You need to first access to the RPi in desktop mode to set it up for remote access. If you have an HDMI monitor and a USB mouse and keyboard, you can directly run the RPi as a desktop. In that case, follow the instructions in Using External Peripherals .
If you do not have a monitor, the situation is a little trickier. You need to access the RPi, but to do that you need some settings first for which you need to access the RPi … catch-22. However, there is a way around this, as explained in Headless Setup .
First, turn on the Wifi.
Make sure the Wifi is enabled. If not, click the icon is in the top right corner. This is also where you can select the Wifi network to connect. However, to connect to the "UCSD Protected" network, the process is a little different.
To connect to UCSD Protected, open a terminal window (click on the black icon in the top menu bar). There, navigate in Linux to the Desktop directory (using the "cd" command). Then type the command "sudo ./connect-wifi.sh". It will ask you to enter your credentials.
Make sure you are connected (you can try the web browser). If you have trouble connecting, turn the Wifi adaptor off and on, and try again.
You are now connected to your RPi desktop. You have access to the programs and tools that are already installed on it, and you can develop your own code. If you need to type commands, you will do that in a terminal window, which can be opened by clicking the black icon with ">_" in the top left corner.
To work on the RPi remotely, check out Remote Access