EC 110 Section 990: Prin Of Microeconomics
Fall 2011
3 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: Dr. Harold Elder
Core Designation: Social and Behavioral Sciences
Syllabus subject to change.
Microeconomics focuses on the allocation of resources and the decisions made regarding these resources in the face of scarcity. The course will examine the application of economic reasoning to address a range of issues and to provide a decision-making tool. The primary focus is on the market system and the behavior of consumers and firms in this system. After learning the economic fundamentals of demand and supply analysis and the forces that impact markets, the student will be able to analyze consumer behavior and business models.
This course provides the basis for you to gain the skills to use economic reasoning to address problems and to develop critical thinking skills. The course will focus on the operation of the market system and you will learn about the foundations of consumer and producer behavior in markets.
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
Practice Exam should be used as a preparation tool for the Module Exams. Practice Exams may be taken on any computer. Each Practice Exam may be attempted two times and the higher score is counted toward the course grade. It is important to note that both Practice Exams and Module Exams will be drawn from the same bank of exam questions. This underscores the value of the Practice Exams as a way to be well prepared for the Module Exams.
The primary objective of the practice exams is to aid your preparation to take the Module Exam. I would strongly suggest that you use the two attempts on the Practice Exam as part of your preparation for the Module Exam. In particular, since you have two attempts, you should use the first attempt to provide you with information about the types of questions that are on the Module Exam as well as provide you with information about which topics you need to study more carefully. After taking the Practice Exam the first time, focus your preparation on understanding the parts of the exam that you did not do as well on, then take the Practice Exam the second time to determine how much more preparation you will need prior to taking the module exam.
THERE IS A PRACTICE FINAL IN ADDITION TO PRACTICE EXAMS FOR EACH MODULE. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO TAKE THE PRACTICE FINAL, BUT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE THIS PRACTICE TEST, YOUR SCORE ON THIS EXAM WILL BE COMPARED TO YOUR MODULE EXAM SCORES. IF YOUR PERCENTAGE SCORE ON THE PRACTICE FINAL IS HIGHER THAN YOUR LOWEST MODULE EXAM, THEN THIS SCORE WILL REPLACE THE LOWEST MODULE EXAM SCORE.
Module Exam can be taken only one time and must be completed within the 75-minute time limit. Module Exams are taken only in a proctored testing environment like the department's TestLab. See the Proctoring Information section below for more information. Students may not use any notes or books during the administration of an exam.
Exams may be taken at the discretion of the student. This applies to both the practice and module exams. Nevertheless, students are strongly urged to follow the schedule shown below, so that they can complete the course requirements in a systematic and productive way. A set of Suggested Exam Dates can be found in the Course Schedule.
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IMPORTANT: Suggested Exam Dates Exam dates listed in the Course Schedule are RECOMMENDED DATES to take exams. This is NOT a required completion schedule--It is only SUGGESTED. |
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IMPORTANT: Final Exam Information All students are required to take the Final Exam, unless the student has an average of 90% or above prior to the final exam. Students whose current average is above 90% have the option not to take the final exam. Students who wish to opt out of the final exam must verify their average with the instructor and this determination will be based strictly on an average calculated using only the current Aplia average and the scores on the Practice Exams and Module Exams. Scores on Discussion Posts will not be used to calculated this average. Students should not wait until Finals Week to request this exemption. The final exam covers chapters 13-17. This exam is also proctored following the procedures described above. To complete the course within the semester, you will need to take the exam by December 17. These comprise all of the required components of the course. Students may have the opportunity to receive additional credit through posting materials on the class discussion board as designated by the instructor. No additional extra credit or bonus opportunities will be provided. |
Aplia Assignments
Aplia assignments should be completed by the due date listed for that assignment. There is at least one required assignment for each chapter of the textbook.
