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Teaching microeconomic principles with smartphones – lessons from classroom experiments with classEx

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  • Marcus Giamattei
  • Humberto Llavador

Abstract

Classroom experiments as a teaching tool increase understanding and especially motivation. Traditionally, experiments have been run using pen-and-paper or in a computer lab. Pen-and-paper is time and resource consuming. Experiments in the lab require appropriate installations and impede the direct interaction among students. During the last two years, we have created fully elaborated packages to run a complete course in microeconomics principles using face-to-face experiments with mobile devices. The experiments are based on Bergstrom-Miller (2000), and we used classEx, a free online tool, to run them in the classroom.The packages were used at Universitat Pompeu Fabra with over 500 undergraduate students in the fall 2016. This paper presents our experience on classEx and the Bergstrom-Miller approach working in combination, and the lessons learned.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcus Giamattei & Humberto Llavador, 2017. "Teaching microeconomic principles with smartphones – lessons from classroom experiments with classEx," Working Papers 996, Barcelona School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bge:wpaper:996
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hans Gremmen & Jan Potters, 1997. "Assessing the Efficacy of Gaming in Economic Education," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 291-303, December.
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    5. Tisha L. N. Emerson & Beck A. Taylor, 2004. "Comparing Student Achievement across Experimental and Lecture-Oriented Sections of a Principles of Microeconomics Course," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 70(3), pages 672-693, January.
    6. Mark Dickie, 2006. "Do Classroom Experiments Increase Learning in Introductory Microeconomics?," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 267-288, July.
    7. Giamattei, Marcus & Graf Lambsdorff, Johann, 2015. "classEx: An online software for classroom experiments," Passauer Diskussionspapiere, Volkswirtschaftliche Reihe V-68-15, University of Passau, Faculty of Business and Economics.
    8. Yvonne Durham & Thomas Mckinnon & Craig Schulman, 2007. "Classroom Experiments: Not Just Fun And Games," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 45(1), pages 162-178, January.
    9. Edward Cartwright & Anna Stepanova, 2012. "What do Students Learn from a Classroom Experiment: Not much, Unless they Write a Report on it," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 48-57, January.
    10. Theodore C. Bergstrom & Eugene Kwok, 2005. "Extracting Valuable Data from Classroom Trading Pits," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(3), pages 220-235, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Stefano Carattini & Eli P. Fenichel & Alexander Gordan & Patrick Gourley, 2020. "For want of a chair: Teaching price formation using a cap and trade game," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 52-66, January.
    2. Giamattei, Marcus & Lambsdorff, Johann Graf, 2019. "classEx — an online tool for lab-in-the-field experiments with smartphones," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 223-231.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    experiential learning; microeconomics; mobile devices; classroom experiments; classEx;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate
    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • D00 - Microeconomics - - General - - - General

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