SPRING 2024

NOTE: This syllabus may undergo minor changes up to the first day of the semester. The syllabus as it stands on the first day of the semester will be the final arbiter of all questions about the course, its assignments, its due dates, and its grading methodology. Small changes to the syllabus as it now stands might be made before the first of the semester. If you download this syllabus a substantial time before the beginning of the semester, I encourage you to check back to see if there have been any changes, such as deadline changes or grading changes, the first few days of class.

The contents of the syllabus are listed below by Section and Sub-Section. All Sections and Sub-Sections listed are links to material internal to the syllabus or to documents outside the syllabus.

Textbook + Pearson MyEconLab:

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Blackboard:

UNIT Exams and the Final Exam will be administered through Blackboard; and your course grades can be accessed through Blackboard.

You can review those grades by clicking on "My Grades" in the left navigation bar of Blackboard. Grades from the Pearson MyEconLab site will by automatically uploaded to the Blackboard gradebook.

In addition, important notifications and announcements will be posted and sent to the class from the Blackboard Announcement page. You should check the Announcement page of Blackboard frequently.

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.

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Don't Have an ACC eID and Password Yet? or Have Forgotten Them?

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. You can also use this link to recover your ACCeID and to reset a forgotten password.

Do not fill in your Username and Password on this page, since you have not activated your ACCeID yet.

DO CLICK on Activate your ACCeID.

Your ACCeID will be the first letter of your legal, given, first name and your seven digit ACC ID number. For example, fictional student John Keynes might have this Username j0067701.

Once you activate your ACC eID, just follow the instructions.

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 this course's Blackboard content is accessed by first clicking on the "Courses" tab in the upper right hand corner of the first Blackboard page that comes up. Then click on the name of the course: Course ID: 224S-93899-ECON 2301-064: Principles of Macroeconomics. You are then taken to the course's main Blackboard page. It is much easier to find the "Start Here" link, the "Course Content" link, and the "MyEconLab" link by doing this than if you try to navigate from the very first page that comes up when you log onto Blackboard

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Mandatory Orientation:

Orientation for this course is done by taking a quiz over the course's syllabus. That is the document you are reading right now.

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Messages:

E-mail: jason@austincc.edu. Send at any time, and I will respond within 24 hours. Subject line must contain ECON 2301.93899.064.

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ZOOM-Virtual Office Hours:

Zoom is now ACC's official virtual meeting software. You can find a link to it on Blackboard.

Blackboard is the Learning Management System (LMS) ACC uses for all its courses. You will learn more about Blackboard below.

Zoom will be used to hold virtual office hours by appointment. We can meet virtually at a time convenient to us both. You will find a link to Zoom in the left navigation bar of Blackboard, though you won't need to use that link to set up individual meetings with me.

Virtual meetings with the instructor will be by appointment only. These appointments will be arranged and agreed to via email requests to the instructors email account: jason@austincc.edu--please include ECON 2301.93899.064 in the subject line.

Once we agree to a time, I will email you a link to the meeting. Just click the link at the scheduled time of the meeting.

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Course Description:

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, national income, economic growth, and the business cycle.

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Instructional Methodology I--Distance Learning:

This course is a competency based distance learning course. More can be found about what it means to be "competency based" below under the heading Grading and The Competency Based Education Model. Here I want to focus more on the "distant learning" nature of the course.

A distant learning course is similar but not identical to a self-paced course. It is similar in the sense that there will not be scheduled lectures in which an instructor will explain the material you are attempting to learn. Your understanding of the material will come mostly from reading the assigned readings and doing the assigned homework and quizzes on your own as would be done in a self-paced or correspondence course. The instructor will always be there to help explain difficult concepts and theories, and there are very helpful videos explaining the material imbedded in the course. Indeed, some of my lectures for my face-to-face lecture course will be available where the topics covered are similar. But this does not make the course equivalent to a regularly scheduled lecture course which offers easy accessibility to the instructor and fellow students.

