What to Expect in Econ 102

Technology Needs

As this is an entirely online course, you will need to have regular internet access. While cell phones and tablets will allow you to view all our material, the quizzes and exams are best completed on a computer (laptop or desktop is ok).

You will not be required to have a camera turned on at any point this semester.

You may find it handy to have a calculator this semester, though you do not need to purchase anything special -- your cell phone or computer are perfectly fine for the calculations we will do!


Technology Needs:

  • Computer

  • Internet access

  • Calculator (nice, but not required)

  • Camera: not needed

Important Dates

  • Canvas Available: January 23

  • Course Begins: February 1

  • Course Ends: May 29

  • Spring Break: March 29 - April 2

Life can be uncertain, especially these days. If you get to a point this semester where you are thinking about dropping the course, please reach out to me first! I'm here to work with you and support you in your learning journey. Please also note the following important dates:

Palomar College 2020/21 Academic Calendar

First Week Due Dates:

It is important that you plan on regularly checking our course Canvas page. To ensure that everyone registered is actually participating, you will have some small requirements due by February 5th.


Time Commitment

A traditional rule of thumb says that a 3-unit class typically comes with an expectation of 9 hours of work per week (three hours of class time plus six hours of study/work time each week). Realistically you will likely have some weeks where the material is more interesting/easier for you than other weeks, so your time needs may fluctuate.

Our class is also asynchronous, meaning we do not have any scheduled live class sections. While this provides maximum flexibility, it can also be difficult to manage your time. I highly recommend picking three days per week where you schedule time for this class (as if you were actually in a classroom).

I will be offering regular virtual Office Hours this semester to help you in your learning. Office Hours are simply the fancy way of saying I will be online and available to video chat and help you in any way I can.

Types of Assignments

The course will be arranged in weekly Modules on Canvas. Each module will begin on a Saturday and conclude on the following Friday. You will be guided through the week's topics with easy-to-read pages and mini video lectures.

This is an asynchronous course, meaning you will be free to progress at your own pace. The division of each week's module into topic-specific pages also allows for natural pauses in your learning process.

Each Module will conclude with a quiz (your lowest two quiz scores will be dropped this semester, giving you some flexibility). We will have a midterm and final exam, with a few discussion board exercises thrown in for variety. You will see more specifics in our Canvas page!


Grades & Extra Credit

As a fellow human with extensive experience as a student, I know this one is a category of interest. So to be specific: you're totally gonna be graded this semester, and there will likely be extra credit opportunities throughout too!

Oh, you actually wanted real specifics? Lol.

Textbook

Our course will be structured around the information in our Canvas pages, with the textbook as a supplement to aid in your understanding.

Principles of Microeconomics

This is an OpenStax textbook, which is available in its digital form completely FREE for everyone. If you would like to have the book in a physical format, you may purchase a copy (though you absolutely do not need to purchase a physical copy of this book; everything is fully available online).

Access your FREE textbook here: https://openstax.org/details/books/principles-microeconomics-2e

Cost: FREE

Have questions that weren't answered here? Please feel free to email me anytime and let me know how I can help!


Image credits: Pixabay, Unsplash, Shutterstock