Classroom Experimentation and an Application from Sports Economics

“Chalk-and-talk” techniques have historically been used as the predominant mode of economic instruction. In fact, until the end of the twenty-first century, deviation from “chalk-and-talk” was rare and the incorporation of active learning strategies was relatively unheard of. Since that time, there have been substantial changes in technology, the needs and expectations of students have shifted, and research on teaching and learning has highlighted the need to engage students with classroom material. As a result, the incorporation of alternative pedagogy has become increasingly common. Classroom experimentation has moved from a rarely used alternative form of material presentation to a mainstream format. When used effectively, classroom experiments can enhance students’ understanding of material that is technical or difficult to understand. It can also be used as a tool to incorporate economic theories from several fields into a single course. This article provides an overview of the benefits and challenges encountered when creating and incorporating classroom experiments into undergraduate economics courses. It also provides an example of an experiment that has been effectively employed in courses on game theory, sports economics, and principles of microeconomics. The motivation for and structure of the experiment are discussed and possible modifications and implementation strategies are provided. The experiment highlights the importance of randomized strategies by placing students in a scenario where randomization is an essential component of “winning the game.” At the end of the experiment students have shown a deeper understanding of and appreciation for randomized strategies as a solution to simultaneous-move, zero-sum games. Copyright International Atlantic Economic Society 2015