THREE SECTIONS
These web pages will be used by three different class
sections:
- ECO 211-001 (Mon./Wed., 8:00-9:15, J-253)
- ECO 211-002 (Mon./Wed.., 9:30-10:45, J-253)
- ECO 211-003 (Mon./Wed., 11:00-12:15, J-253)
GENERAL INFORMATION
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will cover the area of economics
commonly defined as microeconomics which is
concerned with the individual parts of the economy
such as individual businesses or industries,
individual consumers, and individual products. Our
goal is to study whether the economy uses our
limited resources to obtain the maximum
satisfaction possible for society. We will
concentrate on three issues or goals: ALLOCATIVE
EFFICIENCY, PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY, and EQUITY.
Microeconomic Issues:
- efficiency
- efficiency
- equity
|

|
COURSE STRUCTURE
In recent years nearly 40% of students who have
enrolled in an ECO 211 course at Harper College (all
sections, all instructors) have not successfully
completed the course. This means that 40% either dropped
the course or received a grade of D or F. This is
unacceptable. We need to do something different to
improve the success rate.
I plan to do the following:
- Online video lectures and textbook readings will
be assigned for each day that we have class. Students
must complete these BEFORE coming to class. [See:
Assignments]
- A 10 question PRE-QUIZ worth 2 points based on the
reading and video will be assigned for each day of
class. Students must complete these on Blackboard
"PREQUIZZES" before class.
- Class time will be used to study the
material.
- Students will be tested on the material in
the video lectures and textbook readings.
- Review material will be assigned for students to
improve their understanding of the material outside of
class
The basic structure then will be:
- BEFORE CLASS: Students have their first contact
with the material by watching the video lectures,
reading the textbook, and doing a short daily
prequiz.
- DURING CLASS: Class time is used for
questions, discussions, applications, collaboration,
and assessment.
- AFTER CLASS: Review activities to assure you
understand the material [Yellow Pages, Practice
Exercises, and Blackboard Required
Activities]
As you can see you will need to:
(1) Come to class prepared. BEFORE EACH DAY
OF CLASS you must (a) watch the video lectures, (b)
read the textbook, and (c) compete the prequiz.
(2) Attend class regularly, and
(3) Do out-of-class review activities. Begin with the
Yellow Pages and Required Activiries (see below) then
do as many of the Practice
Exercises as you can or as you need to to learn
the material.
(4) Experience has taught me that the 40% who do not
pass the class do not read the assigned readings in
the textbook and/or do not watch the assigned
videos. If you usually do not do all of the
assigned readings and videos in a class then you
should seriously consider dropping this class now.
SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION (SI)
A student "Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leader"
has been employed to assist you in this course. The SI
leader will conduct study sessions during the week.
Students are strongly encouraged to attend these SI study
sessions and seek the assistance of the SI leader. More
information will be distributed in class and posted on
our Blackboard site.
Supplemental Instruction is a series of weekly study
sessions for students taking historically difficult
courses. SI is provided for all students who want to
improve their understanding of course material and
improve their grades.
Attendance is voluntary. It is a chance to get
together with people in your class to compare notes,
discuss important concepts, to develop strategies for
studying the subject, and to test yourself before your
instructor does, so you will be ready. At each session,
you will work with your SI leader, a competent student
who has previously taken the course.
If you attend the sessions regularly, chances are you
will earn a better grade. You will have developed a
better understanding of course content as well as more
effective ways of studying. This will help you in other
classes, too.
SI times will be announced in class and posted on our
Blackboard site.
MATHEMATICS SKILLS
This course requires students to have basic
skills in mathematics, including the use of graphs. If
your math skills are weak you should consider building
them before taking this course. If you are required to
take MTH 060 or MTH 082 and have not yet done so,
do not take this economics course until you
have successfully completed it. We will take a math quiz
the first day of class. If your math skills are weak,
drop this course now.
COURSE MATERIALS
Brief list:
- Required Textbook:
Microeconomics, by McConnell, Brue, and
Flynn, 19th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2011 (Be sure to get
the 19th edition.)
- Required Online Videos: Tomlinson Videos
on Thinkwell
- Required Yellow Pages, (Free, distributed in
class and available on our Blackboard site)
- Recommended Textbook Study Guide: Study
Guide For Microeconomics, McConnell/Brue/Walstad,
19th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2012
Details:
- [The options and prices below are not guaranteed
by your instructor. They are provided only to give
students information on some of the options available.
Students should verify the information before
purchasing.]
