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  3. 2023
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  5. Innovative Assignments in Economics Courses
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Innovative Assignments in Economics Courses

Paper Session

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM (CST)

Hilton Riverside, Chart C
Hosted By: American Economic Association & Committee on Economic Education
  • Chair: Emily Marshall, Dickinson College

Learning from Reflection and Narrative: Using Course Stories in Economics

Simon Halliday
,
University of Bristol

Abstract

This presentation will discuss use of a “course story” at the end of the semester in the final problem set. This assignment provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their learning, chart their path through the course, and understand what they learned in context. Students can write anything from one act plays to science fiction stories of battling the enemy problem sets.

Test Preparation Services: A Market Analysis Workshop

Josh Staveley-O'Carroll
,
Babson College

Abstract

This presentation will describe a joint four-hour workshop between an entrepreneurial economics course and a quantitative methods course, which asks students to work in groups to prepare to enter into an existing market. Price and quantity data is fabricated by the instructors to represent the market for tutoring services for standardized test preparation. Student groups must analyze the data, conduct market research on four existing firms in the market, choose whether to offer in-person tutoring or asynchronous tutoring with a computer learning algorithm, determine how much to borrow to cover fixed costs, come up with a price strategy, and identify any ethical concerns. At the end of the workshop, groups give short presentations on their new firm; write-ups are due the next day. The workshop forces students to consider topics such as cost structure, demand elasticity, oligopolies, regression analysis, and pricing strategy.

Improving Engagement: A Virtual Escape Room

Eren Bilen
,
Dickinson College

Abstract

This presentation explains an in-class game that can be used in a principles-level or upper-level course. Originally designed to increase engagement for students joining remotely during the pandemic, this assignment increases student engagement and motivation through interaction. This unique application of a virtual escape room is a familiar concept for students but draws them into course material.

Beyond the Textbook: Incorporating Current Events in a Student-Driven Framework

Amy Guisinger
,
Lafayette College

Abstract

This presentation shows how to implement small-group pre-recorded videos that allows students to have more creative control, reduced presentation anxiety, and minimizes inefficiencies of technical difficulties. Topic assignment is done through a variety of methods from lotteries to “betting”. The group finds a current event happening in the world and relates it to the topic to macroeconomic theory. Students create videos that are viewed outside of the classroom. In-class question-and-answer sessions are conducted with pre-submitted questions from their classmates that encourage thoughtful reflections.

Discussant(s)
Bill Goffe
,
Pennsylvania State University
Abdullah Al-Bahrani
,
Northern Kentucky University
Marketa Halova Wolfe
,
Skidmore College
Diego Mendez-Carbajo
,
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
JEL Classifications
  • A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics