2.1 This Textbook

This course is presented as a bookdown document, and is divided into chapters and sections. Each week, you’ll be expected to read through the chapter and complete any associated exercises, quizzes, or assignments.

2.1.1 Special Boxes

Throughout the book, you’ll encounter special boxes, each with a special meaning. Here is an example of each type of box:

This box will prompt you to pause and reflect on your experience and/or learning. No feedback will be given, but this may be graded on completion.

This box will signify a quiz or assignment which you will turn in for grading, on which the instructor will provide feedback.

This box is for checking your understanding, to make sure you are ready for what follows.

This box is for displaying/linking to videos in order to help illustrate or communicate concepts.

This box will warn you of possible problems or pitfalls you may encounter!

This box is to provide material going beyond the main course content, or material which will be revisited later in more depth.

This box will prompt for your feedback on the organization of the course, so we can improve the material for everyone!

Any of the boxes may include hyperlinks like this: I am a link or code like this This is code.

2.1.2 How This Book Displays Code

In addition, you may see R code either as part of a sentence like this: 1+1, or as a separate block like so:

1+1

[1] 2

Sometimes (as in this example) we will also show the output (in yellow), that is, the result of running the R code. In this case the code 1+1 produced the output 2. If you hover over a code block with your mouse, you will see the option to copy the code to your clipboard, like this:

Figure 2.1: copying code from this book

This will be useful when you are asked to run code on your computer.

2.1.3 Next Steps

When you’re ready, go to the next section to learn about the course syllabus and grading policies.

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