Using Aplia software to teach principles of economics :National University of Ireland, Galway 1 Using Aplia software to teach principles of economics Brendan Kennelly and David Duffy Department of Economics NUI Galway


Principles of Economics at NUI Galway :National University of Ireland, Galway 2 Principles of Economics at NUI Galway 700 first year students taking economics split into 2 class groups Students are pursuing a variety of degrees Course is a year long course; 2 lecturers teaching each group (micro and macro) Three 50 minute lectures a week; One 50 minute tutorial a week taught by postgraduate students


Previous Attempts to Improve the Student Experience :National University of Ireland, Galway 3 Previous Attempts to Improve the Student Experience 8 written assignments each semester Only 2 were corrected by a pool of 10 tutors Problems emerged with Consistency in grading A lack of feedback for students Time pressures on lecturers administering the assignments Content management technology Distribution of lecture notes and other communication via blackboard


Aplia (www.aplia.com) :National University of Ireland, Galway 4 Aplia (www.aplia.com) Web based technology designed to improve the student learning experience Aplia is a web-based product offering Automatically graded problem sets Math review tests and tutorials Economic experiments Interactive economic models News analysis exercises A blog tailored to typical first year course content Support to lecturers


Automatically Graded Assignments :National University of Ireland, Galway 5 Automatically Graded Assignments Weekly paired practice and graded problem sets Allows students to select their own learning path Encourages regular effort Provides students with timely feedback Consistency in grading Allows students to select multiple paths Students work with interactive economic models


Maths Tests and Tutorials :National University of Ireland, Galway 6 Maths Tests and Tutorials Students identify math weakness on a pre test Students select from 5 animated math tutorials with accompanying exercises Students improve upon initial math test scores in a second math test if required


Live Economics Experiments :National University of Ireland, Galway 7 Live Economics Experiments Key elements in experimental learning require some effort and creativity on the part of the lecturer Experiments may not work without student preparation Aplia provides Pre experiment preparation Easy to use experiments Post experiment evaluation


Economic Comprehension :National University of Ireland, Galway 8 Economic Comprehension Bring economics to life in the classroom with discussion of topical news items Analysis requires preparation on the part of students Aplia provides news articles with student preparation exercises An Aplia blog allows students the opportunity to further analyse and discuss economic issues


Systematic evidence on effectiveness :National University of Ireland, Galway 9 Systematic evidence on effectiveness One paper in AER (May 2006) Random trial of students in an economics class in Western Michigan University Those assigned to complete the diagnostic maths test on Aplia performed better on the course. Results were stronger for weaker students


Student Feedback: What type of Assignments do you prefer? :National University of Ireland, Galway 10 Student Feedback: What type of Assignments do you prefer?


What effect did Aplia assignments have on your overall understanding of the course? :National University of Ireland, Galway 11 What effect did Aplia assignments have on your overall understanding of the course?


Would you want Aplia to be used for another course? :National University of Ireland, Galway 12 Would you want Aplia to be used for another course?


What are Galway Students Saying About Aplia? :National University of Ireland, Galway 13 What are Galway Students Saying About Aplia? “Aplia gives you a better understanding of economics and gives you different angles to look at economics than the lecture.” “It is also easier to check how you did in an assignment, it shows where you went wrong and gives you the correct answer straight away.” “Mostly I liked the convenience of Aplia. I had both the assignment and online chapter available on one screen. My assignment was submitted with just a click of a button.”


What are Galway Students Saying About Aplia? :National University of Ireland, Galway 14 What are Galway Students Saying About Aplia? “I would like to see Aplia used in other courses as its more convenient than pen and paper assignments, it always allows you to see what questions you got wrong and you can learn from that.” “Motivation to do work during term. Keeps you on top of topics yet not too onerous.” “It is more efficient than regular assignments. Aplia makes you think about things more. Its more than likely the future way of studying so why not start now!”


What did Galway Tutors Say About Aplia? :National University of Ireland, Galway 15 What did Galway Tutors Say About Aplia? “Aplia has reduced administrative duties as we didn't have to collect or correct assignments. This allowed more time for teaching which was more interesting and interactive as students were more willing to take part in discussions and work together.” “Aplia experiments were simple to set up and easy to work. I didn’t experience any technical problems in the use of Aplia.”


Other issues :National University of Ireland, Galway 16 Other issues Service also used very successfully for a course taught by blended learning Substantial reduction in time spent by lecturers in preparing assignments Customized versions available for some textbooks Cheating Cost


Other issues :National University of Ireland, Galway 17 Other issues No room for open-ended answers Scope to reduce number of tutorials and/or to change the nature of these


A Message from the Creator of Aplia :National University of Ireland, Galway 18 A Message from the Creator of Aplia “I’m not surprised that one of the technologically most innovative countries of the world has students who respond well to technologically innovative instructors and materials!” Paul Romer, Professor of Economics, Stanford Business School and Creator of Aplia