A distant learning course is different from a self-paced course in that it must be completed in a given time period. In this course's case, it must be completed during this semester. Because of this, there are deadlines for the homework assignments, quizzes, and exams. These are set to help ensure that students can complete the work in the time designated. However, it is like a self-paced course in that students can accelerate their pace and complete the course well before the end of the semester if they wish to do so. Students just cannot stretch the course out to last longer than a regular college semester.

In addition to not being able to listen to an instructor's explanation of the material and the lack of easy access to fellow students, time management problems can also make a distant learning course more difficult to complete than a traditional college lecture course. Not having to attend a regularly scheduled lecture can lead to procrastination problems. Setting a firm schedule for reading and studying is a must in distant learning courses. For more on how to study for this course, see the sections entitled Recommended Study Method and Reading found below in this syllabus.

For all the difficulties noted above, there are compensating benefits to taking a distant learning course. The most important one for most students is the flexibility it gives them in putting together a course schedule when they are faced with other obligations such as family and work but also with putting together a full load if they are a full time college student. As such, distant learning courses can shorten the time it takes to complete a course of study and to get a degree. It can also save on transportation expenses, and it can spare students from having to listen to the unrelated personal stories and political opinions of the professor.

If you are uncertain if a distant learning course is for you, the College provides a couple of on-line quizzes that might help you decide if it is. You can take the Learning Style Survey and review the Technical Skills Checklist to find out if you’re comfortable with the learning style required to be successful in an asynchronous distance learning environment.

The College also provides a very helpful FAQ page that answers many questions about distant learning courses at https://online.austincc.edu/faq/. Among the questions answered that are relevant to this course are:

• Are distance education courses easier than face-to-face courses?
• What should I expect in a distance education course?
• Will a distance education course require as much reading as a face-to-face course?
Education:
• What technical computer skills do I need to have?
• Will I have to come to campus for a distance education course?
• How much time should I schedule each day/week to complete a distance education course?

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT SERVICES:

Austin Community College now provides free, secure drive-up WiFi to students and employees in the parking lots of all campus locations. WiFi can be accessed seven days a week, 7 am to 11 pm. Additional details are available at https://www.austincc.edu/coronavirus/drive-up-wifi. Students who submit the Student Technology Access Form and indicate they need help accessing their online learning environment to successfully complete their courses are eligible to check out an ACC iPad for use during the semester. You must be registered for a credit course, Adult Education, or Continuing Education course. For more information, including how to request a device, visit http://www.austincc.edu/sts.

Free WiFi access is also available to students anywhere on any ACC campus during hours of operation.

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Instructional Methodology II--Competency Based:

This is a Competency Based Education course. That means that the grades assigned will be based on the mastering the UNITS (Competencies) in the course. Once students have shown mastery of one UNIT (or competency), they may move on to the next UNIT. UNIT Challenge Exams are available in the Challenge Exam folder on the course's Blackboard site for each of the four UNITS (Competencies).

The Challenge Exams are optional; students can ignore them and start the MyEconLab assignments in each UNIT if they so desire. One attempt will be allowed for each UNIT Challenge Exam AND it must be taken in a secure setting using Respondus Lock Down Browser and Respondus Monitor (you will find more details about this in the course's ACC Blackboard site. From the left navigation column in Blackboard, follow this sequence of links: Course Content/Challenge Exams/Instructions on how to use Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor).

If a grade of 70% or better is made on a UNIT Challenge Exam, then a student may move on to the next UNIT without completing the MyEconLab assignments in the UNIT for which the UNIT Challenge Exam was taken. If a grade of less than 70% is made on a UNIT Challenge Exam, then students will have to move through each the MyEconLab assignments in the UNIT in the order they are assigned. After students have completed these assignments with a 65% or better grade on them, they will be able to take the UNIT Exam. Three attempts will be allowed on each UNIT Exam without the instructor's permission--an initial test and two re-tests. The highest score is used for grading purposes. These exams must be taken using Respondus Lock Down Browser and Monitor on your Internet connected computer at home (or at any other quiet place where you will not be disturbed while taking them).

Students must make a 65% or better on a UNIT Exam to move on to the next UNIT Challenge Exam OR the next UNIT MyEconLab assignments and UNIT EXAM. If more than three attempts are needed to make a 65%, students must set up an appointment with the professor to discuss the difficulties they are having with the UNIT Exam. Once a UNIT Exam has been passed with a 65% or better, the process will repeat itself on the next UNIT/Competency.

A student has completed the course when the student completes the Final Exam. The prerequisite for being able to take the Final Exam is that a student must have made an 70% or better on the required DAC assignment UNIT IV Challenge Exam OR 65% or better on the UNIT IV Exam . The letter grade a student will be assigned will be determined by the weighted average of the grades on the two four UNIT Challenge Exams OR UNIT Exams, as the case may be, and the grade on the Final Exam . Each UNIT Challenge Exam OR the associated UNIT Exam will have a weight of 15%, or 150 points. That is UNIT I will have a weight of 15%; UNIT II, 15%; the required DAC assignment will have a weight of 30% or 300 points UNIT III, 15%: and UNIT IV will have a weight of 15%; in the point system used this is equivalent to 600 points or 60% of the grade. And the Final Exam will have a weight of 40% or 400 points. 150 + 150 + 150 + 150 + 400 = 1000 points.

Here is a link showing all the prerequisites for all the MyEconLab assignments, regular UNIT Exams, Challenge Unit Exams, the Final Exam, and the Course Challenge Exam:
https://www.austincc.edu/sondg/Prerequisites/PCM/Macro/DACprereq.htm.

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College and Departmental Goals for Course:

1.  Common Course Objectives/Student Outcomes.

Students who complete this course will be able to:
• critically evaluate GDP, unemployment, and inflation data;
• explain the business cycle and its phases;
• manipulate the basic Aggregate Supply, Aggregate Demand model of the macro economy;
• explain fiscal policy tools and defend and criticize the usage of fiscal policy;
• describe how a fractional reserve banking system works;
• explain monetary policy tools and defend and criticize the usage of monetary policy.

2.  Discipline Program Student Learning Outcomes.

• PSLO 1: Socially Optimal Market Outcomes- Model and explain under what circumstances markets are capable of creating socially optimal outcomes.
• PSLO 2: Socially Suboptimal Market Outcomes- Model and explain under what circumstances markets are capable of creating outcomes that are not socially optimal.
• PSLO 3: Economic Policy -Defend and criticize the role of economic policy in a mixed market economy.
• PSLO 4: Economic Data -Critically evaluate economic data.

3.  General Education Competencies.

• Civic and Cultural Awareness - Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society; comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices.
• Critical Thinking - Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.
• Quantitative and Empirical Reasoning - Applying mathematical, logical and scientific principles and methods.
• Written, Oral and Visual Communication - Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

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Learning Objectives for Course as Specified by the Instructor:

The UNIT EXAMS in this course are based on learning objectives composed by the instructor that you can find by clicking HERE. The learning objectives for each chapter assigned and for each UNIT EXAM and for the Final Exam can be found in UNIT and Final Exam folders on the course's ACC Blackboard site. Read these objectives carefully before you read the corresponding chapter in the textbook. The learning objectives are correlated exactly with the questions on the UNIT EXAMS.

In general, after studying each chapter, you should be able to:

1. Answer questions about the topics from the chapter the learning objectives cover. (See Learning Objectives)
2. Define all the key terms introduced in the chapter and review the "what you should know" section at the end of the chapter.
3. Answer questions in the Sample Tests in MyEconLab.
4. Successfully complete the Homework Assignment over the chapter in MyEconLab.
5. Take the Chapter Quiz over the chapter assigned in MyEonLab by your instructor.

The answers to the learning objectives can be found by reading each chapter. They are probably not as succinct as you might want them to be. But my learning objectives for each chapter were created from the list of learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter of the textbook. There are 4 or 5 of them listed at the beginning of each chapter. I broke these learning objectives down further so that there would be ten learning objectives for each chapter. As it turned out, each learning objective actually correlated with a section or subsection of those chapters. And the list of ten objectives followed exactly the outline of each chapter from beginning to end. That being the case, I would recommend you take the objectives for each chapter and look through the chapter for the answers to each objective. I believe they will be fairly easy to find.

