Instructor
Division
Telephone
Office
Office Hours:
E-mail
Matt Shekels
Business and Technology
Office- 870-391-3149
M134H
During the summer, meetings needed are made by appointment mshekels@northark.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This introduces the fundamental concepts of microeconomics and focuses on economic decisions made by individuals, specifically consumers and producers. Specific topics include demand and supply, elasticity, consumer behavior, utility, costs of productions, types of competition, antitrust regulation, labor markets, distribution of income, and international trade. Emphasis is on the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills within various economic scenarios.
R ATIONALE
This course will begin to fulfill the needs of college students who are planning careers in economics as well as those studying business administration, liberal arts, law or other disciplines. This class also fulfills the requirements for most degree areas in the AS of
Agriculture Degree including Agriculture Business, Animal Science, Ag Education, and many more.
P REREQUISITES
This course stands alone.
C OURSE G OALS
The student will:

Demonstrate a basic understanding of microeconomics to include demand and supply, pure capitalism, market system, national income accounting, employment and fiscal policy, concepts of money, banking and monetary policy by completing problems, assignments and tests.

Utilize terminology related to economics through written and verbal communication with the instructor.


Participate in online discussions to indicate comprehension of material presented to the instructor.
R ESOURCES N EEDED

Textbook – Microeconomics by Roger A Arnold, 10th Ed.

Access Code for Aplia (Book and Code bundle sold in Northark Bookstore)

Notebook

Pen, pencil and highlighter.

Solar or battery powered calculator

Access to Quality Internet to Access Portal, Aplia, and other research items
C OURSE R ESOURCES

Personal computer - The student is expected to have access to a computer with these system requirements. http://portal.northark.edu/ics/Academics/Academics_Homepage.jnz?portlet=Resources_f or_Online_Students

If you have any problems with your computer, ie, computer crashes, internet goes down, or etc., it is your responsibility to have a backup plan.

Email Account—A Northark email account was issued to you automatically when you enrolled in your classes. To access your email, navigate to Northark’s Web site at www.northark.edu. On the Students tab, you should see a link Student Email.
You may also access your email from web.mail.northark.edu. Your email address will be your username@mail.northark.edu

Textbook- Economics
 Access Code for Economics — Aplia

Calculator
O N -C AMPUS R ESOURCES

Testing Center-Used to complete required exams-Bring photo id

Your instructor- Do not hesitate to contact me during office hours or by appointment
(by phone or in person). E-mail is also an excellent way to communicate.

The Library-Provides study area and computers for your use.

Tutors-Contact the Student Services Counselor
A SSISTANCE FOR C OURSE
If you are having any issues in your course, the first person you should contact is your instructor. If you need technical assistance for logon issues, contact Mary Bausch
(Northark IT department) at mbausch@northark.edu or 870.391.3285.

M ETHOD OF I NSTRUCTION
This course is an online course. You are responsible for the material and if there are any questions, You are responsible for informing your instructor as soon as possible. On
Portal, you will find the course is organized by weeks. SINCE THIS IS A 10 WEEKS
CLASS, THE PACE WILL BE FAST! IT HAS TO BE IN ORDER TO GET
THROUGH THE MATERIAL. This is structured for your benefit and successful progression in learning Macroeconomics. Week 1 will be open for one week (M-SU) to complete all the requirements for that week. The assignments on Aplia are due on Sunday evenings at 11:45 p.m. No exceptions! This will be the structure all semester. Under each week’s assignment, you will find: a PowerPoint lecture that is recorded through Echo 360, suggested textbook reading/exercises/problems, and Aplia chapter exercises/problems.
The suggested exercises/problems are for your benefit. They will also count as part of your overall grade. Most of the time, you will have chapter tests over four chapters at a time. All of these tests will also be completed on Aplia . All homework and test assignments are required. This course will require strict discipline on your part, because the responsibility is on you. You should check your email daily to make sure there are no new announcements or changes. Keep in touch with the instructor through email, phone calls, or on-campus visits.
C OURSE E VALUATION
Students will be evaluated in this course and given grades: A, B, C, D, F or other “grade symbols” as explained in the current college catalog. Your grade will be based on 3 tests worth 200 points each, discussion board participation, and homework. The class is set up to evaluate if student is learning and applying the information and concepts presented in the class. Tests should be taken at regular class sessions but students will be allowed one make-up test.
G RADING S CALE
A- 90% - 100%
B- 80% - 89%
C- 70% - 79%
D- 60% - 69%
F- Below 60%
C HAPTER T ESTS
There will be three (3) chapter tests in this course. They will most likely consist of multiple choice, application problems, and short answer. Each test will be weighted equally. The tests are not for memorization but rather to see if the student is able to apply the concepts he or she has learned.

