ECON413 INTRODUCTION TO DATA SCIENCE
| Course Code: | 3110413 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (2.00 - 2.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 6.0 |
| Department: | Economics |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. EROL TAYMAZ |
| Offered Semester: | Fall and Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
By the end of the course the students will know how they use the data science for economic analysis, and learn the basic tools that they need for data analysis. At the end of the course the students apply these tools and techniques to analyze a real-world problem by using R in all stages of the research process.
Course Content
Data science is an interdisciplinary field about scientific processes and systems to extract knowledge or insights from data in various forms. With the availability of substantial amount of data in various forms and resources, it has become essential for economists to be equipped with skills needed to collect, process, analyze, and present the data. The course will be taught as a series of workshops. Main topics and methods will be summarized and discussed in each lecture, and the students will write the code to
perform the task assigned to them during the lecture. The students will learn how to write basic programs in R which is one of the most popular open-source programming language currently in use by data scientists.
Course Learning Outcomes
Thus the students at the end of the semester will be able to:
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Learn basic programming skills with R Programming
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Access the data from various sources and formats
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Reshape and clean the data for reporting and further analysis
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Explore and visualize the data
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Conduct statistics analysis by using R
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Perform reproducible research
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | Use and develop skillfully economic concepts and theories, analyse economic behaviour and events by conceptualizing and evaluating via scientific methods (Has skills regarding theory and analysis) | ✔ | |||
| 2 | Evaluate how economic policies affect economic performance and how economic interest, relationship and interaction affect policy decisions (Knowledgeable about economic policies) | ✔ | |||
| 3 | Design and carry out studies regarding data collection, analysis and evaluation, that can be used in decision processes at every level (individual, firm, government, etc.)(Knowledgeable about quantitative and qualitative methods) | ✔ | |||
| 4 | Evaluate systematically and compare economic knowledge, phenomena and methodology; Develop critical, creative/innovative approaches to these (Critical, creative, innovative) | ✔ | |||
| 5 | Understand current economic phenomena and relevant political developments using information and data from various resources and provide multifaceted explanations (Concerned about current events) | ✔ | |||
| 6 | Follow developments in economic theory and methods; Be open to continuous learning (Open to continuous learning) | ✔ | |||
| 7 | Have skills to work independently and in a team (Individual and teamwork) | ✔ | |||
| 8 | Approach critically to economic and societal events and problems while being sensitive to social problems; Produce solutions to these problems by scientific approach; Share own thoughts (Sensitive to social problems) | ✔ | |||
| 9 | Communicate clearly, effectively and fluently (in English and Turkish) verbally and in writing, utilizing new technologies (Has effective communication skills) | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution