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The R Programming Environment

An essential starter for serious data science-bound learners—solid, practical, and R-focused.

access

Lifetime

level

Beginner

certificate

Certificate of completion

language

English

What will you learn in The R Programming Environment Course

  • Grasp the fundamentals of R syntax, console fluency, and how to read data into R.

  • Understand and apply tidy data principles and use tidyverse tools for data manipulation.

  • Perform advanced data manipulation: summarizing, filtering, merging, and handling tricky date/time data.

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  • Work with text: text processing, regular expressions, and managing physical memory constraints.

  • Handle large datasets efficiently and produce tidy datasets from diverse data sources.

Program Overview

Module 1: Basic R Language

⌛ 1 hour

  • Topics: Basics of R syntax; tidy data principles and processes; reading data into R (including tabular data, web-based data, web APIs, web scraping, parsing JSON/XML/HTML)

  • Hands-on: Swirl assignments and readings to practice foundational R concepts (objects, vectors, matrices, lists, tidy verse principles, data ingestion methods)

Module 2: Basic R Language: Lesson Choices

⌛ 6 hours

  • Topics: Interactive, choice-based learning via swirl lessons to reinforce core R language concepts

  • Hands-on: Complete swirl-based assignment and programming exercises (2 × 180 min) to deepen understanding

Module 3: Data Manipulation

⌛ 1 hour

  • Topics: Summarizing, filtering, merging, and manipulating data in R; working with dates, times, and time zones; using piping, adding/changing columns, spreading/gathering data

  • Hands-on: Readings to practice key data manipulation workflows using tidyverse tools and date-time handling in R

Module 4: Data Manipulation: Lesson Choices

⌛ 6 hours

  • Topics: Advanced interactive learning applying data manipulation skills via swirl

  • Hands-on: Swirl-based assignment and programming (2 × 180 min) to reinforce module 3 skills

Module 5: Text Processing, Regular Expression, & Physical Memory

⌛ 1 hour

  • Topics: Text data handling and regular expressions in R (string, regex functions); understanding and managing physical memory usage in R

  • Hands-on: Readings to practice text manipulation, regex usage, and internal memory management concepts

Module 6: Text Processing… Lesson Choices

⌛ 6 hours

  • Topics: Interactive swirl-based reinforcement of text processing and memory management techniques

  • Hands-on: Swirl lessons (assignment + programming) to apply learning in an interactive format

Module 7: Large Datasets

⌛ 5 hours

  • Topics: Handling large datasets in R—strategies for in-memory and out-of-memory processing; diagnosing issues; how to search for help effectively (“How to Google Your Way Out of a Jam,” asking for help)

  • Hands-on: Readings and an assignment (reading and summarizing data) to practice dealing with large datasets and applying problem-solving strategies

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Job Outlook

  • Builds a strong foundation for data-intensive roles such as Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Statistician, or Data Engineer, especially in environments leveraging R and tidy workflows.

  • Supports career paths that require reproducible data work, including Data Visualization Specialist, Quantitative Researcher, and Business or Financial Analyst.

9.8Expert Score
Highly Recommendedx
A rigorous, well-structured foundational course that equips learners with core R programming skills tailored for data science applications. Excellent as the first stepping stone in the Mastering Software Development in R specialization.
Value
9.5
Price
9.3
Skills
9.8
Information
9.7
PROS
  • Clear and thorough instruction in R fundamentals, tidy data, and data manipulation.
  • OpenCourser
  • Class Central
  • Perspective of “real-world” datasets: practical coverage of dates/times, text handling, and large data concerns.
  • Taught by experienced academics from Johns Hopkins—Roger D. Peng and Brooke Anderson.
  • Solid course reviews underscore “hands-on labs” and “solid R foundation” as standout features.
CONS
  • Pace may be challenging for absolute beginners who lack prior programming experience.
  • Lecture delivery has been described as occasionally dry or monotonous.

Specification: The R Programming Environment

access

Lifetime

level

Beginner

certificate

Certificate of completion

language

English

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