## DECS-433 Course Requirements

### Readings

The complete set of course materials is online, organized into week-by-week segments. The readings for each week are designed to be read after that week's lecture. Two books with the same title, "Statistics for Business and Economics," one by Newbold, Carlson, and Thorne, and the other by Anderson, Sweeney, and Williams, have been occasionally used in sections of this course in recent years. If you feel the need for a traditional textbook, a used copy of either will probably serve you well.

### Exercises

There is a set of exercises to be completed following each session: A full set of answers is attached to each set. I can pretty much guarantee that you'll gain nothing from this course unless you work through the exercises. Try them, reconcile your answers with mine and your classmates’, and contact me whenever uncertainties remain. You can reach me by email at rjweber@northwestern.edu, or by phone (at most reasonable hours, i.e., after 10 AM and before midnight, when I'm not in class) at 847-644-2585.

As well, there will be a short set of problems posted each week as a "mini-quiz." You must work on these problems individually (this is an Honor Code requirement), and submit your answers (via the class website) no later than 11 PM on the Sunday after the associated class. Answers will be posted shortly after the submission deadline.

### Computers

Should you bring your own computer and try to work along with me? That's a personal decision. Some find working in parallel to be very helpful, and others find it a counterproductive distraction. Having a computer with you in class is completely optional, except on the days of the exams, when it's required.

### Grading

The evaluative component of the course consists of the mini-quizzes, an in-class midterm examination given during the first part of the Week-7 class, and a Week-11 final examination. The final exam will be comprehensive, i.e., it will cover all of the course material. The exams will be open-book, open-notes, and open-whatever-other-personal-reference-material-you-might-find-useful. The course exercises and mini-quizzes are all based on previous examinations, and three sample midterm exams are posted on the class website, so you'll have a good idea of what to expect by the time the exam days roll around.