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2  Getting Started

flowchart LR
  A[Open weekly chapter] --> B[Read vocabulary]
  B --> C[Work through example]
  C --> D[Run code]
  D --> E[Check result]
  E --> F[Fix one thing]
  F --> G[Submit assignment]

2.1 How To Use This Book

Use this book in the order the course moves.

  1. Open the chapter for the current week.
  2. Read the short vocabulary list first.
  3. Work through the examples in the order they appear.
  4. Run a small piece of code.
  5. Check the result.
  6. Make one careful change.

If a section feels too fast, slow down and return to the relevant example. The book is meant to be used while you work, not only after you are done.

2.2 The Course Workflow

This course follows a repeatable loop:

  1. Read the chapter.
  2. Watch or listen to the lecture.
  3. Try the code yourself.
  4. Compare your work to the chapter.
  5. Fix one thing at a time.
  6. Submit the weekly assignment.

The point is not to finish quickly. The point is to understand what each step does and why it matters.

2.3 Feedback, AI Help, And Checking Your Work

Use feedback in this order:

  1. Run the code yourself. Look at the object, plot, table, error message, or rendered report.
  2. Compare your result to the chapter checklist. Ask, “What did I expect, and what actually happened?”
  3. Use automated feedback as a pointer. A failed render, test, or style check tells you where to look; it does not replace your judgment.
  4. Use AI as a coach, not a ghostwriter. Ask it to explain an error, suggest checks, or compare your reasoning to the chapter vocabulary. Keep the thinking and final decisions in your own hands.
  5. Record the fix. Good analysts leave a trail: a comment, a short note, a commit message, or a GitHub issue explaining what changed and why.

2.4 Semester Arc

In Weeks 01-04, you build the foundation: follow the whole workflow, inspect objects, import data from project paths, and make your first clear plots.

Weeks 05-08 turn to data structure, including rows, columns, variables, grouped summaries, reshaping, and joins.

In Weeks 09-12, you turn messy inputs into analysis-ready data through a larger plot challenge, string and category cleanup, dates and time series, and repeated files.

The final four weeks move toward professional practice: functions for repeated work, reproducible Quarto reports, revision from feedback, and a capstone presentation.

2.5 How Chapters Are Written

Most chapters use the same pattern:

  • Vocabulary gives the terms used in the chapter
  • Work The Example walks through the main code
  • Common Problems shows what usually goes wrong
  • Finish The Professional Workflow gives you a final check before submission

Use Vocabulary first when the terms are new. Use Work The Example to build the skill. Use Common Problems when something breaks. Use Finish The Professional Workflow before submitting.

2.6 Draft Status

This book is still being written. Some chapters are shorter than they will be later in the semester. That is normal. When you notice a weak spot, treat it as a working draft and improve your own notes around it.

2.7 For Multilingual Learners

If English is not your first language, you should expect the technical vocabulary to feel dense at first.

Useful habits:

  1. Read the vocabulary list before reading the full chapter.
  2. Translate only the key terms, not every sentence.
  3. Reread the example after you run it.
  4. Keep a short personal glossary of the words that keep coming back.
  5. Ask for clarification on the idea, not just on the word.

You do not need to understand every sentence on the first pass. You need to understand enough to complete the work, then return and tighten the meaning.