Economics: Spreadsheets as Pedagogical Tools for Economic Statistics and Econometrics

Abstract

With the focus on larger and faster computers and multimedia presentations, the trend in computer-aided instruction implies bigger (or more complex) must be necessarily better. Whereas more powerful applications allow economics instructors to demonstrate some very interesting and often complicated procedures and theories, there is much that can be done with very simple and widely available programs. In this paper, I explain the advantages of introducing undergraduate students to econometrics by helping them design their own statistical packages using a spreadsheet program. Keywords : Economics, instruction, computers, econometrics, statistics, spreadsheets.