R Boot Camp for Ecologists & Wildlife Biologists
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Learn the basics of R from an experienced research ecologist, resource manager, and wildlife professor who will help you organize and display your data for reports, publications, and future analysis. Learn from the ground up, beginning with loading and organizing ecological datasets in RStudio to building beautiful plots for publication. Unlike many R courses, most examples used during the course are tailored to the needs of students, researchers, and professionals in ecology and wildlife-related disciplines. After completing this course, consider enrolling in Introduction to Ecological Statistics & Modeling to build on your foundation in R by learning the essential quantitative skills needed to be successful in research at school and work.
This is a 1-credit equivalent academic course (16 contact hrs + additional work) where you learn at your own pace over 3 months. This is NOT a “Watch me use R” course where your instructor presents a series of tutorials.
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No prior experience in R is necessary.
This course is a prerequisite for Introduction to Ecological Statistics & Modeling and other courses in our Applied Quantitative Ecology program.
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Module 1: Introduction
Explain the difference between R and RStudio
Install R and RStudio on your computer
Module 2: R Basics
Operate RStudio to perform basic math operations
Assign values to create objects
Create vectors to perform math and stats operations
Understand how to use different functions to perform summary stats
Module 3: Packages and Data Frames
Load and use R packages
Read in data and create data frames
Subset data to explore a dataset
Module 4: Importing Data
Import data from files
Know when to view and use tibbles and full datasets in RStudio
Module 5: Tidying Data
Identify variables, observations, and values in dataset
Demonstrate proficiency in pivoting, separating, and uniting columns in tables
Detect explicit and implicit missing values in a dataset
Module 6: Relational Data
Join tables using: mutating joins, filtering joins, set operations
Module 7: Data Transformation
Use R functions to:
rename variables
pick variables by their names
pick observations by their values
reorder rows
create new variables with functions of existing variables
analyze the data frame by groups
Module 8: Visualizing Data (in ggplot2)
Identify appropriate figure styles for your data type
Use of ggplot2 syntax to present data visually
COURSE OPTIONS & INFORMATION (Review chart above, then click below)
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FORMAT:
3 months of access to course materials as you work at your own pace
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
16 CEUs with The Wildlife Society
4 CEUs in Category I(a): Scientific Education and Training with the Ecological Society of America
Go to our Continuing Education Page for more details
DATES & PRICES:
Winter: Dec 2 - Feb 23 (Early bird ends Nov 4th): $275 student / $375 professional
*Early bird saves $75
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FORMAT:
3 months of access to course materials as you work at your own pace
Get instructor support for the 3-month term via email, discussion threads, group meetings, and one-on-one appointments
After working through the course materials, set up an optional meeting with the instructor to discuss your own personal project from work or school
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
16 CEUs with The Wildlife Society
4 CEUs in Category I(a): Scientific Education and Training with the Ecological Society of America
Go to our Continuing Education Page for more details
CERTIFICATIONS:
Earn 1 credit toward certification as an Ecologist (at any level) with Ecological Society of America
Earn 1 credit toward certification as an Associate/Certified Wildlife Biologist® (at any level) with The Wildlife Society
DATES & PRICES:
Winter: Dec 2 - Feb 23 (Early bird ends Nov 4th): $425 student / $525 professional
*Early bird saves $75
-
FORMAT:
12 months of access to course materials as you work at your own pace
Get instructor support for the 3-month term via email, discussion threads, group meetings, and one-on-one appointments
After working through the course materials, set up an optional meeting with the instructor to discuss your own personal project from work or school
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
16 CEUs with The Wildlife Society
4 CEUs in Category I(a): Scientific Education and Training with the Ecological Society of America
Go to our Continuing Education Page for more details
CERTIFICATIONS:
Earn 1 credit toward certification as an Ecologist (at any level) with Ecological Society of America
Earn 1 credit toward certification as an Associate/Certified Wildlife Biologist® (at any level) with The Wildlife Society
Earn 1 credit towards a professional certificate in Applied Quantitative Ecology with CWS
Earn an additional 1-2 academic credits with an Applied Project
Go to our Academic Credit Page for details
DATES & PRICES:
Winter: Dec 2 - Feb 23 (Early bird ends Nov 4th): $575 professional / $675 student
*Early bird saves $75
PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
SCHOLARSHIPS
Full scholarships are available to participants from countries designated as “lower income” and “lower middle income” in the World Bank List of Economies. Please see our CWS World Scholars Program page for details.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Cancellations 30 days or more before the start date are not subject to cancellation fees. Cancellations <30 days before the start date are subject to a 50% cancellation fee. No refunds once the course begins.