How to Climb the R Learning Curve Without Falling Off the Cliff: Advice from Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced R Users Conference presentation

Conference presentation at the American Evaluation Association annual conference
Tony Fujs, Will Fenn, and Ann Emery
October 2013
Washington, DC

R is hotter than ever in the evaluation field as evaluators are looking for ways to improve their data management, analysis, and visualizations. First-time R users are asking themselves, Is R right for my evaluation work? Where do I start if I want to learn R? How long will it take to learn R? Evaluators without programming experience are often frustrated by R’s steep learning curve. These novice R users are left wondering, How can I climb the R learning curve without falling off the cliff?

To address these common questions, we assembled a panel of beginner, intermediate, and advanced R users. We shared real world examples of how we’ve used R to create data visualizations that were previously impossible for evaluators who don’t have access to expensive software packages. Panelists shared their experiences learning R and highlighted the tips, tricks, and resources needed to transform beginner R users into R superstars and speakRs.

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