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Instructor: |
KRISTYN BROWN |
Messages:
Voice mail: 223-1790 box
22645#
E-mail: kbrown@austincc.edu
Blackboard: Blackboard is an on-line classroom management tool. It includes a gradebook, an announcements page, and a facility for administering on-line tests and quizzes.
Course Announcements will be posted to Blackboard; midterm exams will be administered through Blackboard; and your course grades can be accessed through Blackboard. In addition, Blackboard has its own email system. Be sure you have entered your correct email address into your Personal Information on Blackboard, or I will not be able to respond to emails you send me.
Blackboard's URL is http://acconline.austincc.edu. This is the URL for ACC's Blackboard site. Do not go to blackboard.com, the company's own site.
DON’T HAVE A USERNAME AND PASSWORD YET?
If you have not created your new ACC Username or Password through ACCeID Manager, then please go to this link: https://acceid.austincc.edu/idm/user/login.jsp.
Do not fill in your Username and Password on this page, since you do not have either yet. DO CLICK on “First-Time Login.”
Your ACCeID will be the first letter of your legal, given, first name and your seven digit ACC ID number. For example, fictional student Adam Smith might have this Username a0067701.
Once you submit this Username, just follow the instructions.
Please make sure that your correct email address is listed on Blackboard.
The first day students can access Blackboard is typically the day after
regular registration ends.
Helpful Hint: Once you are logged into ACC's Blackboard site, the easiest way to navigate the this course's Blackboard content is by first clicking on the "Courses" tab in the upper left hand corner of the first Blackboard page that comes up. Then click on the name of the course. You are then taken to the course's main Blackboard page. It is much easier to find the "User Tools" button and the "Assignments" button, where the links to the on-line exams can be found, than if you try to navigate from the very first page that comes up when you log onto Blackboard
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with the generally accepted principles of macroeconomics. Though ultimately based on the actions of individual households and business firms, macroeconomics deals with aggregates--i.e., consumers as a whole, producers as a whole, exporters and importers as a whole, the effects of government spending and taxation, and the monetary policy of the central bank. Macroeconomics is concerned with such things as unemployment, inflation, and the business cycle.
Departmental Course Description, Rationale, Common Course Objectives/Student Outcomes, and Departmental Quiz
1. Course Description- Principles of Macroeconomics deals with consumers as a whole, producers as a whole, the effects of government spending and taxation policies and the effects of the monetary policy carried out by the Federal Reserve Bank. Macroeconomics is concerned with unemployment, inflation, and the business cycle.
2. Course Rationale- This course is meant to give students insight into the dynamics of our national economy. The knowledge gained in the course will make students better informed citizens and allow them to follow the debates over national economic policy reported in the news media. This course is also a foundation course that will prepare students to be successful in upper division finance, marketing, business administration, economics, government, and social work courses.
3. Common Course Objectives/Student Outcomes.
Students who complete this course will be able to understand:
o the meaning of unemployment and inflation data and how that data is collected and computed;
o the meaning and components of the National Income Accounts, especially GDP;
o the meaning of the business cycle and its phases;
o and to manipulate the basic Aggregate Supply, Aggregate Demand model of the macro economy;
o how fiscal policy operates, its tools, and its advantages and drawbacks;
o how a fractional reserve banking system works;
o how monetary policy operates, its tools, and its advantages and drawbacks.
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Required: |
Economics Today: The Macro View plus MyEconLab plus eBook 1-semester Student Access Kit, 14/E, by Roger LeRoy Miller (Pearson/Addison-Wesley, 2008). There are several alternatives/formats available. See additional discussion about how to buy and to use this book below by clicking HERE. |
The examinations in this course are based on learning objectives composed by the instructor that you can find by clicking HERE. Read these objectives carefully before you read the corresponding chapter in the textbook and do the activities on the textbook's activebook web site. The learning objectives are correlated exactly with the questions on the exams and are more detailed than the ones that can be found under "objectives" in the textbook's web site.
In general, after studying each chapter, you should be able to:
The learning objectives are there to help you focus your mind on the important concepts and theories discussed in the unit. The exams will test your knowledge of and ability to apply these learning objectives. Knowing this will help you efficiently allocate your mental energies.
Economics Today: The Macro View plus MyEconLab plus eBook 1-semester Student Access Kit, 14/E:
This is a traditional introduction to macroeconomics college textbook. If you buy this text new, an access kit granting students access to the on-line homework site, MyEconLab, and the associated eBook has been added.
