The aim of the course is to create basic competences for the use of computing systems and their applications as the main tools for data processing. After successfully completing the course, students will be able to:

• Describe the role and importance of computers in the field of Economics
• Identify the basic elements of the computer’s architecture and their role in computations
• Define the methods for data representation, especially for numerical data using different numerical systems
• Recognize the role and importance of algorithms and use algorithmic thinking when solving statistical problems using computers.
• Employ methods for statistical data processing suitable for computers
• Utilize spreadsheets and the Python programming language for statistical data processing tasks of open data
• Comparing and assessing the different tools for statistical data processing and draw conclusions on their strengths and weaknesses.

Role and importance of computers in the field of Economics. Evolution of computing machines and their architecture. Architecture of contemporary computing systems. Methods of data representation in the context of computers. Number systems and their role in computing. Methods and algorithms to address statistical problems using computers. Techniques to address statistical problems using a) Spreadsheets (Excel / OpenOffice Calc) and b) the programming language Python. Using open data to apply and study statistical processing methods towards understanding the data using both tools. Comparison and evaluation of statistical tools in the context of data processing problems.

Lectures (3 hours per week) and Laboratory exercises (2 hours per week)

1. Two (2) Team Projects on using software to perform statistical data processing and analysis: 30%
2. Final exam (Short and problem-solving questions: 70%

The evaluation criteria are available to students at eclass here.

• Slides and notes to support lectures
• Spreadsheet software and the Python programming language for demonstration and practice
• Use of the E-Learning platform eclass in order to:
  • Organize the course material (slides, notes, examples, code snippets etc)
  • Perform weekly online quizzes to evaluate the understanding of the related course material
  • Hand in homeworks
  • Communicate with the students and the class
• Open courses and open educational material