab A (912A), Adam Smith Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

R is a programming language and free software environment for statistical computing and graphics.

It has become increasingly popular in the last decade in both academia and industry as a tool for computational statistics, visualisation and data science. Because it is open source software, it is free to use and its easy to view and learn from the methodology of other users. It is also incredibly flexible, offering a range of customisable functions. This course is ideal for individuals without any prior experience using R, or for those who want to brush up on the basics. Participants who would benefit from this course include: social science researchers, students who want to learn a new skill, and practitioners who could improve decision-making by organising, analysing and visualisation statistical data (e.g. urban planners, city managers and policymakers).

Course summary

As a powerful open-source tool for statistical analysis, R has been increasingly utilised in higher education, scientific research and practice. The purpose of this course is to introduce basic knowledge of R, such as how to load data into R and how to visualise data using different visualisation methods. By the end of the course, you will be able to load data into R, calculate descriptive statistics, implement hypothesis testing and carry out generalised linear regression analysis. Through this introductory course, we aim to provide analysts with the foundational skills needed to use R for statistical analysis, which can be applied to research as well as practical planning situations.

Important information

The course is offered free of charge to all participants
The course is open to a wide variety of participants (researchers, students, practitioners)
All software packages needed for the course will be provided in the designated course lab free of charge
Refreshments and lunch will be provided to all participants each day of the course
The course requires a minimum of 5 registered participants for delivery and has a maximum of 20 participants
All participants must first meet the pre-requisite knowledge requirements stated in the course description
All participants must register - your place in the course is not final until you receive a confirmation email from UBDC staff.

Introduction to R