H OMEWORK A SSIGNMENTS
There will be homework assignments made on every chapter that we cover. They will be completed online on the Cengage website, Aplia. These assignments are worth 40pts each and are designed to help you master and understand the material that we are covering. You will have three attempts at each question to help you learn the material. Everyone should get 100% on these assignments. Please take these assignments seriously; if you do not understand the concepts while you are doing the homework, you will not understand them during the tests.
W EEKLY D ISCUSSION B OARDS
A portion of your grade in this course will be determined from your involvement in the discussion boards and interactive assignments. These will have many different topics and activities each week that are based on current economic or business issues. The 90 points (9 discussion boards @ 10 points each) possible will be part of the total points accumulated for the semester. The grade on each post will be determined by the student’s quality of post in relevance to the topic or activity that was assigned. The grade will also be based on the quality (thoughtfulness and uniqueness) of the student’s replies to other students’ posts. Once the deadline has
passed on the discussion boards, you CANNOT make up the points. The discussion boards are an excellent way to help improve your grade.
E XTRA C REDIT
Extra credit will be offered in the form of weekly quizzes. Quizzes will be put on
Aplia at various times. The quiz will be over material that we are covering that week and cannot be made up. If you do not complete the quiz, it will not count against you and if you do not do well, it cannot hurt your grade. Not every week will have a quiz, but most weeks will. I will send out an email when a quiz has been posted. These quizzes will be worth 10pts each of extra credit.
A TTENDANCE
In online classes, a student’s failure to participate for a period greater than two weeks constitutes excessive absence. Instructors in online courses will monitor attendance based on participation in the class as evidenced by turning in assignments, participation in discussion boards, e-mail, or other formal contact.
L ATE W ORK
If you happen to miss an assignment, CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Assignments can only be made up for up to one week after the assignment was due. Unless you have prior permission from me before missing the assignment, late work will be subject to a 30% penalty.

W ITHDRAWALS
I f you find yourself in need of dropping this class, you do have the opportunity to drop this class and it will show up as a “W” for withdrawal on your transcript. That is much better than taking an “F”. According to Northark policy, you have to drop
yourself from this class. I CANNOT DROP YOU. So, if you decide that you cannot complete this class for whatever reason, make sure you get this class dropped because you do not want a
“F” for this class on your transcript.
A CADEMIC I NTEGRITY
Academic fraud and dishonesty are defined as follows:

Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise.

Facilitating academic dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty.

Test tampering: Intentionally gaining access to restricted test booklets, banks, questions, or answers before a test is given; or tampering with questions or answers after a test is taken.

Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly representing the words and ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise.
Academic dishonesty will not be permitted. It shall be at the instructor’s discretion to fail the student for that assignment, remove the student from the class, reduce the student’s grade, or petition to have the student suspended from the college.
A DA S TATEMENT
North Arkansas College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should make their requests in the following way:

Talk to your instructor during office hours about your disability or special need related to your classroom work; and/or
 Contact Special Services and ask to speak to Kim Brecklein. Her office is in room
M149. Her phone number is 870-391-3338 and email is kbrecklein@northark.edu
.

P ROVISION F OR C HANGES
The instructor will notify students of any updates/changes in the course syllabus.