Some version of the textbook, new, used, or eBook, is required. So is access to the course's MyEconLab site.
You can buy the eBook and MyEconLab together as a package without the hardcopy of the textbook if you so desire. Instructions on how to do so can be found below.
You can buy used copies of this text also. In fact, I see no reason why you couldn't use the 12th or 13th edition if you can find them. (Hint: Search engines). However, you need to be careful here, because in all probability you will not receive a access kit that has not been used, even if you buy a used 14th edition. So, if you do buy used, you will most likely still need to buy access to MyEconLab. Instructions on how to do this can also be found below.
WHERE TO PURCHASE:
Here
are the directions (which are pretty much like those above except for step 'd':
(The following information about
MyEconLab was taken from the publisher's web site at http://myeconlab.com/productinfo/stu_features.shtml.
It is worth a visit since additional information in the form of javascript
windows is present on that page.)
Students benefit when they
arrive for class confident and prepared. MyEconLab is the only online
assessment system that gives students the tools they need to learn from their
mistakes right at the moment they are struggling.
I.
Personalized
Study Plan
A Study
Plan is generated from each student's results on Sample Tests and instructor
assignments. Students can clearly see which topics they have mastered-and, more
importantly, which they need to work on. The Study Plan links to additional
practice problems and tutorial exercises to help on those topics.
II.
Unlimited
Practice
Many
Study Plan and instructor-assigned exercises contain algorithmically generated
values, ensuring students get as much practice as they need. Every problem
links students to learning resources that further reinforce concepts they need
to master.
III.
Learning
Resources
In the
lower-left corner of each practice problem is a link to the eText page
discussing the very concept being applied. Students also have access to guided
solutions, animated graphs, audio narratives, flashcards, and live tutoring.
MyEconLab has a suite of graphing tools for practice and current news articles
that tie chapter topics to everyday issues.
IV.
Test and
Other Assignments
MyEconLab
comes with two pre-loaded Sample Tests for each chapter so students can
self-assess their understanding of the material. Instructors can assign these
Sample Tests or create assignments using a mix of publisher-supplied content
and their own custom exercises.
The instructor of this course strongly encourages students to take the product
tour of MyEconLab available here: http://myeconlab.com/prodtour/index.html.
Important information about MyEconLab is contained in this tour. Please be sure
to view all four parts of the tour:
As a student you should:
Reading the textbook thoroughly
is the key to doing well in this Distance Learning course. Distance Learning
courses have no lectures to help you understand the material being covered. You
must rely almost completely on the textbook to help you understand the
material. This is why reading, and re-reading the text is so essential.
I recommend that you take these
steps in reading each chapter.
Step One: Skim the chapter. Spend three to five seconds
looking over each page of the chapter.
Step Two: Quickly read over the chapter again
reading only the title of the chapter, the learning objectives, all the
headings and sub-headings in the chapter, all the words in bold print, and all
the words in the left column of each page in the chapter.
Step Three: Read the introduction of the chapter,
the first paragraph of each section or subsection in the chapter and the first
sentence of all of the other paragraphs in the section or subsection. Finally read
the summary of the chapter.
Step Four: Without referring back to the chapter
make a list of all the important concepts, terms, ideas, theories, and laws
that you can remember.
Step Five: Read the introduction, the
learning objectives, and the summary of the chapter in the
"end-of-chapter" section of the textbook.
Step Six: Revise and improve your list and then
use it to make the outline/map of the chapter.
Step Seven: Read the chapter in the text completely
and thoroughly.
Step Eight: Revise and improve your outline/map once
again. This time add the key terms to the appropriate places in your
outline/map if they had been included before this time.
Step Nine: Complete a Study Plan for the chapter in
MyEconLab.
Step Ten: Revise your outline/map one more time.
Step Eleven: Review your outline/map every four or
five days until the exam and then use it to prepare for the exam.
If you read your textbook in
this structured and disciplined way, you will learn much more than if you
approach your reading task in an unorganized manner, and you will do much
better on the exams than you would otherwise do.
Exams are based on the learning
objectives students are expected to master. For more information on
learning objectives, please see the section on "Learning
Objectives" in this syllabus. Furthermore the
exam questions will be drawn exclusively from the textbook, Economics Today:
The Macro View.
