Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - STAT 260 D100

Introductory R for Data Science (3)

Class Number: 4558

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Thu, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    One of STAT 201, STAT 203, STAT 205, STAT 270, BUS 232, ECON 233, or POL 201, with a grade of at least C- or permission of the instructor.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the R programming language for data science. Exploring data: visualization, transformation and summaries. Data wrangling: reading, tidying, and data types. No prior computer programming experience required. Students who have taken STAT 341 or STAT 360 first may not then take this course for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course will have weekly labs.

Schedule:

  1. Getting started: Installing R, RStudio, the tidyverse and other packages, RStudio projects, RMarkdown files and basics
  2. Exploring Data: Visualisation
  3. Exploring Data: Transformation and summary statistics
  4. Data Wrangling: Data frames and tibbles, importing data
  5. Data Wrangling: Tidy data
  6. Data Wrangling: Relational data
  7. Midterm
  8. Data Wrangling: Strings
  9. Data Wrangling: Factors, dates and times
  10. Programming: Functions
  11. Programming: Vectors
  12. Programming: Vectors
  13. Summary

This course is part of the University Accreditation Program and meets specific requirements set by the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA). Please consult the CIA website for full details on CIA accreditation.

Grading

  • Quizzes 15%
  • Midterm 35%
  • Final Exam 50%

NOTES:

Above grading is subject to change.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

R for Data Science (2nd ed.), by Garrett Grolemund and Hadley Wickham, available online for free at https://r4ds.hadley.nz/.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Students with Disabilities:
Students requiring accommodations as a result of disability must contact the Centre for Accessible Learning 778-782-3112 or caladmin@sfu.ca.  


Tutor Requests:
Students looking for a tutor should visit https://www.sfu.ca/stat-actsci/all-students/other-resources/tutoring.html. We accept no responsibility for the consequences of any actions taken related to tutors.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.