Topic outline

  • Welcome to R-Instat's Learning Resources

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    Most of the materials on this site include videos to watch and practice documents to follow along the activities. We suggest you do both. 

    Start by choosing which of the following categories is closest to your situation. 


    Once you have started, use the links below or scroll through the topics on the left to choose resources that are useful to you. 

    We are always adding to our resources, next up we will be adding more learning materials about descriptive statistics in R-Instat. Including tables and more on graphs. 

  • Getting Started

    In this section you will find exercises which introduce how to use R-Instat, alongside statistical ideas using real data. There are 4 ways to start depending on your computing experience and goals.


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      Computer Skills for R-Instat Page
      An introductory activity for beginners to familiarise themselves with the computer skills needed to use R-Instat. 
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      Tutorials Page
      Entry for users with spreadsheet skills, but without stats package experience.
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      Express Start Page

      This R-Instat introduction is intended for professional users, who have some experience with similar software. 

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      Jumping in to Lists and Numbers Page

      For those who are interested in exploring numbers and playing around with lists, you don't even need data to get started.   

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      Using Different Languages Page

      Learn how to change the main language and flip back and forth to English from within the program. 

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      Getting Help Page
      R-Instat includes an in program help system as well as other ways of building up your R-Instat and statistical skills. 

  • Starting with Data Entry

  • Easy Access to Amazing Data

  • Lists and Numbers

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      Fun with Lists Page
      Explore lists of information on a wide range of topics and learn how to manipulate them to extract information. 
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      Fun with Numbers Page

      With a column calculator it becomes easy to play with numbers. Let R-Instat's Calculator dialog do the work so that you are free to become a data  detective and search out interesting patterns. 

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      Fun with Sequences Page

      Generate and explore sequences like abundant and super abundant numbers. 

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      Interpreting Large Numbers Page
      Explore the real meaning of large numbers like a googol. 

  • Getting Data Tidy

  • Describing Data Well

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      Line Plots in R-Instat Page

      In this exercise we will mostly produce the graphs from ggplot2’s Connect Observations script in tidyverse.


  • Use Scripts

    Adding this scripting capabilities to R-Instat was important. It bridges the gap between GUIs and R. With this scripting feature users can:

      • easily apply pre-written scripts and then continue to explore and work on their data using GUI front end.  
    AND 

      • take on repetitive tasks without the risks inherent with manual repetition.

    Those who are critical of GUIs argue that they are pitiful compared to the flexibility of R. This feature makes room for this flexibility within the easy to use frontend, which often contains all that is needed; thus bridging the gap. 

    The following presentations, you gain exposure to and familiarity with using R scripts without needing to learn the R language first. But only if, and when you are ready and interested; the point and click system is sufficient for many people and projects.


  • Climatic Data

  • General Information

    This site houses R-Instat's learning materials. 

    These videos and written exercises blend learning R-Instat with learning statistics through the continual use of data. 

    R-Instat is a free, open source statistical software that is easy to use. 

    It encourages good statistical practices and learning, by making it easy to emphasise concepts rather than theory. This software is designed to support improved statistical and data science literacy everywhere, through work undertaken primarily within Africa.

    R-Instat provides a front-end to R.

    R is "an open source programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics that is supported by the R Foundation for Statistical Computing". The R language is very widely used.

    R, and so also R-Instat, provides a wide range of data sets.

    This enables users to practice using interesting, large, and varied data, which is instrumental to learning good statistics practices.


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      R-Instat's Characters Page

      Though out our years of teaching statistics courses and service course, government, for profit, non-profit and academic organizations we have come across a wide array to people; with a range of relationships with data and statistics.


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      Download R-Instat & Join Moodle Page

      To follow along with the exercises on this website you need to have R-Instat installed on your computer. This page provides links and instructions for downloading and installing  R-Instat. 

      Joining Moodle will allow you to track your progress through these materials.

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      Glossary
      FAQs Glossary
      Questions about R-Instat? Find your answer here. Includes sections: 
      • General
      • Is R-Instat for me
      • Data Science
      • Climatic
      • Satellite and reanalysis data (NetCDF files)
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      The History of R-Instat Page

      The background to R-Instat.  How did it start and grow, and how was it transformed from Instat into R-Instat.  We also try to answer some questions you may have on R-Instat

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      Content Creators Page