Facing the Four-F test: Gretl´s Achievements and Challenges

Resumen

Schools of Economics and Business face the challenge of training individuals capable of analysing, understanding and explaining the functioning of the economy. With this aim, Statistics and Econometrics can be considered as strategic tools, providing competences referred to the ability to search, process and analyse information, and identify, pose and solve problems. Since the skills in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are increasingly important and the educational software plays an outstanding role in the teaching-learning process, in this paper we focus on the adequacy of software packages, proposing the “Four-F” test and analysing Gretl as a case study. The Four-F test includes the requirements of Freedom, Flexibility, Functionality and Friendliness. In order to test these hypotheses empirical evidence is collected through online students´ surveys and the obtained results confirm that Gretl is perceived as a free, flexible and friendly software package, while some difficulties appear with regard to the most demanding functionality requirements.