Here again is the link to all my LEARNING OBJECTIVES for each chapter assigned in the course, for each Unit Exam and Unit Challenge Exam, for the Final Exam and the Course Challenge Exam as well as for the two Extra Credit Exams over the chapters not assigned as a regular part of the course.

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.

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SECTION 4
Pearson MyEconLab & eText

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How to Sign Up for Pearson MyLab & eText:

FIRST DAY ACCESS PROGRAM

REQUIRED TEXT:
Economics Today: The Macro View with MyLab Economics, 20th edition, Miller

This section, ECON 2301.59465.042, of the asynchronous distance learning Principles of Macroeconomics does not participate in the First Day Access (FDA) program at ACC. This means that students in this course will need to purchase access to Pearson's MyEconLab to complete this course. If you are purchasing the textbook outside of the First Day Access program be careful. The cover of Economics Today: The Micro View is almost identical to the cover of Economics Today: The Macro View.

Student Registration Instructions for Pearson MyLab through Blackboard

1. Log in to the course's ACC Blackboard site and open your course.
2. To open the Pearson MyLab site, click on "Pearson eText & MyEconLab" in the left navigation bar.
3. Next click on "MyLab and Mastering Course Home"
   Ask your instructor if you need help finding Pearson in your course.
4. To get access to your course content,
   1. If you already have registered for a Pearson site for some other course, sign in to the Pearson MyLab site in order to link your Pearson and Blackboard accounts.
   2. If you're new to MyLab andMastering, create an account.
5. Select any available access option, if asked.
   1. Enter a prepaid access code that came with your textbook or from the bookstore.
      OR
   2. Buy instant access on the Pearson MyLab site using a credit card or PayPal.
      OR
   3. Select "Get temporary access" without payment for 14 days.
6. The instructor and Pearson MyLab recommend you always enter your MyLab Economics course through Blackboard.
   The reason for this is so that your grades on the MyEconLab assignments can be automatically uploaded to Blackboard.
7. You should be ready to go. Select Go to my course.

Need help?

• Make sure your browser is ready. Check the system requirements at
  https://mlm.pearson.com/global/system-requirements/
  
• For Help with MyLab Economics for Blackboard, go to
  https://help.pearsoncmg.com/integration/cg/blackboard/student/en/

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MyEconLab--Student Features:

Students benefit when they start an exam 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.

1. Personalized Study Plan

   A Study Plan is generated from each student's results on answering Study Plan questions, by taking the Sample Tests, and by completing the instructor's 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. (When you click on the "Study Plan" link in the left navigation bar of the Pearson MyLab website, it only opens up to a tutorial on how to use MyEconLab. Look for the link "View all chapters" to find access to all the Study Plan questions.)

2. 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. The Study Plan questions can be taken over and over again; the instructor assigned Homework Assignment can be retaken as many times as a student wants. The Chapter Quizzes can be taken three times. The highest score is used for grading the Chapter Quizzes.

3. Learning Resources

   In the lower-left corner of each practice problem is a link to the eText section discussing the very concept being applied. Students also have access to guided solutions ("Help Me Solve This"), animated graphs, audio narratives, and flashcards on many of the problems. MyEconLab has a suite of graphing tools for practice and current news articles that tie chapter topics to everyday issues.

4. Tests and Other Assignments

   MyEconLab comes with two pre-loaded Sample Tests for each chapter so students can self-assess their understanding of the material.

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MyEconLab Chapter Homework Assignments and Chapter Quizzes:

MyEconLab is the online study guide which accompanies our Miller text. MyEconLab is required, not optional at least if you take the normal path through the course like 99.9% of students have in the past. However, if you pass the Course Challenge Exam with an 80% or better, you do not need to complete any of the MyEconLab assignments, since by doing so you have demonstrated that you have a very good grasp of the material covered in this course. You can also skip over the MyEconLab assignments in particular UNITS if you pass the Challenge Exam for that Unit with an 80% grade or better.

While the grades made on MyEconLab assignments are not part of the course grade (except if you are taking the Fail-Safe Route to completing the course), students cannot move on to the UNIT EXAMS without making at least and 65% on the assigned Chapter Homework Assignments and Chapter Quizzes that are part of the assignments for each chapter. More details about how this works will be found in the Instructional Methodology II--Competency Based section. A link to a list of all prerequisites for MyEconLab assignments and UNIT EXAMS can be found HERE.

MyEconLab has three types of assignments:

1. Study Plan: These are ungraded practice questions. You will be given 3 tries, then the system will tell you the correct answer. When you finish, the system will tell you which sections of the chapter you need to focus your study time on.

   Each question will have links to Learning Aids at the lower left of the question or problem. These Learning Aids include

   1. Help Me Solve This - Guided Solutions take you step by step to the correct answer
   2. eText takes you to the page of the text where the information covered by the question is presented even if you did not purchase access to the eBook.
   3. Graphing - allows you to draw a graph of the question to help find an answer
   4. Ask My Instructor - emails the question to me, so I can help you with it
   
   
2. Chapter Homework Assignments: These are graded question sets, set up like the Study Plan sets. Each chapter will have 20 homework questions that are worth 1 point each for a total of 20 points.
   Students must get at least 13 of these questions correct before they can move on to the associated Chapter Quiz.
   Learning Aids are available on Homework assignments, and students will be able to take these assignments over and over again until they get them right.
There is no limit on how many times a student may take a homework assignment. The questions do not vary much from one attempt to the next.


3. Chapter Quizzes: These are graded assignment sets worth about twice as much as the Homework sets. Each chapter will have 20 quiz questions that are worth 40 points.
   Students must get at least 13 of these questions correct before they can move on to the next Chapter Homework Assignment or to the UNIT EXAM.
   Learning Aids are also available on quizzes while you are working on them, and you will be able to review the graded questions after submitting the quiz with the help of the Learning Aids.
   Like the on-line, mid-term exams, the highest of the three attempts will be used, not the grade on the last attempt. Since you will need at least a 65% on these MyEconLab Chapter Quizzes to move on to the next MyEconLab Chapter Homework Assignment (or, when it is the last chapter in a UNIT, to the UNIT EXAM), these quizzes must be passed to move forward in the course.
   You will have 60 minutes to complete a Chapter Quiz.

The Results link, in the left navigation bar of the Pearson MyLab website, will take you to a page taht will give you your scores on each assignment, as well as your overall average, and it will allow you to review the quizzes and homework assignments you have already completed.
Chapter Quizzes and Chapter Homework Assignments will have suggested due dates, but they will be available until the end of the semester. It is in your self-interest to complete them on or before the suggested deadlines. The reason for this is because you will not be able to take the UNIT EXAMS on or before their extra credit deadlines if you have not taken and passed the Chapter Homework Assignments and Chapter Quizzes in a UNIT. Passing them on or before the suggested deadline will allow you to take the UNIT EXAMS before their extra credit deadlines. The extra credit fo taking a UNIT EXAM on time is 20 extra credit points or 13.33% of the weight of the exam. (The extra credit for taking the FINAL EXAM on or before its extra credit deadline is 5% of the weight of the final.)
You will be able to work on the assignments after their suggested deadlines have passed but that means you would have forfeited the extra credit you might have earned by taking the associated UNIT EXAM on time.

Deadlines for Homework Assignments and Quizzes on MyEconLab can be found here: http://www.austincc.edu/sondg/homework/macro/2023-2024/DAC16wSpringMEL.htm. 

