Course Information

ECON 221 Probability and Statistical Distributions & ECON 222 Statistical Estimation and Inference

Course Information

Syllabus Course Rules Materials 221 (GSHEET) 222 (GSHEET)

Syllabus

Official syllabus pages

ECON 221 Probability and Statistical Distributions ECON 222 Statistical Estimation and Inference

Course Rules

Learning, attendance, exams

Question: What is effective learning?

Answer: Effectiveness is the degree to which a process delivers a desired outcome, which is to me to see my students as high-caliber members of the professional and academic community, even more rewardingly to see my former students as people bringing positive change to the society.

Question: What is effective learning from the perspective of a student?

Answer: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. See the previous Q/A to form your personal answer.

Question: Should I attend each class hour?

Answer: There is a strong association between performance and attendance.

Question: So, showing up in class is enough, right?

Answer: To attend does not only mean to show up; it rather has a connotation with to come to class prepared and to participate.

Question: Is classroom a boring environment?

Answer: No, as long as everyone behaves with basic politeness and civility. An informal atmosphere is acceptable as long as it is orderly.

Question: I have a good memory; can I rely on it?

Answer: Memorization has some role in triggering your learning, but it should eventually be replaced with a full command of the subject matter.

  1. Knowledge: recognizing or recalling information; memorization, something so much of a short-term
  2. Comprehension: organizing and arranging material mentally; grasping a topic; collecting together a battery of information and ideas
  3. Application: applying the previously learned to reach an answer
  4. Analysis: thinking critically and in depth; solving problems
  5. Synthesis: thinking creatively to present something original; producing original communications, making predictions and solving problems
  6. Evaluation: judging the value or validity of an idea, a solution to a problem, or an aesthetic work; offering an opinion on an issue through objective criteria, standards, or personal values

Based on this, every course has a pre-designed target complexity over the Knowledge-to-Evaluation spectrum. ECON 221 reaches mostly up to Application and partly Analysis, while ECON 222 reaches up to Synthesis and Evaluation.

Question: How long should I study?

Answer: See the previous Q/A.

Question: What gear do I need?

Answer: Each student is suggested to have a traditional notebook and pencil, or a tablet with notetaking capacity, and a calculator for exams.

Question: I will never cheat. But what happens to cheaters?

Answer: Cheating and plagiarism are unfair and may be penalized at a minimum with failing the course and at a maximum with suspension.

Question: Is there an AI policy?

Answer: ECON 221 and ECON 222 do not employ AI in teaching. However, students may assist themselves with AI while they are studying the subject matter. The homework descriptions will specifically inform you on whether to use AI.

Exam Rules and Logistics

Past materials folder Instructor cheat sheet PDF
  1. STUDENTS are responsible for everything covered in class and recitations up to and including the last lecture/recitation.
  2. PROCTORS are expected in FEASS A-108 15 minutes before the exam's start. Regarding the exchange of posts among PROCTORS, make sure Ms. Özlem Eraslan has been informed in a timely fashion. On exam day only, directly call +905325435888 for emergencies.
  3. STUDENTS are not to be admitted to exam without their STUDENT ID card.
  4. PROCTORS: exam dates and times are as announced; the STUDENTS are to be seated according to section information, grades and exam seating files.
  5. Duration is 75 minutes for midterms and 105 minutes for finals. STUDENTS cannot leave the room in the first 30 minutes and not to be admitted after that.
  6. There is no restroom allowance, except for those with officially documented chronic medical conditions.
  7. Books and notes are not allowed. Each STUDENT can use a cheat sheet: the four-page sheet provided by the instructor, and one personal A4 sheet written only by the student. Personal cheat sheets are checked during the exam, and noncompliant sheets are confiscated.
  8. STUDENTS' use of standalone calculators is allowed. Use of other devices is not allowed.
  9. Exchange of calculators, stationery and formula sheets between STUDENTS is not allowed.
  10. STUDENTS are not to use the back sides of exam sheets; responses on back sides are not to be graded.
  11. STUDENTS are not to remove the staples of exam sets under any circumstances.
  12. STUDENTS will not ask any questions during the exam. PROCTORS will not answer STUDENTS' questions of any sort.
  13. STUDENTS are not to leave the exam room without submitting their work and signing the attendance list.
  14. By the end of the exam, PROCTORS are to dispose of unused exam sets, and to make sure that number of people on the attendance list and the number of exam papers submitted match. Upon the submission of exam papers and attendance lists to FEASS A-108 the duties of PROCTORS end.
  15. Exam results are to be announced in two weeks' time after the exam date. Until then, no correspondences from STUDENTS regarding the exam are expected.

Course Supplementary Materials

Excel and PDF files