Weekly Coding Checkups aka Practice Makes Perfect!
Practicing coding in R isn’t just a class requirement—it’s your ticket to mastering one of the most powerful tools in data science. R is more than just a programming language; it’s your way of turning numbers into stories, complex data into visuals, and raw information into insights that can drive decision-making. Each time you dive into coding, you’re not just learning commands; you’re building a skill set that’s in high demand in today’s data-driven world. Whether you aim to be a data analyst, data scientist, or any role that involves data, R is the backbone of these professions, and mastering it sets you apart in the job market.
To keep you motivated and progressing, we’ve designed weekly coding checkups, accessible in the other tab of this website. These checkups aren’t just homework—they’re your chance to apply what you’ve learned, test your skills, and see real progress each week. Every checkup is crafted to reinforce the essential techniques you need, from data manipulation and visualization to advanced modeling and statistical analysis. These skills are critical if you aspire to work in any field that involves data, and mastering them now will give you a competitive edge in internships, job applications, and future projects.
Engaging with these checkups regularly will challenge you to think like a data scientist: identifying problems, exploring data, and finding solutions with code. Plus, you’ll receive feedback, helping you pinpoint your strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring you’re always moving forward. The more you engage, the more comfortable you’ll become with R’s tools, ultimately building a solid foundation that will benefit your academic journey and professional career. Embrace each challenge, push your limits, and remember—every line of code brings you one step closer to becoming a confident, skilled data professional. Your journey to mastering R starts here, so keep coding, keep learning, and watch your skills grow each week!
Leveraging former students’ suggestion, we are piloting an immediate feedback functionality that will provide you feedback 24/7 and as soon as you “Run” your code in our Weekly Coding Checkups. The feedback will appear for each chunk right below the output of your code.
Your code will be classified based on its level of accuracy into the following tiers:
Green Tier (Perfect match): Your code is 100% correct and meets all the requirements. Excellent job! This means your code perfectly solves the task and there is nothing more to fix -> Go ahead and paste your code in the form.
Yellow Tier (Minor issues): Your code is mostly correct, but it requires some small adjustments. Look up for cosmetic problems like misspellings, or unnecessary additions (e.g., extra parentheses or extra spaces where they should not be). You are almost there, but your code requires minor edits -> Make sure to check the class materials and/or to reach out for help in the MS Teams RForum channel.
[Note: To receive full points, submit only when your updated code receives Green Tier feedback]
Red Tier (Major issues): Your code does not solve the task and/or has significant errors. Your code is not correct because you are using the wrong function/s and/or required function/s are missing -> You may need to rework your code from scratch so, make sure to carefully review the task instructions and refer to the provided materials for guidance. If you are stuck, reach out for help on the MS Teams RForum channel. You got this, do not give up!
[Note: To receive full points, submit only when your updated code receives Green Tier feedback]
Please remember that the immediate feedback feature is still in alpha development.
We are piloting this functionality for the first time during this semester with the objective to enhance your outside class coding experience and offer support whenever you are available to practice.
If you think that the feedback you receive is inaccurate or confusing reach out to us directly in MS Teams. We are here to help and care about your learning!