Introduction to Statistics with R

University of Edinburgh

Online

20-23 September 2021

10:00 - 13:00

Instructors: Ezra Herman

Helpers: Emma Rand, Alan O'Callaghan, Ailith Ewing

Overview

Introduction to Statistics with R This is a two-day, in-person workshop on the topic of statistics in R for public health. This workshop uses a public health dataset and examples (NHANES from the US National Center for Health Statistics) but the materials are relevant to researchers more generally in the life, health and social sciences.

The workshop assumes no prior experience of statistical analysis in R. However, learners are expected to have some familiarity with R such as having done an introductory course. If you do not have any experience currently, one of these Carpentries courses would prepare you:

Data Analysis and Visualization in R for Ecologists
- Episodes 1 to 5
R for Social Scientists
- Episodes 1 to 5

Ed-DaSH

Ed-DaSH is a Data Science training programme for Health and Biosciences. The team has developed workshops using The Carpentries platform on the following topics. See workshops for dates and registration details. All workshops will be delivered remotely.

General Information

Where: This training will take place online. The instructors will provide you with the information you will need to connect to this meeting.

When: 20-23 September 2021. Add to your Google Calendar.

Requirements: Participants must have access to a computer with a Mac, Linux, or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc.) that they have administrative privileges on. They should have a few specific software packages installed (listed below).

Accessibility: We are dedicated to providing a positive and accessible learning environment for all. Please notify the instructors in advance of the workshop if you require any accommodations or if there is anything we can do to make this workshop more accessible to you.

Contact: Please email g.peru@epcc.ed.ac.uk or emma.rand@york.ac.uk for more information.

Roles: To learn more about the roles at the workshop (who will be doing what), refer to our Workshop FAQ.

Code of Conduct

Everyone who participates in Carpentries activities is required to conform to the Code of Conduct. This document also outlines how to report an incident if needed.

Collaborative Notes

We will use this collaborative document for chatting, taking notes, and sharing URLs and bits of code.

Schedule

The lesson taught in this workshop is being piloted and a precise schedule is yet to be established.

Day 1 : 20th September (10:00 - 13:00)

Pre-workshop Setup
Lessons
Statistical thinking for public health	Estimating the mean, variance and standard deviation
	Estimating the variation around the mean
	Visualising and quantifying linear associations
	Predicting means using linear associations
Break
Morning	11:30 - 11:45

Day 2 : 21st September (10:00 - 13:00)

Lessons
Simple linear regression for public health	An introduction to linear regression
	Linear regression with one continuous explanatory variable
	Linear regression with a two-level factor explanatory variable
	Making predictions from a simple linear regression model
Break
Morning	11:30 - 11:45

Day 3 : 22nd September (10:00 - 13:00)

Lessons
Simple linear regression for public health	Assessing simple linear regression model fit and assumptions
	Linear regression with a multi-level factor explanatory variable
Break
Morning	11:30 - 11:45

Day 4 : 23rd September (10:00 - 13:00)

Lessons
Multiple linear regression for public health	Linear regression with one continuous and one categorical explanatory variable
	Linear regression including an interaction between one continuous and one categorical explanatory variable
Break
Morning	11:30 - 11:45

Setup

To participate in a workshop, you will need access to software as described below. In addition, you will need an up-to-date web browser.

We maintain a list of common issues that occur during installation as a reference for instructors that may be useful on the Configuration Problems and Solutions wiki page.

Install the videoconferencing client

If you haven't used Zoom before, go to the official website to download and install the Zoom client for your computer.

Set up your workspace

Like other Carpentries workshops, you will be learning by "coding along" with the Instructors. To do this, you will need to have both the window for the tool you will be learning about (a terminal, RStudio, your web browser, etc..) and the window for the Zoom video conference client open. In order to see both at once, we recommend using one of the following set up options:

Two monitors: If you have two monitors, plan to have the tool you are learing up on one monitor and the video conferencing software on the other.
Two devices: If you don't have two monitors, do you have another device (tablet, smartphone) with a medium to large sized screen? If so, try using the smaller device as your video conference connection and your larger device (laptop or desktop) to follow along with the tool you will be learning about.
Divide your screen: If you only have one device and one screen, practice having two windows (the video conference program and one of the tools you will be using at the workshop) open together. How can you best fit both on your screen? Will it work better for you to toggle between them using a keyboard shortcut? Try it out in advance to decide what will work best for you.

This blog post includes detailed information on how to set up your screen to follow along during the workshop.

Please check the “Setup” page of the lesson site for instructions to follow to obtain the software and data you will need to follow the lesson.