Econ 102 QuickStart
COURSE SETUP
A typical week
 Lectures
 Some data slides are posted in advance
 Breaks for “Ask your neighbor” activities
 Weekly Friday Discussions
 Graded weekly for Attendance, Preparation, Participation
 Drop three lowest weeks (absence, etc)
 Handwritten Prep Work must be done in advance
 Just show it to the TA at start of class to receive credit
 Most of each meeting devoted to groupwork
 Students organized into recurring color-themed groups
Exams
 4 75-minute online midterm exams all given during regular class-time
 Canvas will drop the lowest midterm score
 120-minute online final exam 2:45pm Tuesday, Dec 19
 Cumulative, about 50% testing new material
 Exam formats:
 Include multiple choice, dropdown, numeric, and free-response
 Honorlock-enabled to deter groupwork, online search
 Open-book, open-note
Chapter Homework
 Administered through MyLab/Canvas
 Multiple choice, drop-down, and numeric
 Can each be re-submitted repeatedly until you get 100%
 Chapter Homework are due 11:59pm Central Time the day before the
next exam
Exam dates
Chapter 5 and 6 Homework are due 11:59pm CT Monday, 9/25
• Online exam 1pm-2:15pm Tuesday, 9/26
Chapter 7 and 8 Homework are due 11:59pm CT Monday, 10/16
• Online exam 1pm-2:15pm Tuesday, 10/17
Chapter 9 Homework is due 11:59pm CT Monday, 10/30
• Online exam 1pm-2:15pm Tuesday, 10/31
Chapter 10 and 12 Homework are due 11:59pm CT Monday, 11/20
• Online exam 1pm-2:15pm Tuesday, 11/21
Chapters 13-15 Homework are due 11:59pm Monday, 12/18
• Online final exam 2:45-4:45pm Tuesday, 12/19
Econ 102 QuickStart
ASSESSMENT
Assessment: Exams
 80% of the course grade
 5 equally-weighted online exams
 4 75-minute Midterm Exams offered during regular class-time
 Canvas drops the lowest midterm score
 1 120-minute cumulative Final Exam on Dec 19, 2:45pm-4:45pm
 Exams are open-book, open-note, but closed to (other) internet use or
contact with anyone else during the exam
 Exams are proctored with Honorlock and can be taken from anywhere
 Exams include multiple choice/drop-down, numerical, and free response
questions
Assessment: Discussion Attendance/Prep/Participation
 10% of the course grade
 Discussion Prep assignments are posted weekly
 TA’s briefly check Prep work at start of Discussion
 Answers must be handwritten (on tablet or paper)
 Discussion Format: Groupwork within pods, think/pair/share, Q&A
 Canvas drops your lowest three weekly scores (including absences)
 Weekly grading rubric:
 1 point for Attendance
 1 point for Discussion Prep work
 1 point for Active Participation throughout the meeting
Assessment: Chapter Homework
 10% of the course grade
 Administered online through the Canvas/MyLab interface
 Due 11:59pm Central Time the night before the next exam
 Questions can be attempted repeatedly up until the due-date in order to
get a perfect homework score
Econ 102 QuickStart
STUDY TIPS
Study Tips: Lecture
 Take handwritten notes (either on paper or a tablet)
 There is both theory and evidence that handwritten note-taking
both improves retention and cuts down on study time
 Make handwritten notes on the slides posted ahead of class
 Slides showing economic data
 What the data show, how they are measured, how they tie into
models from class
 Slides showing “Ask Your Neighbor” questions we do in lecture
 The right answer, notes both about why it is right and why other
answers are not
 Ask and answer questions in class
 Flag things you aren’t sure about yet
Study Tips: Readings
 I generally recommend that you read after lecture but before discussion
 Add to your lecture notes as you do the Chapter reading
 Check Canvas for any chapter handouts and update your notes again
 Do the “concept check” questions as you read the e-text
Study Tip: Homework and Practice Problems
 I recommend you do the Chapter Homework after you do the reading
 Homework are for learning; they are not to be done at the last minute to
test your knowledge before you take the exam.
 Keep a file or take notes on Homework Questions you missed the first
time even if it is only the wording that confused you, as that wording may
show up on the exam
 MyLab will allow you to re-take questions (or provide a similar question)
 Homework questions often include tutorials and always have the “ask
your instructor” option in the question “hamburger”
 MyLab Study Plan updates to reflect your homework and exam
progress/challenges—use the personalized study guide for more practice
Study Tip: Learning by Doing
 Study for an econ class like you would study for a math class
 Do the practice problems in MyLab Study Plan and practice chapter tests.
 Treat the many old exams on Canvas as a practice problem database.
 Treat practice (and exam) multiple choice questions like short answer
questions—know the answer and THEN look for it in the list of choices.
 Create your own practice problems—reverse an example from class (e.g.
up instead of down), try to think of a real-world example question, or
combine two questions into something you haven’t seen before; if you
aren’t sure of the answer to your created question, ask your study group,
TA, discussion section “pod”, or course instructor
 Write out explanations for your answers. Read them aloud. Do they make
sense? Do you understand deeply enough to explain it to someone else?
Study Tip: Act like a person
 Talk to me and/or the TA’s during our office hours.
 Ask questions both in class and during discussion
 Email me if you have more questions
 Go to Econ 102 tutoring sessions while doing coursework, even if you
don’t think you need help, so that you can meet other people in the class
 Work with other students in discussion, tutoring sessions, and elsewhere
 Practice being the TA—make up some exam questions, including both
“essential” things and trickier concepts, to practice with your classmates
 Self-explain: Talk to yourself! People do that! If it doesn’t make sense to
you when you say it out loud, it probably isn’t right.
 Prepare for the whole test like it is a short answer test—practice
explaining the answers like you are talking to another person. Even
better—actually explain it to another person and see what they think