Course Onboarding

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Overview

Before you begin the semester, there are a number of things that you should do to help set yourself up for success. All of the applicable sections below should be completed before our first class on August 27th. Before you do anything else, though, you should read through the Syllabus. Make sure you have a good sense of what is required for the course. If you have questions, bring them to the first day of class!

Onboarding Checklist

This section provides details on completing the following steps:

Account Signups

Get Started with Slack

We’ll be using the messaging platform Slack as a space for “virtual office hours”. Slack is a messaging system used by teams of all kinds. If you can text, you can use Slack. You will need to sign-up for the SOC 4015 & SOC 5050 Slack organization here. You will need to complete the signup process even if you use Slack for other purposes. Consider installing either the desktop or the mobile apps for Slack to keep in touch and receive push alerts!

Get Started with GitHub

The service that is hosting this website is called GitHub. GitHub is used by programmers, data scientists, and researchers for hosting computer code, data, and project materials (like websites). We will be using GitHub extensively this semester. You will need a free account, which you can sign up for one from GitHub’s homepage. If you already have a GitHub account, you do not need a new one.

Once you have a GitHub user name, send Chris a Direct Message via Slack with it so that you can be added to the SOC 4015 & SOC 5050 organization. After you have been added to the organization, you should find your assignments repository and check the Issues tab. There should be an open Issue describing how feedback will be disseminated this semester. Please read it and then close the issue so that we know you’ve seen it.

Get Started with LaTeX

We’ll be doing a little bit of writing using LaTeX, which is a markup language that makes technical writing easier. We’ll be using ShareLaTeX this semester for this purpose. ShareLaTeX is a bit like Google Docs, but for LaTeX. It is a “freemium” service - please don’t pay for any additional features - you won’t need them! You can sign-up for ShareLaTeX on their website.

Course Software

There are two options for accessing the course software, and two options for how to install it. Please read through these options carefully and make the decision that is best for you.

Options for Accessing Software

One option for accessing the software is to use your own computer. If you decide to go this route, please read the next two subsections on installing software and computer prep, and then head over to the course software page to continue setting up your computer. As long as you have a relatively new computer (within the last few years), you should have no problem using any of the applications for this class.

The other option is to rely on the computers in our classroom, and - lucky you(!) - you get 24-hour access to Morrissey Hall for the semester. If you decide to go this route, please read the next subsection on installing software and then head over to the course software page to continue setting up your computer.

Options for Installing Software

Regardless of how you are accessing the software for this class, there are two options for installing the core applications R and RStudio as well as their associated dependencies. The first option is to use a virtual installation of R and RStudio. This uses an application called Docker to create a virtual instance of R and RStudio that you can access via your browser. All of the packages required for the semester will already be pre-loaded, so Docker requires less time to get up and running.

This first option is recommended if you are using a lab computer, you are brand new to R, are less comfortable with computers, and/or are not sure whether or not you’ll be using R after the end of the semester. Instructions for getting started with Docker be found on the course software page. If you decide to use Docker installed on a computer lab machine, please try to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early on the first day of class to get your Desktop up and running.

The second option is to manage your own installation. This is recommended if you have used R before, are comfortable with computers, and is particularly recommended if you are using your own computer and plan to continue using R after the semester ends. Instructions for managing your own installation can be found on the course software page.

Computer Prep

If you are using your own computer, you should do the following before proceeding:

  1. Make sure your operating system is up-to-date. If you are able, I would also recommend upgrading your computer to the most recent release of its operating system that the computer can run.

  2. We’ll be sharing computer files throughout the semester, so you should ensure that you have functioning anti-virus software and that it is up-to-date. You can get anti-virus software for free from SLU. Go to ITS Software Downloads under Tools on mySLU.

  3. You’ll also need to download files, so you’ll need to make sure you have some free space on your hard drive. If you have less than 10GB of free space, you should de-clutter!

  4. Make sure you know how to access your computer’s file management system.

    • On macOS, this means being comfortable with Finder.app.
    • On Windows, this means being comfortable with Windows File Explorer.

Get Access to Books

A full list of books that are required for this course is available in the syllabus. You will need to make a few decisions up front. One of the books must be purchased, but you will have to decide if you want an ebook or a physical copy:

  • Wheelan, Charles. 2014. Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
    • This book can be purchased in the bookstore or online. Ebook versions are available.

For two other books, you will have to decide whether you want to use the free versions available online or for .pdf download or if you would rather purchase physical copies:

  • Diez, David M., Christopher D Barr, and Mine Cetinkaya-Rundel-Runde. 2015. OpenIntro Statistics. 3rd edition. OpenIntro.
  • Wickham, Hadley and Garrett Grolemund. 2017. R for Data Science. O’Reily Media: Sebastopol, CA.
    • This book book can be purchased in the bookstore, online, or accessed for free as a webbook.

Other Materials

The other item to purchase is a 1.5” three-ring binder (like high school! extra points for a Trapper Keeper!!). While all course materials are available online, they are often easier to use if they are printed. Each week you’ll receive various handouts, including cheat sheets for R, an illustration of the workflow we are focused on, the lab, and the problem set. The handouts are designed with generous margins to facilitate note-taking on them, and they’ll be distributed with holes already punched in them. Keeping these in a three-ring binder will help you refer back to your notes at a later date. You should also purchase dividers, either 16 (one for each week) or 8 (if you want to organize handouts by categories).

Administrative Tasks

There are two forms that all students must fill out by Tuesday, September 5th:

  1. the Student Information Sheet, which gives me some info about you and gives you the chance to let me know about any initial concerns you might have.

  2. the un-graded Diagnostic Assessment, which is designed to get a sense of where each student’s math skills are currently. Please don’t consult outside materials as you do this - if you are not sure how to answer, please choose “I’m not sure” instead of guessing. If you look answers up it defeats the purpose of this exercise!

Coursework

Coursework tasks that need to be completed are listed on the syllabus under Course Preview:

  • Complete the Lecture Prep 01 form that shows you have completed this course onboarding process. Do this after you have finished the course onboarding process.
  • Watch the posted videos on the course preview page
  • Answer and submit the questions for Lecture Prep 02 linked to from the course preview page
  • Complete the readings for Lecture 01