Qualitative Data and Analytic Tools

Week 2 Overview

Published

August 30, 2026

Prepare

  • Read/watch 📗Math 130 (1.2-1.5)
  • Get your code along files.
    • Log into JupyterHub (will go through SSO)
    • Launch Server
    • Open RStudio
    • In the “Files” pane (lower right corner) Navigate into the “shared/Donatello Wicked” folder
    • Click the box next to 01-intro_r_codealong.qmd, then “More” and “Copy To”
      • Click the word “Home” to go back up to your home (root) folder
      • Replace the word codealong in the file name with your username (first part of your email).
      • e.g. 01-intro_r_rdonatello.qmd
      • repeat for 02-wwd_codealong.qmd
    • Return to your home directory to access your copy of the file.

Materials

Assignments

  • Complete code along 01, render to PDF and submit to Google Drive by Friday 9/4

This is the last time the instructions to get your files will be this detailed

Part 1: Programming in R

We’ll start by working together through these lessons together in class. These lessons generally follow specified sections in Math 130. I have cut out selected content that we will cover in a different way later on. There are walk through videos on the Math 130 website so if you need to go back because you missed something you can do so.

Terminology (Why words matter)

The basis of programming is that we write down instructions for the computer to follow, and then we tell the computer to follow those instructions.

We write, or code, instructions in R because it is a common language that both the computer and we can understand (with practice).

We call the instructions commands and we tell the computer to follow the instructions by executing (also called running) those commands.

Learning how to code is like learning a new language. There are rules and exceptions, and it can be extremely precise and sometimes frustrating in how literal it is. More importantly, there are a lot of steps that we as humans skip when explaining how to do a thing to other humans - because we expect some baseline knowlege or that they can pick up on context. Computers don’t work that way.

Imagine asking your child, nephew/niece or favorite small person to write you instructions on how to make a PB&J sandwich. This guy Josh did exactly that and you can see the results here.

So why does that matter? In programming capitalization matters, spacing, punctuation, special characters.. those all matter. So pay close attention to instructions (such as last week’s Hello World activity where it asked you to name your file) and when in doubt, ask your neighbor to to be a second pair of eyeballs.

Comic panels of an alligator trying to debug some code. First panel: A confident looking alligator gets an error message. Second panel: a few minutes later, the error remains and the alligator is looking carefully at their code. Third panel: 10 minutes after that, the error remains and the alligator is giving a frustrated “RAAAR” while desperately typing. Fourth panel: The error remains, and the alligator looks exhausted and exasperated, and a thought bubble reads “maybe it’s a bug.” Fifth panel: A friendly flamingo comes over to take a look, and reads aloud from the problematic code a spelling error: “L-E-N-G-H-T.” Only the tail of the alligator is visible as it stomp stomp stomps out of the panel roaring.

Basic syntax of R

Working with Data

We likely won’t finish both today, so it is your responsibility to finish the rest, render and submit completed notes as PDF to the Class activity submissions folder in Google Drive by the due dates posted on the schedule. The Math 130 reference page have follow along videos you can reference as well.

Part 2: Introduction to Qualitative Data

  • Analytic Strategies
  • Cross-Disciplinary Research Collaborations
  • Types of qualitative data