Introduction
Welcome to the January 2025 Data Center Apprenticeship Program! This program teaches practical skills in R programming, data visualization, statistical analysis, and modern tools for efficient workflows and collaboration. Our workshops cover both basic R skills, and specialized topics like working with spatial data, text analysis, and web scraping.
We run daily workshops between January 13 to January 24, 2025. We welcome all members of the UCR community to participate in this program. The content is suitable for any level of experience, from beginners to advanced users. No registration is required, just show up with your laptop!
Additional Information for DC Apprentices:
If you are receiving academic internship credits for your participation in the Apprenticeship program, all workshops are mandatory. In addition, you are expected to work on your projects outside of the workshops, so you can present a progress report on the final day. This presentation will be on a work in progress, so you should include your goals, progress so far, and plans for the Spring semester. You will receive more information about the format of the presentation during the workshops.
Workshop Schedule
Join us for our diverse lineup of workshops, which are structured to build your expertise progressively. Other than the general preparation steps in the following section, the workshops have little to no additional prerequisites. “Basic R skills” refers to either attending the first three workshops, having taken ENGDATA101, having participated in a UCR course with a data encounter, or equivalent experience. Exact times will be announced soon; workshop materials will be added gradually.
Workshops will take place either in classroom F-13 or in various rooms of the Zeeuwse Bibliotheek. Please see the schedule below for the exact location of each workshop. Workshop times are currently tentative.
| Date | Time | Location | Topic | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-Jan | 10:00-14:00 | Wim Hofmanzaal - De ZB | R with AI: Data Wrangling | None |
| 14-Jan | 10:00-14:00 | Wim Hofmanzaal - De ZB | R with AI: Visualization | None |
| 15-Jan | 10:00-14:00 | Werkplaats - De ZB | R with AI: Statistics and Functions | None |
| 16-Jan | 10:00-14:00 | Johanna Kruitzaal, waterzijde - De ZB | Workflows: GitHub, RMarkdown, and Quarto | create GitHub account, install GitHub Desktop |
| 17-Jan | 10:00-14:00 | Wim Hofmanzaal - De ZB | Spatial Data Analysis in R | Basic R skills |
| 20-Jan | 10:00-14:00 | F-13 | Character Strings and Regular Expressions (Regex) | None |
| 21-Jan | 10:00-14:00 | F-13 | Text Analysis in R | Basic R skills, Regex |
| 22-Jan | 9:00-13:00 | F-13 | Data Scraping: Web and PDFs | Basic R skills, Regex |
| 22-Jan | 14:00-17:00 | F-13 | Faculty Workshop | None |
| 23-Jan | No workshop - Finish your presentations | |||
| 24-Jan | 9:00-13:00 | F-13 | Final Presentations and Program Evaluation |
Preparation for All Workshops
R and RStudio
The first R with AI workshops require no previous coding experience. However, to participate in the workshops, you will need to have R and RStudio installed on your computer. If you don’t have these programs installed, please follow this installation tutorial.
In addition the R basics tutorial on the Data Center website explains the RStudio interface, and shows how to create a new project and how to install packages.
GitHub Copilot
Throughout the workshops, we will be working with RStudio’s GitHub Copilot plug-in. This tool provides AI-powered code suggestions and completions, which can help you write code more efficiently.
To be able to follow along with these workshops and learn how to use GitHub Copilot to its full potential, you will need to complete the following preparatory steps.
Note: As a student, you can access GitHub Copilot for free through the GitHub Student Developer Pack. However, the student status verification process can take several days, so please start these preparatory steps at least a week before the first workshop.
Step 1: Verify Your Student Status
- Visit the GitHub Student Developer Pack.
- Click Get Student Benefits and sign in to your GitHub account. If you don’t have an account, create one first.
- Verify your academic status:
- Provide a valid school-issued email address or upload documentation, such as a student ID or enrollment letter.
- Complete the verification form and submit it.
- Wait for approval (usually takes a few days).
Step 2: Enable GitHub Copilot
- Once approved, go to the GitHub Copilot page.
- Click Start free trial and log in with your GitHub account.
- If prompted, confirm your free access through the Student Developer Pack.
Step 3: Install GitHub Copilot in RStudio
- Ensure you have the latest version of RStudio installed.
- Open RStudio and go to Tools > Global Options > Copilot.
- Sign in to your GitHub account in RStudio if prompted.
- Follow any on-screen setup instructions to connect GitHub Copilot to your workspace.
Final Presentations and Wrap-Up
On January 24, the Spring 2025 apprentices will present their project progress. All are welcome to attend this open session to learn more about how the Data Center interacts with the UCR curriculum.
Other Resources
Below are additional resources curated by the Data Center to help you deepen your knowledge and enhance your projects: