Hi STAT 303 Students,

Welcome to Statistics 303: Introductory Data Analysis with R. I am
John Gillett, your teacher. Zhifeng Chen is our TA.

Before class begins on September 5 please visit our Canvas
page and do these things, which take about a half-hour:
- Click on "Syllabus" and read at least its "Instructional Mode" and
  "Credits and Grades" sections. Note: The course uses a "flipped
  classroom" in which students watch videos before class and then work
  in class on Q&A, quizzes, and homework with support from peers (for
  quizzes) and teacher and TA (for quizzes and homework).

- Click on "Schedule" and read the schedule.
  - Visit the first link, "Install R and RStudio" and install the
    required software on your computer.
  - Start RStudio on your computer. Type 3+4 and then Enter in its
    Console pane. Confirm that RStudio thinks 3+4 is 7. (You never
    need to start R directly--you will use it through RStudio.)

- Return to the Schedule.
  - Print and read the lecture notes under the "1. R as a Calculator" link.
  - Listen to the screencasts (21 minutes, or a little less at 1.5x speed)
    under the "Quiz 1" link.
  - Answer some of the Quiz 1 questions.
  - Write any questions you have about "1. R as a Calculator" on the
    notes and bring these questions to class.
  - I recommend bookmarking the Schedule.

- Plan to complete Quiz 1 by the second class day.

While there is limited deadline softness described in the "Credits and
Grades" syllabus section, I encourage you to submit unfinished quizzes
and homework early, and then submit improved versions as the deadline
approaches. I recommend not falling behind by missing a deadline.

If you have questions in response to this email, please bring them to
class or office hours. (I have many students in four courses and,
alas, cannot keep up with one-on-one email.)

I look forward to working with you in STAT 303.

All the best,

John Gillett