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IMPORTANT: Aplia Assignment Due Dates Dates for completing Aplia assignments are FIXED—if the assignments are not completed by these dates, then you cannot receive credit for them. Once the due date has passed, you will no longer be able to access these assignments. More details on Aplia can be found by reading this document and registration information is in this document. The Course Schedule provides the set of due dates for the Aplia assignments as well as suggested dates for taking the module exams. |
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IMPORTANT: Aplia Assignments There are a total of 18 Aplia assignments during the course. The lowest 4 scores will be dropped and Aplia grade will be based upon the 14 highest scores completed (based upon the percentage score). |
Discussion Posts
Within each learning module are a set of topical articles and associated with most of these is the opportunity to make a discussion post related to the article. Students are required to complete at least one Post to the Discussion Board for each Learning Module. Discussion posts will be graded according to their quality and appropriateness to the topic, following this grading rubric. The basic requirement is to provide at least one post per learning module; if you choose to write additional posts, you will receive bonus points for these posts. Please read the description of the post carefully and follow the instructions that are provided in the Learning Modules. You should not duplicate the material someone else has already posted, so you should read the set of existing posts prior to posting yourself.
Important note: To allow these posts to be graded in a timely way, all posts must be uploaded to eLearning by December 16.
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IMPORTANT: Discussion Bonus Points
Students should make at least one post for each Learning Module. Discussion posts can also provide bonus points. Most of the modules will provide two or more opportunities for posts, and there is an opportunity to earn bonus points by providing additional posts to the discussion board. Bonus points--up to 2% of a student's course grade can be earned through these additional posts, based upon a student's overall average on these extra posts. If a student posts more than one time in a given module, the highest scoring post will be used to meet the course requirement and then the other(s) will be used for bonus points. |
Although not required (nor graded), students are welcome to respond to at least one other classmate's posting to foster further discussion of the topic.
Electronic Submission of Assignments
All work is submitted online, unless otherwise noted by the professor or for special accommodations. As described before, students will complete Aplia assignments following a predetermined schedule for each module. In addition, students will complete practice exams and module exams for each module. These two types of exams are found by clicking on Assessments in the Course Tools menu.
Proctoring Information
This course contains exams that must be supervised by a proctor.
- You will not be able to access or complete the exam(s) without the assistance of the proctor.
- The procedures for securing a proctor are outlined in the two sections below.
- Students may not use any notes or books during the administration of an exam.
Section One: Proctor Arrangements for Students In or Around Tuscaloosa, AL
Students living within a 50-mile radius of The University of Alabama campus must take the proctored exam(s) on the UA campus. Two options are available to you:
- Option 1: The C&BA Test Lab/Proctored Study Hall.
- The Test Lab is open several days each week, though the schedule varies from day to day. The location for a specific date and time can be found on the Proctor Schedule document. You should read this document for information about testing procedures as well.
- You may drop-in without an appointment whenever and wherever the C&BA Proctored Study Hall is open.
- The C&BA Proctored Study Hall closes at specific times whether you are done with your exam or not, so be sure to allow yourself sufficient time to complete the exam.
- Use this schedule for the C&BA Proctored Study Hall when planning your visit. This schedule changes frequently, so check it before traveling.
- Option 2: If the lab does not offer available dates and times, you may choose to test in the Academic Outreach Office in Room 127 Martha Parham West.
- Testing is available Monday–Friday from 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
- Students must make an appointment to test at the Academic Outreach office.
- Please call (205) 348-7642 at least 48 hours in advance to make an appointment to take an exam at this location.
- Students can find additional information about Testing Procedures at the CCS Site.
- Walk-ins are not accepted.
Section Two: Proctor Arrangements for Distance Students
Students living outside the 50-mile radius of The University of Alabama campus must find a suitable proctor to take the module exams.
You should follow the procedures set out by the University’s College of Continuing Studies (CCS). Students can find the instructions and the appropriate forms on this page. Read the instructions found there under the Proctoring Policy link. NOTE: This page also describes on campus testing procedures. You should follow the instructions listed above.
