R Workshops

I Can Help You or Your Department Use R! Link to heading

R is a transformative tool in education research, combining powerful analytical capabilities with systematic transparency and reproducibility. Through nearly two decades of conducting research with R and associated tools, I’ve developed deep expertise in using these tools and I love opportunities to pass on my experience by sharing skills to help other researchers enhance their capabilities. This has evolved into delivering workshops that focus on practical, hands-on learning that I have provided for the Association of Educational Researchers of Ontario and a research team at an Ontario School Board.

My workshops emphasize participatory learning —everyone is encouraged to have RStudio open and experiment with new skills as they learn them. I provide comprehensive notes so participants can focus on trying things out rather than taking notes, these materials serving as valuable references as they continue developing their skills. This approach allows researchers to immediately apply what they’re learning to their own work.

Working in Ontario’s education sector, I understand the unique challenges and requirements of education researchers —from managing school climate surveys to creating board-level reports that align with ministry requirements. This practical experience means I can teach R in a way that directly addresses the real needs of you and your team, focusing on tools and techniques that will make the biggest difference in your daily work.

Included Custom Resources Link to heading

These workshops are built on the principle of sustainable learning. Every session is accompanied by detailed documentation that participants can reference long after the workshop ends. My recent workshops include comprehensive notes covering everything from basic R operations to sophisticated data handling and creating publication-quality reports. I even maintain notes from shorter sessions, like this lunch-and-learn introduction to R. These materials are freely available online, permanently hosted, and written in the same literate programming style I teach —combining explanatory text with working code examples. This approach means participants can focus on hands-on learning during the workshop, knowing they’ll have access to all content whenever they need it. It’s part of my commitment to open-source principles and ensuring sustainable skill development in the education research community.

Topic Modules Link to heading

Every organization has unique needs when it comes to R training. Before designing any workshop, I start with a conversation about your team’s current capabilities, challenges and goals. Some teams might need to focus on transitioning from SPSS to R, while others might be looking to automate report generation or create board-specific visualization themes. Understanding these needs allows me to tailor the content and pace appropriately, ensuring participants gain immediately applicable skills.

The workshops are built around flexible modules that can be combined and customized. A full-day workshop typically includes two to three core modules, depending on your team’s goals and comfort levels. Some example modules include:

1. Foundations and Data Handling: Getting started with R and RStudio, loading data, basic transformations and working with your organization’s specific data formats. Perfect for working with student information system exports, school climate survey responses, or ministry reporting templates. This module ensures everyone has the fundamental skills needed to start working with data effectively in R.

2. Statistical Analysis: Moving beyond basic descriptive statistics to the specific analyses your team regularly performs. Apply t-tests to compare program outcomes, use chi-square analyses to examine demographic patterns in course selection, or conduct correlations between attendance and achievement. The focus is on reproducing your current analytical workflows in R, using real education data examples.

3. Visualization and Reporting: Creating publication-quality figures and automated reports. Learn to create visualizations of student achievement data, automate the generation of school-specific climate survey reports, or produce board-wide equity analyses with consistent formatting. This includes working with ggplot2 for visualization and R Markdown for report generation, with emphasis on your specific reporting requirements.

4. Advanced Tools and Integration: Specialized topics like connecting to databases, creating custom themes for visualization, building interactive dashboards or integrating R with other tools your organization uses. Perfect for automating regular data pulls from your student information system, creating board-specific visualization themes for consistency across reports, or building interactive dashboards for tracking program effectiveness.

5. Collaborative Analysis Workshop: A “hackathon” style module where participants work in small groups to analyze public education data and create a published report or dashboard. Teams might analyze EQAO results across years, examine patterns in course selection data, or investigate factors affecting graduation rates. Using a collaborative environment, teams apply their new skills to produce something meaningful that showcases their abilities. The final product is permanently hosted online with participants listed as authors, providing a tangible demonstration of their R capabilities.

Each module combines theory with hands-on practice, and content is documented in permanent, accessible notes. The modules linked above (basic operations, data handling and reporting) are from previous workshops and serve as examples of my documentation approach. The actual content, depth and practice time for your sessions will be adjusted based on your needs, and new modules can be developed to address specific topics relevant to your team’s work. Whether you need focused training on particular R packages, custom visualization themes or specialized reporting workflows, the workshop content will be designed to directly support your objectives.

Contact to Discuss Your Learning Needs Link to heading

R can transform how you conduct education research, making analysis more efficient, transparent and reproducible. As an active education researcher and well vested R user, I understand both the technical challenges of learning R and the specific needs of Ontario’s education research community.

Workshops are designed to maximize hands-on learning time while ensuring sustainable skill development. A typical full-day workshop (6 hours of instruction) includes:

• Pre-workshop consultation to understand you or your team’s needs
• Customized content and examples relevant to your work
• Comprehensive documentation and reference materials
• Post-workshop support via email
• Support for R and RStudio installation before the workshop day

Sessions can be delivered in-person or virtually:

• In-person workshops work best for teams of 5-15 participants
• Virtual workshops can accommodate up to 20 participants
• Half-day and lunch-and-learn sessions available for focused topics
• Multiple sessions can be arranged for larger groups or deeper content coverage

Pricing is based on workshop duration, location, group size, and level of customization needed. Contact me for a quote tailored to your organization’s specific requirements and learning objectives.

Let’s discuss how R training can support your team’s goals. Contact me at Jason@Locklin.science to explore workshop options that align with your organization’s needs and objectives.