Instructors may use low-cost, light-touch strategies to help students achieve optimal effort in demanding upper-level courses. The authors of this study exploit an intervention that provides a series of personalized feedback emails to students about their relative performance, which is tied to approving messages or tips that encourage improvement.…

In this study, the authors investigate the impact of the Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique (IF-AT) on student learning outcomes in principles of microeconomics classes. The IF-AT enables students to receive immediate feedback and to retry questions for partial credit. The authors use a randomized experiment to evaluate the effect of the…

In this paper, we present a study, which models and measures the competencies of higher education students in business and economics--within and across countries. To measure student competencies in a valid and reliable way, the Test of Understanding in College Economics was used, which assesses microeconomic and macroeconomic competencies. The…

The author examined whether game play improves students' comprehension, attendance, and exam performance. The author designed three games; 120 students in introductory microeconomics classes participated in these experiments. The evidence showed that game play enhances students' attendance, comprehension, and exam performance. It also showed that…

The author analyzes differences in student performance in an economics course offered face to face (F2F) and online over a period of four semesters at a comprehensive public university. Apart from mode of delivery, the characteristics of the course stayed nearly identical throughout. Exam and homework assignment scores are used as measures of…

Frequent testing provides opportunities for students to receive regular feedback and to increase their motivation. It also provides the instructor with valuable information on how course progresses, thus making it possible to solve the problems encountered before it is too late. Frequent tests with noncumulative contents have been widely analysed…

This study evaluates an interactive web-based homework designed to increase student understanding in a principles of microeconomics course. Employing concepts from Action Research, the preliminary investigation was undertaken based on assumptions about the efficacy of online educational resources. Do students who do well on online homework improve…

A total of 389 business students in undergraduate introductory microeconomics classes in spring 2007, 2009, and 2011, and fall 2012 participated in an exam performance progress study. Empirical evidence suggested that missing classes decelerates and hampers high-performing students' exam performance progress. Nevertheless, the evidence does…

This study looks at the performance of students in an online and face-to-face section of economic principles with the same instructor. After controlling for the bias of students selecting the online section and observable characteristics, we did not find any statistical difference in the exam performance of students across delivery modes of the…

In this article, the authors illustrate how incentives can improve student performance in introductory economics courses. They implemented a policy experiment in a large introductory economics class in which they reminded students who scored below an announced cutoff score on the midterm exam about the risk of failing the course. The authors…

This study investigates how a natural experiment occurring in the teaching of principles of microeconomics allows a test of the Dunn and Dunn learning styles model (Dunn & Griggs, 2000). The material for the first exam, based on essential definitions and theoretical foundations, was taught in a conventional, inductive style, more compatible with…

This paper provides evidence indicating that experimental games can trigger a double dividend. The dividend, measured in terms of enhanced performance, accrues to both the students and to the instructor. The evidence for the instructor's dividend is obtained from evaluation questionnaires administered in an introductory microeconomics course at…