REQUIRED:

|
Microeconomics, by McConnell,
Brue, and Flynn, 19th edition, McGraw-Hill,
2011
Just the textbook. No textbook access codes. No
"Connect". NOTE: be sure to get the 19th
edition even though there is a 20th edition
available
- ISBN: 9780077337735
- For various online
sources (often cheaper) click
HERE
and scroll down.
- Textbooks can also be bought or rented at
the Harper College Bookstore (L building)
or online at: http://www.harperstore.com
- buy new for about $223 plus sales tax
[Students can sell the book back at the
end of the semeser]
- buy used for about $167 plus sales tax
[Students can sell the book back at the
end of the semeser]
- rent for about $95 and pay NO sales
tax.
|
REQUIRED:

|
BUYING the Tomlinson Videos on
ThinkWell
(Once you log in to the Thinkwell class
site click on the "Chapter Checklist" link
for a list of the videos by their
number.)
- Go to: http://www.thinkwell.com
- Click on "Register" in the upper right
corner

- In the "Classroom and Distance Learning"
area use the pull-down menu to select your
state: "Illinois"
- Use the pull-down menu to select your
school: "Harper College"
- Use the pull-down menu to select your
class:
- Click on

- Then click on Checkout
to purchase the $49, twelve-month
subscription.
- Follow the instructions to enter the
required fields.
- Next time you go to Thinkwell.com click on
the "Sign In" button to enter your username and
Password.

USING the Tomlinson Videos on
Thinkwell:
- VIDEO
LOGIN is a link to sign into the Tomlinson
video lectures that you must purchase online.
Assigned video lectures are listed on the
LESSONS
page with a numbering system that looks like:
1.1.1, 1.1-2, 2.1.1, etc.
- Once you log in to the Thinkwell class
site click on the "Chapter Checklist"
link for a list of the videos by their
number.
- Note that each video can be watched FULL
SCREEN.
- Also, for each video you will have access to
a "Thinkwell Excercise" of from six to fifteen
multiple choice review questions, as well as
Video Transcripts. The exercises are quite
useful.
- Finally, you will want to have the VIDEO
NOTES handy when you are watching the
videos
|
REQUIRED:

|
The Yellow Pages are packet of worksheets
We will do most of the graphing exercises in class
and some of the Quick Quizzes. You will not get
points for doing them, but I think you will find
them very useful while you prepare for the quizzes
and exams.
The Yellow Pages, with answers, are available to
you for freein class or on our Blackboard site.
|
RECOMMENDED:
Online or Paperback:

|
Study Guide For Microeconomics,
McConnell/Brue/Walstad, 19th edition, McGraw-Hill,
2012
- ONLINE STUDY GUIDE
The Study Guide is available in an online
version for only $15:
- PRINTED STUDY GUIDE
- For various online
sources (often cheaper, some less than
$10) click HERE
and scroll
down.
|
BLACKBOARD
All students in ECO 211-001, ECO 211-002, and
ECO 211-003 will use the same Blackboard site: "ECO211
001 002 003 - MICROECONOMICS (Fall 2015)"
All students must log-in to our Blackboard website,
study the syllabus, and take the required 5-point,
online, "Syllabus Quiz" (see schedule
). The syllabus quiz may be taken as many times as
necessary and only the highest score will be counted.
Blackboard Instructions:
Always use the the Firefox browser when using
Blackboard (download for free at: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/)
- Go to http://harper.blackboard.com
- Follow the instructions to "log-in",
- You should see "ECO211-001 002 003 -
MICROECONOMICS (Fall 2015)" in the "My Courses" box.
If you do not, please e-mail the instructor:
mhealy@harpercollege.edu
Some Links on Blackboard:
BEFORE CLASS
- LESSONS:
This is where you see what you have to do for
each day of class. This link has the exact
video lectures and reading assignments that are to
be completed each day before class.
Remember: GET AHEAD!
- VIDEO
NOTES has your instructor's notes that he took
when he watched the videos. The video lecture notes
lists the important concepts in the video, compares
the vocabulary used in the videos with the
vocabulary used in the textbook and exams, and adds
some material..
- VIDEO
LOGIN is a link to the Tomlinson video lectures
that you must purchase online. Assigned video
lectures are listed on the LESSONS
page with a numbering system that looks like:
1.1.1, 1.1-2, 2.1.1, etc. (Once you log in to the
Thinkwell class site click on the "Chapter
Checklist" link for a list of the videos by
their number.)
- PRE-QUIZ. A ten-question quiz must be taken
before class each day. Some pre-quizzes can
be retaken as many times as is necessary, others
can only be retaken twice.
AFTER CLASS
- REQUIRED ACTIVITIES: This is where you access
the Required Activity quizzes that must be
taken after every chapter.
- PRACTICE
EXERCISES lists the optional review activities
that students should be doing to prepare for the
exams including Study Guide problems, textbook
end-of-chapter questions, and textbook website
activities. Answers are provided for all of the
practice activities.
- TEXTBOOK SOLUTIONS has the answers to the
textbook end-of-chapter questions practice
activities. See the PRACTICE
EXERCISES for which textbook problems you
should be able to do.
E-MAIL
Option to Forward Mail from your Harper
E-mail Account
You should always use your Harper email
account when e-mailing your instructor. All e-mails
from harper will be sent to your Harper e-mail
account. If you do not check your Harper e-mail
account often, you can find instructions on how to
forward e-mail from that account to one you check
frequently by logging in to the Harper Student Portal
and clicking on the "My Harper E-Mail" tab. All
correspondence in this class will be sent to your
Harper E-mail account.
When E-mailing your instructor always put "ECO
211" and a message in the subject line. Please use
proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
TEXTBOOK WEBSITE
Click on TEXTBOOK
WEBSITE, then select a chapter from the "Choose One"
drop-down menu.
BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION BOARD
- Use the Blackboard Discussion Board for any question
which might be of use to you AND to other students - like
asking a question in class. Do not ask such questions via
e-mail. If you use the Discussion Board everyone can
"hear" the answer.
- To ask a question or leave a comment, go to the
course Blackboard
site and click on the "Discussion Board" link. Then click
on "STUDENT QUESTIONS", then click on "Create
Thread".
- Since we do not use the Discussion Board a lot, it
is strongly suggested that you SUBSCRIBE to the
discussion board thread so that you get an e-mail
whenever a new message is posted. Just click on the
"Discussion Board" link, click on "STUDENT QUESTIONS",
then click on the "Subscribe" button.
GRADING
The final grade for the class will be awarded
according to the following point system. Changes may
be made to this grading policy. All changes will be
announced in class, posted on the class Blackboard page,
and an email will be sent to all students.
Activity
|
Number
|
Total Points
|
Approximate % of total points
|
|
Syllabus quiz
|
1 @ 5 points =
|
5
|
1 %
|
|
Prequizzes
|
25 @ 2 points each =
|
50
|
15 %
|
|
Required Activities
|
16 @ 2 points each =
|
32
|
9 %
|
|
Papers
|
4 @ 10 points each =
|
40
|
12%
|
|
Comprehensive Unit exams*
|
Unit 1: 40 points =
Unit 2: 45 points
Unit 3: 50 points
|
135
|
39%
|
|
Comprehensive Final Exam
|
1 @ 80 points each =
|
80
|
23%
|
|
|
TOTAL:
|
342
|
|
|
The syllabus quiz, prequizzes, required activities,
and unit exams can be retaken or re-written. See below
for details.
* Each of the three unit exams will also have an
extra credit essay question worth about 3 points
Letter grades will be awarded as follows:
100-90%=A, 89-80%=B, 79-70%=C, 69-60%=D, below
60%=F
Syllabus Quiz (5 points): The
syllabus quiz will be taken online via our class
Blackboard site. It can be taken as many times as you
wish. Only the highest score will count.
Prequizzes (2 points each day of
class): BEFORE CLASS a short quiz must be taken that will
cover the material in the assigned video lectures and
textbook readings. Some prequizzes can be taken
multiple times, some can only be taken twice. All
prequizzes must be finished by 7:30 the morning of the
lesson. After that they will no longer be available. Once
you have completed a prequiz and when it is no longer
available you can still access your results by going to
MY GRADES on Blackboard and clicking on your score. This
could be helpful when studying for exams.
Required Activities (2 points for each
chapter): The "Required Activities" are to be taken on
Blackboard after we have competed each chapter. They
usually consist of about 20 multiple choice questions.
They can be taken as many times as you wish and only
the highest score will count. Required activities for
each unit should be finished BEFORE the unit exam. In
order to be allowed to take a unit exam retake (see
below), you must have finished all the unit's required
activities BEFORE the unit exam.
Papers (Four papers at 10 points each)
Papers can be rewritten for full credit with the
following restrictions:
- original papers must be turned in by the due date
to earn the chance to be rewritten. Papers turned in
late cannot be rewritten. Please note that papers are
either graded as an "1, 2, or 3" or an "10". You
either get an "F" or an "A", so the chance to rewrite
the paper is important.
