Journal

Your course journal is a Quarto book. Each week has its own chapter with three prompts—you answer one.
Word ranges are enforced during render:

What you get after download

Run:

download_journal("mc451", dest = ".")   # or "mc501"

This creates:

journal/
  _quarto.yml
  index.qmd
  entry_template.qmd
  entries/
  scripts/
    new_journal_entry.R
    update_chapters.R
  prompts_mc451.csv   # or prompts_mc501.csv
  assets/
  • entries/ holds your week chapters: week_02.qmd, week_03.qmd, …
  • scripts/new_journal_entry.R creates a week chapter, injects the three prompts for that week, sets word-range based on your course, and updates _quarto.yml.
  • _quarto.yml is the book’s table of contents. Do not edit the # BEGIN AUTO … # END AUTO block—scripts manage it.

Prompts are stored in a CSV by week (no randomness). Exactly three prompts per week must be present.

Add a week chapter

From inside the journal/ folder:

source("scripts/new_journal_entry.R")

You’ll be prompted for a week number (e.g., 2–14). The script will:

  1. Create entries/week_XX.qmd from entry_template.qmd.
  2. Inject the three prompts for that week.
  3. Set the correct word range for your course (MC 451 or MC 501).
  4. Update journal/_quarto.yml.

Open the new file and write your single response in the Response section.

Write the entry

Open entries/week_XX.qmd and scroll to Response. Answer one prompt. Keep it within your range:

  • MC 451: 250–300 words
  • MC 501: 450–500 words

The word counter appears when you render. It counts text only inside the Response block—don’t add extra sections outside it.

Render the journal (book)

From inside journal/:

quarto render

Outputs are written to journal/_book/:

  • HTML book (always)
  • PDF/EPUB if enabled and TinyTeX is installed

If PDF fails:

quarto install tinytex

(or run mccourse_setup() in R).

Submit & version your work

When you add a chapter, two files change:

  1. journal/entries/week_XX.qmd
  2. journal/_quarto.yml

Use the Git pane (or command line) to Stage → Commit → Push both files. If _quarto.yml isn’t committed, the new chapter won’t appear on other machines.

At a glance (diagram)

Prompts CSV (for maintainers)

Prompts live in prompts_mc451.csv or prompts_mc501.csv (same folder as scripts/).

Required columns (no category column):

week,prompt_id,prompt
2,1,"Prompt text A for Week 2"
2,2,"Prompt text B for Week 2"
2,3,"Prompt text C for Week 2"
3,1,"Prompt text A for Week 3"
3,2,"Prompt text B for Week 3"
3,3,"Prompt text C for Week 3"
  • Provide exactly three rows per week (prompt_id usually 1,2,3).
  • The script fails loudly if a week does not have exactly three prompts.

FAQ (journal-specific)

Where do prompts come from? From the course CSV (prompts_mc451.csv or prompts_mc501.csv) with three prompts per week.

My word count says “Out of range.” Trim/extend your Response to fit your course range (MC 451: 250–300; MC 501: 450–500).

The new week chapter doesn’t show in the book. Commit and push both entries/week_XX.qmd and _quarto.yml, then re‑render.

Can I revise a chapter later? Yes—edit entries/week_XX.qmd and commit the changes. No need to rerun the script for the same week.

Summary

  • Journal = Quarto book under journal/
  • Each week = one chapter with three prompts → answer one
  • Word ranges enforced per course
  • Always commit both the new chapter and _quarto.yml