Classroom Experiments for Large Lecture Courses: A Wireless Solution

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Economics (82)Economics students enrolled in large lecture-based introductory courses rarely have theopportunity to interact with course content. Because of this they do not gain a deepunderstanding of the material or the ability to analyze and interpret complex economicevents. Classroom experiments have been shown to be useful in aiding studentunderstanding of the material. In the past these exercises have been impractical in largecourses. This project is developing wireless classroom technology to allow students inlarge classes to participate in classroom experiments during the class meeting times. Wehave assembled a cross-disciplinary group that is creating a learning system that is making it possible to realize the benefits of classroom experiments in large classes. Our vision is of aportable system composed of standard electronic handheld devices (such as PDAs) thatcommunicate with a laptop computer that will organize economics simulations such asmarkets, public goods environments and economic games. While other researchers arecurrently working on internet-based experiments, such systems do not translate to largeclasses unless students complete the exercise asynchronously. The instructor has onlyvery limited ability to revise the game in response to student questions or suggestions.Evaluation is a critical component of this project. We have designed a controlledexperiment to collect data on performance in a large lecture course. We are evaluatingto what extent this wireless system can improve student outcomes and reduce costs.