Hi Class of 2013,
The MKTR course for this year starts today.
There have been a lot of changes, revamps, streamlining, additions etc based on feedback, hindsight and some foresight this year.
I've taken up MEXL as one of the main software platforms for MKTR this year based on popular preference. The other platform MKTR will use is R.
I don't want anyone to feel iffy about the use of R. In SPSS or MEXL you use a menu-driven process to execute analysis. I have endeavored to make R as close to menu-driven in ease of use as possible. Most assignments and MKTR tools on R have ready code associated with them. I will publish the code needed to solve any assignment I give on this blog. All you need to do is essentially copy-paste my R code to run the same analysis. The course is not about you "learning" to code on R but to use ready-made code to get R to do what you want.
One reason why R is on this course is that it allows me to to introduce a wide range of new research methods that are only now coming into the mainstream and which will take a long while before they make their way into commercial software packages. Things like text mining, Twitter stream extraction and analysis etc. are just a few copy-pastes of R code away on R. Good luck with trying those things on MEXL, JMP or SPSS.
Past feedback said that some form of continuous evaluation helps maintain in-class connect. That will be tried out based on what some other courses have been doing in this regard.
More later today when we meet in class.
Sudhir
The MKTR course for this year starts today.
There have been a lot of changes, revamps, streamlining, additions etc based on feedback, hindsight and some foresight this year.
I've taken up MEXL as one of the main software platforms for MKTR this year based on popular preference. The other platform MKTR will use is R.
I don't want anyone to feel iffy about the use of R. In SPSS or MEXL you use a menu-driven process to execute analysis. I have endeavored to make R as close to menu-driven in ease of use as possible. Most assignments and MKTR tools on R have ready code associated with them. I will publish the code needed to solve any assignment I give on this blog. All you need to do is essentially copy-paste my R code to run the same analysis. The course is not about you "learning" to code on R but to use ready-made code to get R to do what you want.
One reason why R is on this course is that it allows me to to introduce a wide range of new research methods that are only now coming into the mainstream and which will take a long while before they make their way into commercial software packages. Things like text mining, Twitter stream extraction and analysis etc. are just a few copy-pastes of R code away on R. Good luck with trying those things on MEXL, JMP or SPSS.
Past feedback said that some form of continuous evaluation helps maintain in-class connect. That will be tried out based on what some other courses have been doing in this regard.
More later today when we meet in class.
Sudhir
Dear Professor,
ReplyDeleteCan the blog posts be numbered?
Going forward, can you try and have only one post per session and make whatever updates needed to it later on, if possible?
Right now, so many of them are floating around and some of them have been modified afterwards that it has begun to be slightly confusing.
Regards,
Shouri
Hi Shouri,
ReplyDeleteGood points, will keep in mind.
However, I must mention that the course this year has been like juggling multiple objects in the air. The pedagogy, much of the course content, the software platform, course components (e.g., the project, the in-class readings and the HWs) and the course focus itself has changed a lot from past years. And that's not counting the ongoing feedback based changes I am making on the move. So yes, its appears haphazard but I expect things to settle down soon.
Thanks,
Sudhir