Course Syllabus

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Welcome to Economics 102 the Principles of Microeconomics. I hope that this course will be both an interesting and interactive learning experience for you. Read this syllabus carefully to find out more information about what we will be doing in this course.
 I will be sending out reminder email messages it is imperative that you regularly check your e-mail account. Economics102 is one of the two introductory courses in Economics at Rio Hondo. Economics 102 is an introduction to microeconomics. Microeconomics is the study of individual markets and how they work. In short, microeconomics is the economics of one thing at a time, and macroeconomics is the economics of everything at once.
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We will be using the textbook

Microeconomics

Steven A. Greenlaw, University of Mary Washington
Timothy Taylor, Macalester College
This textbook is published and provided by Openstax.org (Links to an external site.)

Principles of Microeconomics covers the scope and sequence for a one-semester economics course. The text also includes many current examples, including; the Keystone Pipeline, Occupy Wall Street, and debates over the minimum wage. The pedagogical choices, chapter arrangements, and learning objective fulfillment were developed and vetted with feedback from educators dedicated to the project. The outcome is a balanced approach to economics and to the theory and application of economics concepts.

Required Course Materials

This course uses Waymaker  Microeconomics, a new set of digital course materials designed using open educational resources (OER) instead of a traditional textbook. You can freely access all readings, videos, quizzes and other activities through course site in our learning management system (LMS): http://riohondo.instructure.com

This course is different from most other courses in these ways:

  • There is no separate textbook. Everything you need is here in your learning management system. No online access code is required.
  • Learning outcomes are clear throughout the course. Every learning activity is linked directly to something you need to know or do to succeed in this course.
  • Students receive guidance on where to focus their attention. As you complete self-check questions and quizzes, you’ll get feedback on which areas need more attention.
  • You can take graded quizzes twice. Quizzes can help you learn. If you don’t like your first quiz score, you can keep studying and retake it. The higher score counts.
  • Instructors can see where students are struggling. Learning data make it easy for me to see problem areas and offer individualized help.
  • The more you use the course materials, the more I can help. When you participate, it provides information to help me help you succeed in the course.

This Waymaker course was created with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through the Next Generation Courseware Challenge. This course is part of a research project exploring how well students perform using Lumen Mastery materials compared to what’s been used in other course sections. Learning data will be used to analyze what’s working, what’s not working, and how to improve the educational experience Lumen Mastery provides. Individuals using the courseware will be asked to provide consent to use their data for research purposes. Completing this form is one of the course assignments.

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Types of assessments include:

  • Self-checks, Show What You Know pre-tests; not counted towards grade
  • Module (chapter) quizzes, with two attempts allowed; the highest grade is captured

 

 

Discussion Board Microeconomics

 The  purpose of online discussion is to deepen your understanding of the concepts and topics introduced in class. There is a discussion prompt each week that asks you to share your thoughts on a topic we're currently studying and explain your thinking about how it applies in a specific context. You are required to contribute to these discussions at least once each week but are welcome to contribute more than once. Your contributions can be a response to the original question or a response to another student.

Your required weekly contribution is worth 20 points and will be graded as follows:
Up to 10 points for contributing a new, relevant, and accurate perspective to the discussion (when responding to the original question). Your contribution should include some depth, detail, and substance, and should demonstrate your understanding of the week's topic. One or two sentences probably isn’t enough to cover all the things you need to say to earn 5 points.
AND
Up to 10 points for mechanics and netiquette. Your contribution should use correct spelling, capitalization, grammar, syntax, and punctuation. It should also be supportive, encouraging, and helpful and avoid language that might be offensive or abusive.

Final Exam.jpgThe final Exam will cover all the topics covered and will only be available during Final exam week!

How to get the grade you want

How to Succeed in this Course

To take full advantage of the ways this course is different – and hopefully better – at helping you learn the subject matter effectively, you should do the following things:

  1. DO pay attention to the learning outcomes listed in each module. The learning outcomes tell you exactly what you need to learn or do succeed. They are cues to help you focus your time and attention.
  2. DO take the “Show What You Know” pretest for each module. This pretest doesn’t count towards your grade, but it lets you preview the information each course module covers. This will help you target your focus and studying on the areas you most need to work on.
  3. DO go through the course readings and activities. Everything in the course is directly related to one or more specific learning outcomes. Going through the material will help you master the course content.
  4. DO complete the “self check” questions. These questions appear at the end of  readings and will help you check your basic understanding of the information covered. They are ungraded and allow unlimited attempts.
  5. DO play around with simulations. This course contains several simulations that are both fun and educational. You should play them multiple times to see the different outcomes they lead to and experience what happens when you apply concepts in different ways. Simulations are ungraded; their purpose is to help you learn.
  6. DO take module quizzes twice. You have two attempts on the graded module quizzes, and your highest score counts. These quizzes are a learning activity, not just a test to see what you know. After you take each quiz, you will see which questions you missed and where to continue studying so you can learn the material better. You should use this information to focus your studying so the second quiz attempt goes better.
  7. DON’T wait ’til the last minute for your first attempt at the module quizzes. When you take the module quiz, you get information about where you need to focus your attention. As your instructor, I can also see where you’re struggling and offer help. If you wait to the last minute, I may not have time to help before your final quiz is due.

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 Grading is simple and straight forward! Your grade depends on how much effort you put into the various assignments.

There are 405 points available in the class.

360-405 A 90% of 400

320-359 B 80% of 400

280-319 C 70% of 400

240-279 D 60% of 400

Grades  ECON 102 summer 2017

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For the fastest response please email me from within the Canvas Learning Management System.

Email within Canvas for a quicker reply

  My email address is mjavanmard@riohondo.edu 

Every semester I teach and interact with over 500 students so please give me both your first and last name and which class and CRN you are/were enrolled.

 

Disability

A Student with a verified disability may be entitled to appropriate academic accommodations. Please contact your instructor and/or the Disabled Students

office 562-908-3420 for more information.

 Student Learning Outcomes

Given a situation of an economic choice, explain the opportunity cost in terms of the alternative use of resources.

Given a clearly labeled Demand/Supply diagram, students will explain and illustrate the of an increase in demand on the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity in a market

Given a clearly labeled Demand/Supply diagram, students will explain and illustrate the of an increase in supply on the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity in a market

Given a clearly labeled Demand/Supply diagram, students will explain and illustrate the of an decrease in supply on the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity in a market

Given a clearly labeled Demand/Supply diagram, students will explain and illustrate the of an decrease in demand on the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity in a market

Given a description of a market failure situation, analyze the source and consequences market failure and proscribe a policy solution, using microeconomic theory.

Students should have the ability to think critically in order to understand social issues

 

 

 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due