Here are the weights assigned to each component of the course:
| Component |
Percentage
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Aplia Assignments |
16 %
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Discussion Board Posts (5 modules @ 1% each) |
5 %
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Practice Exams (5 modules @ 2% each) |
10 %
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Module Exams (4 modules @ 11% each) |
44 %
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| Final Exam |
25 %
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Total
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100 %
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Grades will be determined following the grading scale shown below and is set in accordance with the policies of The University of Alabama. The ranges detailed below will be followed.
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Grade Average Range |
Guaranteed Course Grade
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90% and higher |
A
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80 to 89% |
B
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70 to 79% |
C
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60 to 69% |
D
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59% and Down |
F
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Grade Determination:There is no set distribution of grades for this course. My goal is for you to receive the highest grade that you can earn. The table above details a guaranteed range, but actual grade ranges are usually flexible downward, though this tends to vary by letter grade. This will not be done by following a grading scale. In addition, in no case will the lower bound on D (or D-) grades fall below 50%. Final grades will follow the +/- grade policy in assigning final course grades.
Your grade is determined only by the factors explained in this syllabus—exams, Aplia assignments, discussion posts and bonus points you have earned from the discussion posts. No other factors will be used to make this determination. Please do not ask for a “needs-based” grade change, since such decisions result in arbitrary factors altering a student’s grade. Needs based factors include unforeseen situations, such as family emergencies, deaths and other unfortunate occurrences as well as the need to earn a specific grade to graduate or stay in school. While I am sympathetic to your situation, I cannot use it as a factor in making grade decisions.
This course requires a high-speed Internet connection and the following free multimedia plug-ins:
You must have speakers installed and working properly on your computer before beginning the course. Contact techsupport@ccs.ua.edu for assistance with technical issues: phone 205-348-9157, toll-free 1-866-205-1011.
To be compatible with the requirements of Aplia, you will need to make sure that both the Flash Player and Java software are up to date; when using the Aplia site, you would want to carry out the configuration test to determine if your computer has updated versions of the necessary software. If not, you can download these via the Aplia website if needed.
All of the materials for this course are obtained via the internet from two separate sources. The eLearning site will provide many of the course materials as well as being the means by which examinations will be given (using the Assessment link in the Course Tools). The second source is called Aplia and the way to access this, and other, materials is through the Cengage Brain website.
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IMPORTANT: Course Textbook Information Registration with Aplia provides you with access to the course textbook, Principles of Microeconomics, by N. Gregory Mankiw, 6th edition. This is an electronic version of the text. You should read this document that provides the basic instructions for getting started with Cengage Brain and Aplia. The publisher has begun to use the name Cengage Brain to refer to all of its online resources. Use this Registration Information document to find the Course Key needed to complete the registration process. |
Aplia also provides access to an important tool that you will use to complete homework assignments. The ability to work through problems and develop the critical thinking skills are an important part of being successful in understanding microeconomics. This is why these Aplia assignments are an important part of and a requirement in this course. To start this process, you need to complete the registration process by using the links in the box above. If you wish to learn more about the the history of Aplia, its founder and its objectives, read this Washington Post article.
In addition, access to the Cengage Brain sit also provides access to a series of supplemental videos entitled Tomlinson Learning Path Videos. These are a set of presentations that feature an economist named Steve Tomlinson. The videos are organized in conjunction with the coverage of materials in the Mankiw textbook. I strongly urge you to make use of these video presentations as an integral part of your learning process. You will receive an email with an access code. You will log in to the Cengage Brain site, and go to the MY HOME page, and input this access code on that page in the area labeled Register another Access Code or Aplia Course Key. Once you input this code and click on "Register," you will be gain access to these video materials.
The cost for access to all of this is $90 through the Cengage site. This includes access to the homework assignments, the Mankiw e-book and the Learning Path Tomlinson videos. (Incidentally, this price is generally less than buying a used hardcopy of the textbook.) Access to Aplia and to the e-book ends at the end of the semester.
One final note: since Aplia uses Adobe Flash software, it cannot be used on devices like the iPad, that are incompatible with Flash. It is, however, possible to log in and read the text material on an iPad. I have tried this myself and the reading experience is not as good as that in the reading apps, since you are reading in a web browser window.