The exams over each Unit assigned will
include ten questions over
each chapter assigned for each Unit -- forty questions in all. The questions
will appear on the exams in the order in which the chapters were assigned for
the Unit. For example, on the first exam the first ten questions will cover
Chapter 1, the next ten will cover Chapter 2, the third ten will cover Chapter
3, and the last ten will cover Chapter 4. Indeed
the questions will be numbered in exactly the same way as the learning
objectives the questions are associated with are numbered.
The midterm/unit exams will be administered over the internet through the
course's Blackboard site. You will find them in a folder under the tab for
"Assignments" in Blackboard.
There will be ten learning objectives listed for each chapter. Each learning
objective will have 10 or more questions connected to it by the testing program
used in this course. That program will randomly choose one question from each
group of ten for the exam. For example, if an exam is 40 questions long like
the exams for this course, then there will be 10 ways to select the first
question, ten ways to select the second question, and so on to the fortieth
question. The number of different exams this program can generate for one
midterm/unit exam is 1040. One billion is 1 followed by 9 zeros. 1040
is 1 followed by 40 zeros.
The online midterm/unit exams will also be timed. You will have 60 minutes
to answer 40 questions.
Once again, the midterm exams will be given on the Blackboard internet
course platform used by ACC, so students will need to sign on to Blackboard in
order to take the exams.
Students will have the opportunity to re-test each exam twice. Students do
not have to re-test at all. If a student is satisfied with his score after the
initial attempt, he can stop there. If a second or third try is made, the last
attempt will completely overwrite (erase) previous efforts.
So be careful, you can do worse on these re-tests. If you re-test, you
will receive the grade you made on your last attempt.
The results of the last re-test will be used in
determining your grade. This means there is some risk in re-taking an exam,
since you could do worse. This risk is intentional. I put it there hoping that it would give you some incentive
to re-study the material if you decide to re-take an exam. Of course, you could do much better on the
re-test. If you do I will use that
result to calculate your end of the semester grade.
If you want to take a re-test, you will need to email me to request that I
re-set the exam you want to re-test. Blackboard does not automatically
re-set exams, so do not be bashful about making these requests if you want to
re-test.
All exams will be available on Blackboard until the last week of the semester. Be sure to make note of the exact dates listed on Blackboard.
Contact the instructor if you are unable to take any of the
exams by the listed date.
Contact the instructor if you have fallen behind schedule so
that you can put together a plan to catch up.
The Final Exam must be taken
in a Testing Center.
You MUST show your student ID and a photo ID in order to take an exam at
a Testing Center.
The Final Exam can be taken at the Testing Centers on the Northridge, Rio Grande, South Austin, Riverside, Pinnacle, Eastview, Round Rock, Fredericksburg, San Marcos, or Cypress Creek Campuses. The Final Exam will be graded by the Testing Center personnel while students wait for the results. Students who take the final exam at the San Marcos, Round Rock, or Fredericksburg testing centers should email their instructor to let him know since it sometimes takes 10 for the instructor to receive exams from these testing centers.
The final exam will be comprehensive. Two or three questions will be drawn
from each chapter covered during the semester. The questions will be arranged
in the order the chapters were assigned. Questions over Chapter 1 will be the
first ones encountered and questions over Chapter 18 will be the last ones encountered. You will find no
questions over chapters 5 and 6, since those chapters are skipped in this
course.
Students will be allowed to bring with them a 8.5x11 inch piece of paper
with notes written on both sides. This crib sheet must be hand written -- not typed, and it must not be a photocopy. This crib sheet must also be turned in with
your answer sheet. You must use a crib sheet even if it has
nothing on it except a note saying you didn't prepare a crib sheet with your
signature.
Please make a photocopy of your crib sheet if you want to save it. The original will be taken up with the final exam in the Testing Center and will not be returned to you.
More information about the final
can be found on this course's Blackboard site.
There is no retesting on the final exam.
MyEconLab.com is the online
study guide which accompanies our Miller text. 25% of your grade, 1000 points,
will come from MyEconLab Homework and Quizzes. MyEconLab is required, not
optional.
MyEconLab has three types of
assignments:
Each
question will have a panel of helps to the left of the window. These
"helps" include
The Results page will give you
your scores on each assignment, as well as your overall average.
Quizzes and Homework assignments will have due dates.
You will not be able
to do the assignments for credit after their deadlines have passed.
Please note: The system
sometimes locks up and kicks the student out of a quiz. If this should happen
to you, I can easily allow you access to the quiz to try again. However, the
original deadlines will still hold. This means that if you are doing the quiz
the evening it is due and you are unable to complete it, I will not be able to
help you regain access to the quiz.
