Redesigned version to be merged on 8th July 2024

[tobyhodges]

@datacarpentry/curriculum-advisors-ecology recently approved the redesigned version of this lesson for adoption into the Ecology curriculum. The new version of the lesson will be merged into this repository on 8th July 2024.

Notes for myself on what needs doing and when:

• notices added to repositories and sites of current and new lesson versions notifying visitors of the scheduled change
• open a pull request to make the change, to be merged on 2024-07-08
• [on 2024-07-08] release current version of lesson repository to Zenodo
• [on 2024-07-08] merge pull request, replacing current version with redesigned lesson
• [on 2024-07-08] release new version of lesson repository to Zenodo
• [on 2024-07-08] close other outstanding issues and pull requests on this repository that have been invalidated by the change
• [on 2024-07-08] transfer existing issues from https://github.com/datacarpentry/R-ecology-lesson-alternative to this repository
• [on 2024-07-08] archive https://github.com/datacarpentry/R-ecology-lesson-alternative repository and redirect visitors to this repo
• Update Data Carpentry Ecology Suggested episodes for practice and demos carpentries/instructor-training#1683
• search other lessons for links to current version, adjust accordingly

[leykunget]

My comment is about the new lesson on ecology in R - that the 'Data visualization with ggplot2' episode would be better placed after 'Exploring and understanding data' and 'Working with data', because:

• Logical flow - Understanding the data first provides necessary context before visualizing it.
• Effective storytelling - Visualizations are most impactful when built on solid data understanding.
• Informed design - Data exploration guides better choices on visualization techniques.
• Troubleshooting - Deeper data knowledge helps diagnose and resolve visualization issues.
• Iteration - Exploring data first allows insights to feed back into further exploration and refinement.

[tobyhodges]

Thanks for this feedback, @leykunget. This was the initial reaction of many folks, including some members of the Curriculum Advisory Committee. I have heard from several Instructors who were initially skeptical but reported that the new flow worked well when they taught the lesson in a workshop. If you have taught this new lesson, please share more about your experience e.g. by opening a Pilot Workshop Feedback issue on the lesson repository?

The concerns you raise are all certainly valid, and Instructors will need to be careful to stress that jumping straight to data visualisation is not necessarily a good choice when using the skills taught in the lesson as part of a real analysis.

The rationale for placing plotting early in the episode was to fit the "Let Them Eat Cake (First)" model, where we try to increase learners' motivation and engagement by helping them see as early as possible what they will be able to achieve with the skills they are learning.