Alternative Textbook Options: You may wish to obtain a hardcopy of the text via some other method. The cheapest way to do so is to purchase it directly through the Cengage Brain site. You will receive a new copy of the textbook at a heavily discounted price. You can also purchase an Instant Access Code for the online version of the text plus Aplia content, using this ISBN number: 9781111778019.
Please contact me for suggestions if you want to obtain a copy of the textbook through some other means.
The topics for this course are covered by students at their own pace by completing a series of Learning Modules in sequence. The materials are presented using a variety of different methods to present this content. The most important element is the online textbook, and in addition, there are narrated PowerPoint presentations here on the eLearning site, along with supplemental PowerPoint presentation materials. The Aplia site provides the homework assignments and a gateway to view the Tomlinson video presentations. A key element of this process is the set of exams that students take upon completion of the materials in each Learning Module. This is done via eLearning using the Assessments link in the Course Tools menu. There are two types of exams:
Both Practice and Module Exams are drawn randomly from a large test bank and, consequently, will often include questions that are discussed in the text but are not covered specifically in the presentations. You should recognize that this is the case and make sure that you are prepared for these questions. NOTE: Since the questions are taken from a large bank, occasionally errors will occur in the exams. If you believe that you have answered a question for which there is an error, inform your instructor as soon as you discover this. The questions have been reviewed but some of these problems may still remain among the questions that you will have to answer. This is especially true for this semester, because I have incorporated a new testbank into the testing process. Hoever, if you believe that an answer is in error--make sure that you have worked carefully through the question before reporting an error to me.
Student Assessment. Each module contains a set of assignments that must be completed to meet the course requirements:
The course, through Aplia and eLearning, provides a range of content that covers the course topics to assist each student in learning the material based upon his or her own learning style. In addition to the textbook, there are the following learning options:
Effective student learning can be accomplished by following these guidelines. Academic success requires maturity, discipline, and structure. It is strongly suggested that you develop a consistent pattern of regular study. Here are several important instructions that will aid your study process and result in better performance in the course.
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IMPORTANT: Aplia Assignment Due Dates It is essential that you complete the Aplia Assignments by the due dates listed on the Aplia site. If you do not complete these by this date, then you will not be able to work them and receive credit for this work. |
Suggested approach to the course materials:
It is strongly advised that you work through the materials in the modules on a chapter by chapter basis. A sensible approach to learning the material would be to:
- Read a textbook chapter.
- View the narrated PowerPoint presentations.
- View the Tomlinson videos.
- Read the publisher's PowerPoint slides.
- Begin working on the Aplia assignment for that chapter.
- Post to the module discussion, then read and reply to a classmate's posting.
- Begin preparing for the module exam.
Once this is done, then you will want to ready yourself for the module exam. A process to do this would be to review all of the chapter materials as needed, and then take the Practice Exam. Since you have two opportunities to take the Practice Exam (and the higher score will be what is recorded for your grade), taking it the first time can provide you with information about the topics that you would want to review further. Once you have completed an additional review of these topics, take the Practice Exam again. Use these results to help you do a final review of the materials. At that point, you would probably be ready to take the module exam. It should be noted that the Practice Exams take the same format as the Module Exams and are drawn from the same set of test questions.
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The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
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UA is a residential campus with many students living on or near campus. In general classes will remain in session until the National Weather Service issues safety warnings for the city of Tuscaloosa. Clearly, some students and faculty commute from adjacent counties. These counties may experience weather related problems not encountered in Tuscaloosa. Individuals should follow the advice of the National Weather Service for that area taking the necessary precautions to ensure personal safety. Whenever the National Weather Service and the Emergency Management Agency issue a warning, people in the path of the storm (tornado or severe thunderstorm) should take immediate life saving actions.
When West Alabama is under a severe weather advisory, conditions can change rapidly. It is imperative to get to where you can receive information from the National Weather Service and to follow the instructions provided. Personal safety should dictate the actions that faculty, staff and students take. The Office of Public Relations will disseminate the latest information regarding conditions on campus in the following ways: