Learner Profiles
These profiles represent the types of learners in this workshop, based on actual registration data from the April 2026 pilot cohort.
The thesis student
A master’s student at the University of Aruba working on research that involves survey data or secondary datasets. Has used SPSS in a Research Methods course but the license is tied to the university lab. Wants a tool that works on a personal laptop at no cost.
Already knows: basic statistics, navigating SPSS menus for descriptives and cross-tabulations, importing data from Excel or CSV.
Needs to learn: how to replicate SPSS workflows in R, how to create publication-quality charts, how to work with code instead of menus.
The government analyst
Works at a statistical office or government agency (e.g., CBS Aruba, IPA) processing survey data and producing recurring reports. The team uses SPSS but faces annual budget pressure from license renewals. Has been asked to evaluate free alternatives or simply wants to expand their toolkit.
Already knows: SPSS at an intermediate to advanced level, structured data processing, reporting requirements.
Needs to learn: that R can replicate existing SPSS
workflows, how to import .sav files, how to produce
formatted reports without copy-pasting output.
The professional looking to upskill
Works in the private sector (consulting, accounting, research) and uses data regularly but has limited or no experience with statistical software. Interested in what R and SPSS can do for their work. May be attending only one session.
Already knows: Excel, basic data concepts, domain-specific analytical needs.
Needs to learn: what statistical software can do beyond spreadsheets, the basics of importing and exploring data, creating visualizations.
The lecturer
Teaches at the university and supervises student theses. Uses SPSS for demonstrations in class. Interested in whether R is viable for teaching and whether the course materials could support a gradual curriculum transition.
Already knows: a broad range of SPSS procedures, how to teach statistics, the institutional SPSS workflow.
Needs to learn: whether R is teachable to beginners, how R Markdown could replace copy-pasting SPSS output, what the transition path looks like.