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Do Business Students Benefit From Playing Economics
Classroom Games?
Economics Network Mini Project
Mike Walsh
Coventry University
Ref: DEE conf 09 TCs and games business v4
(1) Introduction
• Students state a preference for active learning– Classroom games and experiments help
• Promote active learning• Introduce / embed economic concepts• Address differing learning styles
• Business students find economics relatively difficult
• Project assessed if games improved the learning experience, and if students acquired selected threshold concepts
• Consider year 1 Business students on a compulsory economics module– No economics beyond year1– Promote understanding and working knowledge
(Salami 2005)
• YOU WILL PLAY THE PRODUCTION GAME
(2) Method
• Two workshop groups & 1 control group• Lectures
– Introduce a concept– Run games – Give limited feedback in lecture– Follow up exercises with two research groups
• Evaluation– Short answer questions in summative
assessment (EXAM)– Student questionnaires to evaluate student
satisfaction with the learning process
(3) Games
• Game: Production game– Simplified ‘Tennis Ball Game’ – Threshold concepts considered: Marginality
and economic modelling. – Resources developed:
• Worksheet focusing on cost rather than production theory, particularly understanding of AC & MC
– Problematic in the past
• Linking results to perfect competition & exit of BA from regional air routes
• http://www.economicsnetwork
Number of workers (L)
Output(Q)(bricks)
Total Fixed Cost
Total Variable Cost
Total Cost Marginal Cost(TC/Q)
Average Variable Cost
AverageFixedCost
Average Cost
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
• Game: Deal or no deal. – Threshold concept considered: Opportunity cost
Deal or No deal
• Game: International Trade Game – Threshold concepts considered: Elasticity,
opportunity cost, partial equilibrium http://www.economicsnetwork
• Game: Exchange Rates– Threshold concepts considered: Partial
equilibrium and economic modelling
(4) Results
(a) Economics Network Questionnaire April-May 2008
• Student satisfaction with games high
I found the economics classroom games useful
4 or 5 on the Likert scale - % strongly / very strongly agreeing with the statementN = 51
The classroom games helped link economics to business issues
Which game was most useful (score of 4 or 5)?
• Production Game 80%
• International Trade Game 74%
• Exchange Rate Game 65%
• Deal or No Deal 44%
(b) Coventry University Module Questionnaire May 2008)
Selected student answers to the question: What were three good things about the module?
• ‘Games explain the real world’
• ‘The use of games and case studies to emphasis points’
• ‘Action learning is also included within lectures (games, videos etc)’
• ‘Students are able to get more involved in lectures. The lectures keep my attention’
(c) Summative Assessment
• May 2008 Exam – Students had to identify and explain threshold
concepts that were relevant to business situations
Threshold concept Study group marks (n=54)
Control group marks (n=24)
Opportunity cost & marginal question
24% 26%
Economic modelling question
58% 38%
Overall exam mark 48% 45%
(5) Conclusions
• Games made economics more interesting– Need follow up activities
• No clear evidence from exam questions regarding acquisition of threshold concepts
• Games take up valuable time, but benefits can outweigh the costs
Bibliography• Emerson T and Taylor B, ‘Comparing Student Achievement Across
Experimental and Lecture-Orientated Sections of a Principles of Microeconomics Course’, Sothern Economic Journal, 70 (3)
• Hedges M, (2004), ‘Case study: Tennis Balls in Economics’, Economics Network
• Holt C, (1999), ‘ Teaching Economics With Classroom Experiments’, Southern Economic Journal, 65 (3)
• Meyer J and Land R, (2002), ‘Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge (1): linkages to ways of thinking and practicing within the disciplines’, ISL 2002 Conceptual Paper
• Salami M, (2005) ‘Teaching Economic Literacy: Why, What and How', International Review of Economics Education, vol 4, issue 2