- before writing any rewrite after the first, you
must see the instructor or the Supplemental
Instruction leader for assistance. Your first rewrite
must be signed by the instructor or the SI leader
before you hand in your second rewrite.
- No rewrites or papers can be handed in later than
the 6th class period from the date the original is
handed back (usually 7 classperiods from the paper due
date). All paper due dates can be found on our class
schedule.
- For more information see papers
Comprehensive Unit Exams (135 points):
There will be three in-class unit exams. The unit 1 exam
will consist of 40 multiple choice questions and a three
point extra credit essay question. The exam for unit 2
will have 45 questions (40 from unit 2 and 5 from unit 1)
and a three point extra credit question. The exam for
unit 3 will have 50 questions (40 from unit 3 and 10 from
units 1 and 2) and a three point extra credit essay
question.
The exams are NOT open book, NOT open notes, and you
can NOT bring in a sheet of notes or formulas.
Comprehensive Retake Exams The unit
exams will have an OPTIONAL RETAKE EXAM for those who
want to study harder and improve their grades. In
order to be allowed to take the retake, you must have
finished all the unit's Required Activities (see link on
Blackboard) BEFORE the unit exam. The number of
questions will be the same as the unit exams. They will
be comprehensive and they will have a three-point extra
gredit short answer question.
Comprehensive Final Exam (80 points): A
final exam consisting of 80 multiple choice questions
will be given during final exam week. The final exam will
cover material from all four units.
MAKE-UP POLICY
Prequizzes:
Prequizzes are worth 2 points a day (total 50
points or approximately 15% of the total grade). These
must be completed before 7:30 a.m. on the day of
class. No make-ups are allowed. "Stuff"
happens. GET AHEAD! Some prequizzes can be taken only
twice and some can be taken as many times as
necessary.
Exams:
Students will be allowed to take an exam at a
time other than the scheduled class period only IF:
1. the instructor is notified
BEFORE the scheduled exam time AND
2. the student has a very good reason to miss the
exam at the scheduled time.
Required Activities:
These can be taken as many times as
necessary. Only the highest score will count.
Papers:
- If the papers are handed in by their oruginal due
dates then they can be re-written as many times
as necessary until the final due date.
- If a paper is handed in late (after the original
due date) then no rewrites will be allowed.
Remember. papers are either graded an "F" (1-3 points)
or an "A" (10 points). Hand your papers in on
time!
- No rewrites can be handed in later than the final
due date which is usually the 6th class period from
the date the original is handed back. See paper final
due dates on our class schedule.
BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE
IMPORTANT: For exact reading assignments see:
LESSONS.
We may not read the whole chapter, or a "chapter" may
include pages from other chapters, so always check the
"LESSONS"
page before reading
Unit 1: An Introduction To Economics, Efficiency, and
the Market System
- Ch. 1 -- Limits, Alternatives, and Choices and the
5 Es
- Ch. 2 -- The Market System: The Market and the 5
Es
- Ch. 3 -- Individual Markets: Demand and Supply and
the 5 Es
- Ch. 5 -- Market Failure and the Role of
Government
Unit 2: Consumer Decisions and the Costs of
Production
- Ch. 4 -- Elasticity: Deciding How Much
- Ch. 6 -- Consumer Behavior and Utility
Maximization: Consumer Decisions
- Ch. 7 -- The Costs of Production: Producer
Decisions / Costs
Unit 3: Product Markets: Decision Making and
Efficiency
- Ch. 8 and 9 -- Pure Competition
- Ch. 10 and 18 -- Pure Monopoly and Regulation
- Ch. 11 -- Monopolistic Competition and
Oligopoly
Unit 4: Resource Markets: Decision Making, Efficiency,
and Equity
- Ch. 12 -- The Demand for Resources
- Ch. 13 -- Wage Determination
- Ch. 20 -- Income Inequality, Poverty, and
Discrimination
- Ch. 22 -- Immigration
NOTE: This outline may be changed! Changes will be
announced in class.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Class attendance is strongly recommended, but
not required. Former students have indicated that the
material covered in class is very helpful at the time of
the examinations.
LIBRARY RESERVE
A few textbooks and study guides have been
placed on reserve in the library in case you leave yours
at Grandma's house. Some can be checked out from the
circulation desk for two days at a time and one is for
in-library use only.
HOW TO PASS ECONOMICS
The following suggestions should help you learn
economics:
- GET AHEAD!. There will be assignments for each day
of class. You should try to be at least one to two
days (one week) ahead. See the LESSONS
and the SCHEDULE.
