3  Using R/RStudio on a University Computer

3.1 Opening RStudio on a university computer

If you cannot install R/RStudio on your own computer, you can always use one of the computers in the psychology labs or library. They all have R/RStudio installed, as well as all the packages you need for the course materials.

First, log into the computer using your GUID and password. You should now be on the main desktop page (Figure 3.1).

Default Windows desktop with a dark blue background. In the middle is the University of Glasgow logo.
Figure 3.1: Your desktop on a university computer.

In the Windows menu, scroll down until you see a folder for RStudio. If you open the folder, you will see the RStudio software as a blue circle icon with an R in the middle (Figure 3.2).

Zoomed in view of the Windows menu icon. On the left, there is a list of software in the menu. The RStudio folder is open and the RStudio icon is highlighted.
Figure 3.2: The RStudio software icon within the RStudio menu folder.

When RStudio opens, you should see the three main windows with the default white theme (Figure 3.3). You now have RStudio open and ready to use in line with your course materials.

The whole page is the default RStudio theme in white. There are three windows for the console, environment, and files.
Figure 3.3: Default RStudio application with a white background theme.
Warning

Remember when you download and save files on a university computer, they are local to that computer. Make sure you save your work to the Cloud using OneDrive to access your files across devices.

3.2 Packages on a university computer

You will see several warnings in your course materials about not installing R packages on the university computers. This is because they already have a large number of packages already installed. In the packages window (Figure 3.4), these are all the packages installed on the system library, meaning everyone can access them. If you install a package, it will be installed on your user library. There might be a clash between two versions of the same package and it might not work.

So, please do not install R packages on a university computer.

Zoomed in view of the packages window. This shows all the packages in the system library and this section is highlighted with a red rectangle for emphasis.
Figure 3.4: Hightlighted packages window to show the packages in your system library.

Please speak to your course lead if you think there is a problem accessing a package on a university computer that you have been instructed to use.