ECONOMICS  College of Business and Public Administration
 Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa 50311

Frequently asked questions about Econ 107 online
Introduction to Econometrics

Is the summer section entirely online? Yes, except the final exam. Slideshows, quizzes, weekly tests, problems, and computer exercises are viewed and submitted online. The final exam is given in a classroom in Aliber Hall just before fall classes begin. For students in the Des Moines area, I am available for help in my office by appointment.
When is the final exam? For summer 2011 the final exam will be given on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 9:00 AM in Aliber Hall. A make-up final exam will be given Friday, August 26 at 10:00 AM, but students taking the make-up exam will receive their final course grades later.
Does this course cover the same material as the regular-term classroom section? Yes!
How much math do I need to know? The prerequisites are basic calculus and basic statistics. From calculus, you must know how to take derivatives. If you are rusty on calculus, appendix A section A5 of the Wooldridge textbook is a useful resource. From statistics, you must know about random variables, means, variances, covariances, distributions, estimators, confidence intervals, and hypothesis tests. If you are rusty on these topics, Appendices B and C are useful resources.
How much time will this course require? Plan on spending about 20 hours per week. This is NOT a self-paced course. You must keep up or lose points.
Can I work ahead? You can and you should! Reading assignments, slideshows, quizzes, and problem assignments will be posted about one week ahead. However, if you are assigned to comment on another student's solution to a problem, you must wait till that student actually posts a proposed solution. Weekly tests must be taken sometime during a window of about twelve hours on Fridays.
Do I really need to buy the Wooldridge textbook? Absolutely. Moreover, you may want to keep this textbook after the course. This is a very good textbook for anyone who plans to actually do econometric analysis. It presents econometrics as it is actually practiced by professional researchers.
Do I need special software? You need
  1. A web browser. Internet Explorer 7, Apple Safari, and Mozilla Firefox work well and are available for free download. Unfortunately, Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome sometime have problems with Blackboard, so you should not use them.
  2. Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 8 or higher. Most computers come with Acrobat Reader already installed, but you can download a free copy from the Adobe Web Site, www.adobe.com. Version 8 is necessary for reading "packages" of slideshows.
  3. Microsoft Excel for Windows. Drake students can get a free copy of Excel from the HelpDesk in the basement of Carnegie Hall. Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro Pro are acceptable alternatives, but you will have to learn to use them on your own. Excel 2004 for Mac is OK, but Excel 2008 for Mac does not have the key features we need for this course.
I am not a Drake student. How can I get transfer credit for this course? Do the following.
  1. Before enrolling, go to the course home page (www.drake.edu/cbpa/econ/boal/107) and print the syllabus. Then go to www.drake.edu/cbpa/econ/boal/107/exams.html and print a recent final exam.
  2. Take these items to your university's Economics Department or College of Business and request approval.
  3. After completing the course, go to www.drake.edu/studentrecords/ and order a transcript sent to your university.
What do students think of this course? See anonymous comments.

Updated April 2011.

[end of faqs]

Drake home page > CBPA home page > Economics home page > Top of this page