COMPUTING SKILLS FOR ECONOMICS

The course is one of the activities of the degree course in Economics that allows students to improve knowledge for data management through ad-hoc software and for reporting.
The aim of the course is to provide the basic informatic knowledge in order to let students develop the skills to structure, process, analyse data, disclose information using informatic tools.
To this goal the students will be introduced to R software and reporting techniques.

Frontal lectures and laboratory will allow students:

1. Knowledge and understanding
1.1 To know the basic computer terminology for both the hardware and software
1.2 To to recognize the logical-formal structure of a problem

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
2.1 To use basic terminology correctly
2.2 To formalize a problem by constructing a suitable algorithm
2.3 To use dedicated software for the analysis of economic-business data

3. Making judgements
3.1 To apply the computerized procedures during the economic decision process.

Fulfillment of OFAs (Additional Learning Requirements) according to https://www.unive.it/web/en/4347/exams . Students must know the fundamental of Mathematics even without passing the exam.

Parte I - Computer
- Von Neuman Architecture
- Computer hardware
- Computer software
- Introduction to Boolean Algebras and binary language

Part II - From problems to solutions
- Defining the problem and identification of variables
- Encoding of a problem in pseudo-code
- Conditional expressions
- Iterative structures ("for" and "while")
- Implementation of a pseudo code

Part III - Introduction to the use of spreadsheets and the R language
- The tabular representation of one or more collected variables
- Graphical representation of data sets and reporting.

Dal Problema alla Soluzione. Guida Pratica per Principianti alla Programmazione in R (2024) F. Parpinel e C. Pizzi, Giappichelli

Notes of the teacher downloadable from the university e-learning platform Moodle.

The method that will be used to assess the knowledge and skills acquired is written exam.
The final exam consists of two written tests on the Moodle platform:

- The first test, called "Quiz", consists of approximately 12 questions (lasting about 15 minutes) on specific theoretical and practical topics from the syllabus. This test verifies that the student has acquired the concepts presented during the lectures and covered in the program. The total score for this test is a maximum of 15 points, which is the sum of the scores for individual questions (1 or 2 points).

- The second test, called "Script", consists of two exercises that involve designing and implementing a code using the software introduced in the lectures (lasting about 40 minutes). These exercises aim to verify that the student can tackle real-world problems and translate them into the presented programming language. The total score for this test is a maximum of 16 points.

The two tests will be taken by the student on the same day.

- To pass the exam (18 out of 30), the student must show the ability to solve the problems, obtaining at least half of the respective scores and achieving a minimum score of 7 in the "Quiz" part.

- To achieve the highest grade, the student must correctly answer all the questions in "Quiz" part and successfully complete the "Script" part.

- To achieve an intermediate grade, the student must solve most of the proposed problems without significant errors.

The course consists of frontal lessons, using R software and teaching modules available on the moodle.unive.it e-learning platform.
Students must register for the moodle platform and computer will be required during the lessons.

During the lesson period, the student is encouraged to complete some exercises and self-assessment tests available on the e-learning platform.
This activity is not mandatory to access the exam.

The proper use of the university e-learning platform is required

Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion
Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments

Ca' Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

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