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  • 1.  MIT Summer Course - Discrete Choice Analysis: Predicting Individual Behavior and Market Demand - June 15-19, 2020

    Posted 05-04-2020 06:46 PM

    Dear Colleagues,

    We will be teaching remotely a one-week course from June 15-19, 2020:

    Discrete Choice Analysis: Predicting Individual Behavior and Market Demand

    In the wake of Covid-19, the course will be offered in a live, all-virtual format.

    Discrete choice models are used in many fields such as economics, engineering, environmental management, marketing, urban planning, and transportation. Most applications are performed offline and often involve stated preferences surveys.  This program also covers online applications where predictions of individual choice behavior are used as inputs for online optimization and personalization.

    The course is designed for modelers who wish to acquire in-depth knowledge of the latest developments. It is intended for academics and professionals interested in learning new discrete choice techniques. Recent additions to the course include "Foundations of Stated Preference Elicitation: Consumer Behavior and Choice-based Conjoint Analysis" by Moshe Ben-Akiva, Daniel McFadden and Kenneth Train, and estimation of flexible model specifications using machine learning methods.

    One full-tuition scholarship will be awarded to an outstanding doctoral student with an application deadline of May 15, 2020. Partial scholarships (50%) are also available for junior faculty, postdocs, and doctoral students.

    Additional information is available here. We would appreciate your help in making people aware of this unique opportunity to study this summer at MIT.

    Thanks, Moshe



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    Moshe Ben-Akiva M.ASCE
    Edmund K. Turner Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
    MIT
    Cambridge, MA
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  • 2.  RE: MIT Summer Course - Discrete Choice Analysis: Predicting Individual Behavior and Market Demand - June 15-19, 2020

    Posted 05-05-2020 11:45 AM
    Hi Dr. Ben-Akiva,

    I took a similar course at UC Berkeley taught by Dr. Joan Walker. I agree that discrete choice analysis is a powerful tool for civil engineers. From my experience, the course had maximum benefits for those with backgrounds in statistics, optimization, and python programming. Will the course be accessible for those with novice backgrounds? Also, from my experience survey data was critical to run the biogeme models. Will that also be the case for your course?

    Best regards,

    Paul

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    Paul Lee P.E., M.ASCE
    Civil Engineering Associate
    Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power
    Los Angeles CA
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  • 3.  RE: MIT Summer Course - Discrete Choice Analysis: Predicting Individual Behavior and Market Demand - June 15-19, 2020

    Posted 05-07-2020 07:34 PM
    Hi Paul,

    No prior knowledge of discrete choice is required for participants. A working knowledge of basic statistical methods is needed for the course.

    More details about the course are available here: https://professional.mit.edu/course-catalog/discrete-choice-analysis-predicting-individual-behavior-and-market-demand.

    Thanks, Moshe

    ------------------------------
    Moshe Ben-Akiva M.ASCE
    Edmund K. Turner Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
    MIT
    Cambridge MA
    ------------------------------