Idaho State University · College of Business
Introduction to Data Analytics
Abigail Cormier · Fall 2026 · Online
Last updated August 31, 2026
Each week: read the slide decks, watch the lecture videos, complete the homework. Everything is due Sunday at 11:59 p.m. unless noted. All three exams are taken online through Canvas using Honorlock. No live sessions; office hours are on Zoom, with times and the link in Canvas.
Data fundamentals (Aug 24-28)
Reading: Healy, ch. 2; the setup guide and Project Guide; Bekes & Kezdi, ch. 1; Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, ch. 1
Homework 0 cancelled, credited to everyone
Beginning to learn (Aug 31-Sep 4)
Reading: Bekes & Kezdi, chs. 2-3
IRL: “What Can Uber Teach Us About the Gender Pay Gap?” Freakonomics Radio, episode 317
ADD/DROP DEADLINE, Fri Sep 4
Lecture videos and Homework 2, Sun Sep 6
Models for exploration (Sep 7-11)
Reading: Bekes & Kezdi, ch. 4; Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, chs. 2, 4
IRL: Stanford Digital Economies Lab, Canaries Dashboard
Pre-project Exercise, Wed Sep 9
Lecture videos and Homework 3, Sun Sep 13
Making inferences (Sep 14-18)
Reading: Bekes & Kezdi, chs. 5-6; Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, ch. 6
IRL: “The Cybernetic Teammate,” One Useful Thing, 22 Mar 25
Before the first exam: complete the Honorlock setup check on Thu Sep 17, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It takes about 15 minutes and confirms your webcam, microphone, and browser work before anything is graded.
Honorlock setup check, Thu Sep 17
Lecture videos and Homework 4, Sun Sep 20
Measurement error, sample selection, and confounding (Sep 21-25)
Reading: Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, ch. 16
Lecture videos and Homework 5, Sun Sep 27
Exam 1, then the Bayesian approach (Sep 28-Oct 2)
Reading: Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, ch. 15; “Bayes theorem, the geometry of changing beliefs,” 3Blue1Brown
IRL: “Using Bayesian Updating to Improve Decisions under Uncertainty,” California Management Review, 2020
No Zoom office hours this week.
EXAM 1, Tue Sep 29, Honorlock window 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 60-minute timed exam, begin by 5 p.m.
Lecture videos, Sun Oct 4
Regression fundamentals (Oct 5-9; Oct 12-16; Oct 19-23)
Reading: Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, ch. 5; Bekes & Kezdi, chs. 7-10; Angrist & Pischke, ch. 2
IRL: “Anybody Can Win, but Everybody’s Gonna Lose,” Against the Rules, season 4, episode 10
Project Progress Check (optional), Sun Oct 11
Lecture videos, Sun Oct 11
Lecture videos, Sun Oct 18
Lecture videos and Homework 6, Sun Oct 25
Potential outcomes and causal inference (Oct 26-30)
Reading: Bekes & Kezdi, chs. 19-20; Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, chs. 3, 9-11; Angrist & Pischke, ch. 1
WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE, Fri Oct 30
Lecture videos and Homework 7, Sun Nov 1
Regression discontinuity (Nov 2-6)
Reading: Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, ch. 12; Angrist & Pischke, ch. 4
IRL: “Tom Brady, A.D.H.D., and a Really Bad Headache,” Freakonomics M.D., 11 Jul 23. Companion paper: Layton et al., “Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder and Month of School Enrollment,” NEJM, 2018
Lecture videos and Homework 8, Sun Nov 8
Difference in differences (Nov 9-13)
Reading: Bekes & Kezdi, ch. 22; Bueno de Mesquita & Fowler, ch. 13; Angrist & Pischke, ch. 5
IRL: “Is Facebook Bad for Your Mental Health?” Freakonomics M.D., 8 Dec 22
Lecture videos and Homework 9, Sun Nov 15
Exam 2 and Project Assistance (Nov 16-20)
Extended Zoom office hours on Wed Nov 18 for Project coding and knitting help, replacing the usual session. Times and the link are in Canvas.
EXAM 2, Tue Nov 17, Honorlock window 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 60-minute timed exam, begin by 5 p.m.
PROJECT, Sun Nov 22
Fall recess, Nov 23-27. No classes, nothing due.
Introduction to machine learning (Nov 30-Dec 4; Dec 7-11)
Reading: Bekes & Kezdi, chs. 13-14
IRL: “In Defense of Zillow’s Besieged Data Scientists,” Medium, 16 Nov 2021
Lecture videos, Sun Dec 6
Lecture videos and Homework 10, Sun Dec 13
Finals week (Dec 14-18)
Exam 3 and Project Accountability, Fri Dec 18, Honorlock window 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. You get 2 hours, so start by 4 p.m.