We currently introduce Quarto on Day 1 and then toggle back and forth between Quarto documents and R Scripts over the course of the week. For some students this is fine, but introducing Quarto so early is a large cognitive load.
Suggest updating materials for next year to build these concepts more slowly and conceptually, as follows:
- start with console -- run lines of code in console and show students how this can be frustrating and impossible to reproduce
- solution: R scripts! -- run code through R scripts for reproducibility, but show how comments are limited and doesn't allow for "putting all the pieces" together in one piece (e.g. text, code, and output)
- solution: Quarto docs! -- show students how Quarto docs allow us to create comprehensive reports
In EDS 221 on Day 1, we discuss reproducibility and the limits of workflows that require copy/pasting output into reports. We could possibly push the introduction of Quarto till then and just stick with R scripts in EDS 212. That would require updating the following:
- Day 1 Interactive Session 1A + 1B (introduces Quarto)
- Day 2 Interactive Session 2A + 2B (easy to swap
.R for .qmd)
- Day 3 Interactive Session 3A + 3B (asked to pick
.R or .qmd)
- Day 4 Interactive Session 4A + 4B (easy swap
.R or .qmd)
- Day 5 Interactive Session 5A presents Quarto customization
- would need to figure out where to move to, would probably make more sense in EDS 221, and could instead simply introduce Quarto
We currently introduce Quarto on Day 1 and then toggle back and forth between Quarto documents and R Scripts over the course of the week. For some students this is fine, but introducing Quarto so early is a large cognitive load.
Suggest updating materials for next year to build these concepts more slowly and conceptually, as follows:
In EDS 221 on Day 1, we discuss reproducibility and the limits of workflows that require copy/pasting output into reports. We could possibly push the introduction of Quarto till then and just stick with R scripts in EDS 212. That would require updating the following:
.Rfor.qmd).Ror.qmd).Ror.qmd)