Grading is based on the total number of possible points available on the
exams and the required MyEconLab
Homework & Quizzes. There are four required Unit exams and a
required final exam. Each midterm exam will consist of 40 questions. Each
question on the Unit exams (midterms) is worth 10 points. The final exam will
consist of 50 questions. Each question on the final exam is worth 28 points.
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|
Exam 1 |
= |
(40) X (10) |
= |
400 |
|
|
Exam 2 |
= |
(40) X (10) |
= |
400 |
|
|
Exam 3 |
= |
(40) X (10) |
= |
400 |
|
|
Exam 4 |
= |
(40) X (10) |
= |
400 |
|
|
MyEconLab Homework |
= |
|
= |
333 |
|
|
MyEconLab Quizzes |
= |
|
= |
667 |
|
|
Final Exam |
= |
(50) X (28) |
= |
1400 |
|
|
Total Possible Points |
|
|
|
4000 |
Number of Points needed for Final Letter Grade
|
|
4000-3600 |
(100-90%) |
A |
|
|
3599-3200 |
(89.9-80%) |
B |
|
|
3199-2600 |
(79.9-65%) |
C |
|
|
2599-2200 |
(64.9-55%) |
D |
|
|
2199-0 |
(54.9-0%) |
F |
There are three ways to for
students to improve their grades by earning extra credit points. The total
number of extra credit points possible is equal to 21%
of the 4000 points upon which letter grades will be determined.
Extra Credit Type 1: Take
the tests on time:
You can earn extra credit points
by taking your exams on or before the initial testing deadlines. You will find
these deadlines, as well as details on which chapters each test covers, on
Blackboard.
You will earn 20 points for each
Unit exam taken on or before its deadline. You will not lose these extra credit
points if you take the re-test for that unit.
If you take the Final on or
before its deadline, you will earn 70 extra credit points.
The total number of extra credit
points you can earn by taking the exams on time is 150. This is equivalent to
3.75% of the total points available (4000) from the tests, the final, and
required MyEconLab Homework & Quizzes.
Extra Credit Type 2:
Completing more than the required number of Homework assignments and Quizzes on
MyEconLab:
MyEconLab homework assignments
and quizzes constitute 25% of the total points for the course. That is 1000 out
of a total of 4000 points. The list of homework assignments and quizzes and
their due dates can be found on the MyEconLab
web site.
The extra credit comes from the fact that if you actually did all of the
homework assignments and quizzes listed on MyEconLab for this course, you could
earn up to 1312 points. Every point beyond 1000 that you earn on this part of
the course will be added to your extra credit points.
Extra Credit Type 3:
Taking MyEconLab Tests on the unassigned chapters of the textbook.:
Several chapters in the test are not
assigned and will not be covered on any mid-term exam on Blackboard or on the
Final Exam. However small tests over most of these chapters will be made
available on MyEconLab. Each of these tests will be worth 100 points.
If students are looking for another way
to improve their grade, then they are encouraged to read these chapters and
take these tests. Students must make 50% or better to earn any points on these
tests. This policy is meant to discourage students from taking these tests
without reading the chapters.
There will be a total of 400 extra credit points available from these
tests.
Incompletes are discouraged.
They will be given only when extraordinary events intervene so as to make
completion of the course impossible. If you want an incomplete, these events
must be documented. To receive an incomplete the student must have completed
two exams with a grade of C or better. The student must also come by my office
to fill out an incomplete grade form. If the form is not filled out, an
incomplete grade will not be given.
Incompletes will not be given to
students who are behind schedule when the semester nears its end. Nor will
incompletes be given to students who need just a few more points to make the
next higher letter grade. Plenty of opportunity exists during the semester to
accomplish your goals.
If you find yourself way behind or many points short toward the end of the semester, you may withdraw without a grade penalty up to three weeks before the end of the semester. Please read the following note about withdrawals.
Students are responsible for
withdrawing themselves from this course if that is what their personal
situation requires. This means that if you have taken only two of the tests and
the semester ends without your having withdrawn yourself, then you will receive
an F in the course. The instructor makes no promise either implicit or
explicit to withdraw students from the course.
In addition, students
should be aware of a change in the law regarding Withdrawals passed by the
Texas Legislature in the spring of 2007. Starting in the Fall of 2007, entering
freshman will be restricted to six non-punitive withdrawals for the whole of
their undergraduate careers while attending state colleges.
Please be sure to check on the ACC academic calendar or the assignments page of our Blackboard for the last day to withdraw from the course.