What I’ve Learned So Far (By Teaching Econ at Warp Speed)
Midway through Summer Session I, I share one of my activities that is working well.
I am almost two weeks into a four-week async summer online course with 17 students. So far, most of my choices about structure and pacing feel right. One writing-to-learn assignment that's helped is our Monday Morning Economist annotations. In this post, I share how I am doing it. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.
Each week starts with a Hypothes.is annotation thread on one of Jadrian Wooten's Monday Morning Economist substack posts that is due the following Monday at noon. It's a low-stakes and fun way to spark questions and allow online students to interact asynchronously.
I chose four recent posts related to the week's course themes. For example, this week, I used the "Real Price of Being Home Alone" as we covered chapters related to economic indicators students see in the news. Below, I outline the information I provide to students my Moodle pages.
Moodle Page Introduction
Monday Morning Economist: You'll read a short post from Monday Morning Economist each week. This series uses current events to raise interesting economic questions. You'll annotate the reading using Hypothes.is, a social annotation tool that lets you share thoughts, ask questions, and reply to classmates.
The activity is your space to be curious. You don't need to get the "right" answer;” just engage with the ideas, connect them to class, and try to understand how others think. You'll get credit for thoughtful participation, not perfection.
Selected Monday Morning Economist Posts
Week #1: The Millionaire’s Speeding Fine Explained With Economics
A multimillionaire businessman's staggering speeding fine can help explain Becker's rational model of crime and the role of deterrence in shaping criminal decisions.
Week #2: Real Price of Being Home Alone
How much would the McAllister’s pizza order and groceries cost today?
Week #3: The Economic Logic Behind the "No Tax on Tips" Policy
Imagine how much more pervasive tipping could become if tips were no longer taxed
Week #4: Salary Transparency Laws & Asymmetric Information
Salary transparency laws correct for information asymmetry in the workplace, but only when companies provide meaningful information.
I give the same prompt for each weekly annotation activity. Students have repeated practice with the same method but the topic varies each week. I share the prompt below.
Social Annotation Activity: Monday Morning Economist
This activity will guide you through your social annotation experiences using Hypothes.is. We'll collaboratively annotate an article from the Monday Morning Economist newsletter. You earn 1 point for each annotation you make (Total points = 3).
Annotation Guidelines
Create three annotations following these prompts:
Concept Identification: Identify and define an economic concept introduced in the text.
Critical Analysis: Select a passage that presents an economic argument or implication. Discuss its strengths, weaknesses, or assumptions.
Community Engagement: Respond thoughtfully to at least one annotation by a peer. Expand or respectfully challenge their ideas.
Submission
Complete your annotations by Monday at 12:00 PM.
If you need help, watch this brief video.