- STUDY This is a difficult course! There is an old
rule of thumb concerning studying for college courses:
on average students should study TWO hours for every
ONE hour of class. Since this is a 3 credit-hour
course you should plan to study microeconomics 6 hours
per week. This is an average, which means some courses
require more study time and some less. You may find
that economics requires more.
- BEFORE CLASS EACH DAY: (a) watch the video
lectures, (b) read the assigned readings, and (c) take
the prequiz. See LESSONS
for the daily assignments.
- READ THE BOOK! Passive reading of the textbook is
not very helpful. Read with a pen in your hand and a
notebook on which to list, repeat, copy, calculate,
etc. ALSO, pay close attention to the TABLES and
GRAPHS. THEY ARE IMPORTANT. Many students do
not read the textbook and many students fail the class
or withdraw. I believe the two are related.
- WATCH THE VIDEOS! Passive watching of the video
lectures is not very helpful either. Most of the
Tomlinson videos have an online review quiz
(Thinkwell Exercise), transcripts, and lecture notes.
Use them. Also, I have watched each of the assigned
video lectures and taken my own notes. These VIDEO
NOTES are available on our Blackboard site. Once
you log in to the Thinkwell class site click on the
"Chapter Checklist" link for a list of the
videos by their number. Many students do not
watch and many students fail the class or withdraw. I
believe the two are related. Students have told me
that the videos are VERY HELPFUL. If you want a good
grade then watch the videos.
- ATTEND CLASS Come to class each day and come
prepared to work. You will get a lot of your studying
done during class. Please don't be late. NO CELL
PHONES can be used in class.
- DO PROBLEMS. If you don't do the problems you will
do poorly on the quizzes and exams.
Many are available on our Blackboard site. Begin with
the REQUIRED ACTIVITIES (since you earn points
for doing them) and the YELLOW PAGES. Then, do
other exercises that can be found in the PRACTICE
EXERCISES section of the Blackboard menu. Also,
there are review quizzes (THINKWELL EXERCISES) for
most of the online video lectures (VIDEO
LOGIN).
- GET HELP
- See the instructor duing office
hours.. This should be done EARLY in the
semester.
- Or, ask questions in class and on the
Blackboard Discussion Board.
- Attend the SI sessions.
- The Tutoring Center also offers help.
- You may also want to make use of SUCCESS
SERVICES FOR STUDENTS AT HARPER COLLEGE (see
below).
- APPLY the concepts learned in class to the "real
world" including issues in the news and aspects of
your personal life.
LEARN TO STUDY SMARTER: SUCCESS SERVICES FOR STUDENTS AT
HARPER COLLEGE
Make the most of your college experience this
semester by visiting Success Services for Students. Be
aware of your academic needs and work to effectively
change behaviors to improve academic success. Schedule an
appointment for one of the following free sessions: Study
Skills, Test Taking Tips, Time Management, Memory,
Motivation, Test Anxiety, Reading Strategies, Math
Strategies, Note Taking Skills, Concentration, Study
Behavior Inventory, Learning Styles, Test Performance
Analysis, Accounting Tips, Economics Tips and Preparing
for Finals, Online Study Tips, and our new Economics Tips
session.
For more information or to schedule an appointment
stop by F332, call 847.925.6715 or email:
success@harpercollege.edu. See: http://www.harpercollege.edu/academicsupport
DAILY SCHEDULE OF
LESSONS:
The numbers (1a, 1b, 2a, etc.) in this calendar refer to
Daily Lessons that can be found on the LESSONS web page.
There you will find the reading and video assignments. Click
on the date and lesson number to go directly to the
assignments for that lesson.
August
|
September
|
October
|
November
|
December
|
|
|
|
|
|
LAST DAY TO DROP THE CLASS: Sunday, 11/22
DUE DATES / EXAM DATES:
- Click on the dates above for the daily videos,
textbook readings, and lesson outcomes.
- For each day of class there is a prequiz on
Blackboard which must be finished before 7:30 AM
|
- Exams:
- Syllabus Quiz, on, or before, Wed.,
9/2
- Exam 1: Wed., 10/5
- Exam 2: Wed., 10/28
- Exam 3: Wed., 11/23
- Final Exam:
- ECO 211-001 8:00 class: FINAL:
Wed., 12/16 at 9:55-11:40
- ECO 211-002 9:30 class: FINAL:
Mon., 12/14 at 9:55-11:40
- ECO 211-003 11:00 class: FINAL:
Wed., 12/16 at 11:50-1:35
|
|