1. Book
The key resource is:
The Practice of Statistics for Business and Economics (fifth edition) by
Alwan, Craig, and McCabe (W.H. Freeman/Macmillan, 2020). This is our seventh academic year with this excellent book, and our first year with this edition.
The most affordable way to read the book is in e-book format, available from the publisher's order page.
If you have access to our previous custom, print edition (say inheriting it from an upper-year student) then that is
perfectly appropriate also. That is Moore, McCabe, Alwan, and Craig
The Practice of Statistics for Business and Economics (fourth edition) (W.H. Freeman/Macmillan, 2016).
The chapter references for that edition are slightly different but are given on a separate
outline.
2. Calculator
You also need an approved hand calculator. In the Faculty of Arts and Science the approved calculator is the Casio 991.
Don't forget to bring your calculator to mid-term tests and to the final exam. The proctors will not have a spare calculator for you to use, and you will risk failing the test without a calculator.
3. Software
(a) To graph or plot data in Microsoft Excel (part of the Office suite of software) you do not need to purchase your
own copy of this software.
Microsoft Office is installed on computing sites, especially Mackintosh-Corry Hall E209 or kiosks.
You also can use calc, the spreadsheet component of openoffice, if you prefer.
In Excel, please remember to install the analysis add-in so that you can calculate statistics. You will then see the "Data Analysis" option under the "Data" menu.
You can use Excel on a Windows machine or a Mac, just as you wish.
If you are new to Excel then welcome: you are not alone! For advice on using it for graphing and for statistical calculations please consider any of:
(i) asking friends or colleagues;
(ii) asking the instructor or tutors;
(iii) using the built-in help or searching on the web;
(iv)
perhaps taking an online course through our Linkedin Learning subscription.
(b) We'll also use most of the applets that accompany the textbook. You can find the applets on-line.
(c) We'll also use some simulations that are on the web. The course outline lists these.
4. Formula Sheet
Here is a helpful formula sheet. Parts of this sheet will be printed in each test's question paper. Statistical tables also will be printed in test papers as needed.
5. Meetings after Class, Office Hours, and Review Sessions
Each year we receive e-mail from students after the final exam asking what they can do to improve their grade.
For example, some students pass the course but do not receive a high enough grade to be eligible to take Econ 351.
The answer to these enquiries is that unfortunately there is nothing we can do after the last review session.
We cannot help you either in or after the final exam, or change the weighting scheme, or assign extra work for credit.
So, if you have difficulties in the course (for example on either or both midterm tests) please consider seeing the instructor after class or in office hours to ask questions, please ask the teaching assistants to work through practice problems with you, and attend any review sessions before the final exam. We are dedicated to assisting you before the final exam, but we cannot do so afterwards.
6. Lecture Notes
One resource we do not provide is a set of lecture notes. There are two reasons for this.
First, we try to follow the textbook to avoid confusion, and so we sometimes use slides and images prepared by the publisher.
Those are under copyright, and we are not allowed to circulate them, even behind a password.
Second, in the past we've sometimes prepared summaries or lecture notes in Economics 250 but, to our surprise, they have often been associated with
diminished student performance.
They seem to lead to a false sense of security and to discourage students from the regular practice that is necessary for learning statistics.
Our advice is to read the textbook (which, after all, is not very long), to do problems,
and to compose your own outlines or notes if you find that helpful.
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