Learning a programming language such as R can be (rewardingly)
challenging. drhur is a pedagogical software to make the
learning process easier and more enjoyable. The package includes
tutorials on basic data science skills with R, such as basic R syntax,
data import/export, munging, and visualization. The goal of this package
is to provide an interactive platform for learners to easily and
efficiently enter the R world.
The ideal way to acquire these skills is through the “Learning R with Dr. Hu” workshop, conducted by Associate Professor Yue Hu from the Department of Political Science at Tsinghua University. The modules included in this package correspond to the content of the initial chapters of this workshop series and Dr. Hu’s forthcoming textbook on the R programming language. The workshop series and the book aim to cover knowledge and skills about R, ranging from basic to advanced techniques, such as spatial analysis, network analysis, and text analysis. You can find more relevant information on the author’s website or by contacting him directly.
Each workshop is a self-contained Quarto Live document
whose code cells run directly in the browser via WebAssembly
(webR), so learners can read the instructions and run the
exercises side by side without setting up a local R session. One can
conveniently load the package and open a workshop through the
drhur() function, which renders the document and opens it
in the browser. For example, the data-visualization workshop can be
initiated with the following commands:
if (!require(drhur)) install.packages("drhur")
library(drhur)
# Open as a scrollable HTML live document (the default)
drhur("visual_basic")
# Or open the same workshop as a reveal.js slide deck
drhur("visual_basic", style = "slide")The Basics series currently includes six workshops:
algebra, play, munging,
descriptive, visual_basic, and
loop. Each is available in two language editions, selected
with the lang argument—simplified Chinese
("cn", the default) and English ("en"):
Rendering requires the Quarto
command-line tool to be installed, and running the interactive code
cells requires an internet connection (the webR runtime and
the workshop’s R packages are downloaded in the browser at view
time).
drhur aims to help R learners to get in touch with the
most common applied skills of the programming language. We encourage
users to consult the help files for more details.
The development of the package is ongoing. Please contact us with any questions, bug reports, and comments. Free to open an issue on the software’s GitHub page if you have any question or a feature request.
Yue Hu
Political Science,
Tsinghua Univeristy
Email: yuehu@tsinghua.edu.cn
Website: https://www.drhuyue.site