Introduction to R programming for data science

Dr. Francesca Finotello

Course description

R is one of the leading programming languages for statistics and data science, with over two million users worldwide. R language is useful to carry out basic and advanced data analyses and is increasingly indicated as prerequisite for job positions in life science and biomedicine.

In this course you will learn the basics of R through lectures and hands-on computer exercises. You will familiarize with the R language and console, as well as with concepts like variables, data types, and data structures. Examples and practical computer exercises will be used to introduce you to the basics of R programming for data science, including how to: manipulate and visualize data, perform calculations, read and write files, run and repeat specific analytical tasks using functions and control statements.

Prerequisites

This course is aimed at people who would like to start using R. Previous experience in programming languages or data science is not required.

Important: Please install R (version ≥ 4.0) and Rstudio before the course start.

Course format and materials

This year, the course will take place online -- registered participants will receive a link.

Detailed program:

• Day 1: Monday, March 15, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - Introduction, data types and structures

  • Slides
  • Handouts
  • Exercises
  • Solutions

• Day 2: Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - File paths, R data and scripts, functions

  • Slides
  • Handouts
  • Exercises
  • Solutions

• Day 3: Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - Data structures and functions (part 2)

  • Slides
  • Handouts
  • Exercises
  • Solutions

• Day 4: Thursday, March 18, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - Loops and control statements

  • Slides
  • Handouts
  • Exercises
  • Solutions

• Day 5: Monday, March 22, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - Data visualization

  • Slides
  • Handouts
  • Exercises
  • Solutions

• Day 6: Tuesday, March 23, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - Reading and writing tabular data

  • Slides
  • Handouts
  • Exercises
  • Solutions

• Day 7: Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - The importance of data visualization

  • Exercises
  • Handouts

• Day 8: Thursday, March 25, 2021, 13:00-15:00 - QA and hands-on exercises

Evaluation

The final grade will be will be assigned considering the score obtained in the hands-on project.

The data analysis project has to be described in a short report and sent by e-mail to Francesca Finotello by April 17, 2021.

A list of possible projects is available here.