Things you can do after this course
Continue this course
This course is based on Data Science in a Box by Mine Çetinkaya-Rundel. Due to time constraints, we could only show you the most critical aspects. To continue this course, you can access many more lecture materials (including recorded videos, interactive tutorials, and exercises) at datasciencebox.org.
Check out Neuroscience Packages
This course was a subject-agnostic introduction to the programming language R and the tidyverse packages.
The beauty of R, however, is the vast number of subject-specific packages.
For example, check out natverse, a tidyverse-inspired collection of packages for neuroanatomical data analysis.
Join TechAcademy e.V.
TechAcademy e.V. is a student organization at Goethe University educating students in Data Science with R or Python and Web Development. Students of all academic subjects can develop coding skills through Data Science and Web Development programs.
Your course instructors are part of the organization’s management team. Feel free to join us! You can do so either as students for one of our programs (at the beginning of each semester) or as part of our voluntary team. Find more information on tech-academy.io.
Follow the R Community
The R community is amiable, helpful, and engaging.
For example, follow #rstats on Twitter, and you will see many significant use cases, new developments, and tips and tricks you have never heard of before.
Install R and RStudio locally
If you have used Posit Cloud, the next step should be to set everything up on your local computer. Posit Cloud is excellent for getting started with R without worrying about installing anything locally. You should set up R and RStudio locally on your computer for more significant projects.
Version Control with Git
If you’re serious about data science, you will need Git. Better learn it early and start enjoying and appreciating it before it’s too late and you’re pressured into learning it on the fly! You should version every project you do with Git. Regardless if you’re working alone or with a big group of developers. Regardless if you write ten lines of code or a complex program. With Git, you can keep track of all your changes. It’s like a Dropbox/Google Drive for developers. Pro-Tip: Get free GitHub Pro as a student with the GitHub Student Developer Pack.
RStudio has a friendly interface that lets you enjoy the perks of Git without ever having to touch the command line – sounds great, does it? Learn to set up the Git & R workflow with Happy Git with R.
Inspiration and Tools for Great Visualizations
Get inspiration to take your plotting to the next level at the R Graph Gallery. The gallery also includes code to reproduce the plots.
R and RStudio are two uniquely customizable tools. For example, RStudio allows Add-ins that sometimes offer simplified access to certain tools or techniques. In the visualization context, two of those extensions are
See what else is possible in R
R and RStudio are potent tools to do many things beyond traditional Data Science. For example, we wrote all course materials (including the website and slides) in R Markdown. You can also write your doctoral thesis in R Markdown tools without leaving RStudio. Everything from data analysis to results communication can be implemented and connected, so you never have to manually paste tables or figures into a Word document. You can find many valuable references at RStudio Education.