Teaching Multiple Regression Using Real Estate Data: An Experiential Exercise

In the era of “Big Data,” data is often easy to obtain, and key management skills include analysis of the data and interpreting the statistical tests to get an answer to research questions. In this experiential exercise, students collect and analyze Zillow.com data to determine what factors predict the list price of houses. The exercise combines data collection and data analysis and interpretation using multiple regression, to demonstrate two key skills needed by students studying marketing or management research. From a teaching standpoint the data is dynamic, allowing the exercise to be used over multiple sections and semesters with different results each time it is used.