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A WebQuest for a Very Large Principles of Economics Class

A WebQuest for a Very Large Principles of Economics Class. By Michael J. Hilmer Department of Economics. Goal. → Introduce new technology to a 500-person class. Expected Benefits. (1) Provide a learning experience beyond the lecture. → Force students to find information for themselves.

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A WebQuest for a Very Large Principles of Economics Class

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  1. A WebQuest for a Very Large Principles of Economics Class By Michael J. Hilmer Department of Economics

  2. Goal → Introduce new technology to a 500-person class Expected Benefits (1) Provide a learning experience beyond the lecture → Force students to find information for themselves → Encourage use of the internet as a research tool (2) Add a more vigorous writing component to course → Previously included two essay questions on each exam → Now ask students to write a 7- to 8-paragraph paper

  3. Assessment Strategy (1) Assign two different WebQuest assignments during semester (2) Randomly assign half of students to each WebQuest assignment → Students not assigned a given WebQuest will only be introduced to topic through lectures (3) Administer a 10 question quiz both before material is is covered in lecture and after WebQuest assignment is due (4) Compare quiz score improvement between WebQuest students and lecture-only students

  4. WebQuest 1 → Students were asked to examine US monetary policy since May 2000 and analyze how the respective changes in the federal funds rate would have been expected to affect producers, consumers, and the overall state of the US economy WebQuest 2 → Students were asked to examine how the recent depreciation in the dollar has affected seven different stakeholders in the global economy

  5. Statistical Approach → Students were randomly assigned into one of the two groups with 247 students being assigned to each group → Despite repeated reminders and a follow-up email after the final 10 students failed to complete all 4 quizzes → Computer glitches prevented scores from being accurately recorded for 45 other students → Final sample is 439 students who completed all 4 quizzes 219 completed WebQuest 1 220 completed WebQuest 2

  6. Distribution of Score Improvements on 10-point Quiz WebQuest 1 WebQuest 2

  7. Statistical Analysis WebQuest 1 WebQuest 2

  8. Statistical Analysis Midterm 2 Midterm 3

  9. Conclusions → Statistical evidence suggests that student performance increased significantly on a quiz directly related to the assignment but not on a more general midterm exam → WebQuest may be a promising teaching tool for a large Principles of Macroeconomics course

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