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How to Use Pearson's MyEconLab Courseware and eText

1. Now that you are registered, you can click on the "Course Materials - MyEconLab (MEL)" in the left navigation bar of Blackboard to access the course material.
2. After the FirstDay - Digital Bundle loads, click on "Launch Courseware" in the bottom right of the digital bundle pane.
3. On the next page, click on the "Open MyLab & Mastering" button at the top of the page. It is just to the left of the thumbnail image of the textbook cover.
4. This will finally take you to the course's actual Pearson MyEconLab site.
5. There are a number of important links on the left navigation bar of this page that you may find very helpful to your success in this course:
   1. Assignments: Access to the MyEconLab assignments. There are two other access points to these assignments on the course's Blackboard site, i)"MyLab & Mastering Assignments" in the left navigation bar of Blackboard, and ii) in the chapter folders of the "Course Content" link on the left navigation bar of Blackboard (e.g., Course Content/Unit I/Chapter 1), but this is a nice alternate access point.
   2. Pearson eText: This is a more user-friendly version of the eText than the VitalSource eText available when you click on "Read Now" at the bottom left of Digital Bundle referred to in Step #2 above.
   3. Results: Here you can review your grades on the Chapter Homework Assignments and Chapter Quizzes. If you answered a question incorrectly, the correct answer will be given. If the question is a Problem rather than a Multiple-Choice question, then often times the solution will be explained by clicking "Question Help" in the lower left of the panel or on "Help Me Solve This" if this is available for this particular question.
   4. Study Plan: If you navigate to the Study Plan questions for a chapter and click on the Text Problems and then on Question Help/Help Me Solve This, then, not only will explanations of the solution be given, but also mathematical formulas, which are only given in a verbal format in the textbook, will be provided. Many of my students in the past have told me that this was a lifesaver for them.
   5. Past students have also found the Multimedia Library and Chapter Resources very helpful.

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SECTION 5
Assignments and Deadlines

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CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS/EXAM DEADLINES

UNIT I

Economics Today: The Macro View

	Chapter 1: The Nature of Economics
	Chapter 2: Scarcity and the World of Trade-Offs
	Chapter 3: Demand and Supply
	Chapter 4: Extensions of Demand and Supply Analysis

Test over UNIT I due by February 13 for extra credit points.
Learning Objectives for Exam 1

UNIT II

Economics Today: The Macro View

	Chapter 5: Public Spending and Public Choice
	Chapter 6: Funding the Public Sector
	Chapter 7: The Macroeconomy: Unemployment, Inflation, and Deflation
	Chapter 8: Measuring the Economy’s Performance

Test over UNIT II due by March 5 for extra credit points.
Learning Objectives for Exam 2

UNIT III

Economics Today: The Macro View

	Chapter 10: Real GDP and the Price Level in the Long Run
	Chapter 11: Classical and Keynesian Macro Analyses
	Chapter 12: Consumption, Real GDP, and the Multiplier
	Chapter 13: Fiscal Policy

Test over UNIT III due by April 9 for extra credit points.

If you choose the "Alternative Substitution for the DAC Asssignment" outlined in my April 5 email to you, the extra credit deadline for this exam is April 30.
Learning Objectives for Exam 3

Required DAC Assignment due for extra credit on Tuesday, April 23. This assignment replaces the grades for both Unit 3 Exam and Unit 4 Exam. If you choose the "Alternative Substitution for the DAC Asssignment" outline in my April 5 email to you, the DAC assignment will substitute for the Final Exam at a weight of 30%, but you will have to complete Exam 3 and Exam 4.

UNIT IV

Economics Today: The Macro View

	Chapter 14: Deficit Spending and the Public Debt
	Chapter 15: Money, Banking, and Central Banking
	Chapter 16: Domestic and International Dimensions of Monetary Policy
	Chapter 17: Stabilization in an Integrated World Economy (Skip Chapters 18, 32, and 33)

Test over UNIT IV due by April 30 for extra credit points.

If you choose the "Alternative Substitution for the DAC Asssignment" outlined in my April 5 email to you, the extra credit deadline for this exam is April 30.

Learning Objectives for Exam 4

 FINAL EXAM due by May 9 for extra credit points.

If you choose the "Alternative Substitution for the DAC Asssignment" outlined in my April 5 email to you, the DAC assignment will be due on May 9.

•ACC Testing Centers no longer offer face-to-face, in-person, proctored testing.
•This course will use a remote proctoring software for all the exams in the course. That means that the regular Unit Exams and the Final Exam noted in the above schedule will require the use of remote proctoring software provided by the college entitled Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor. More information about this software can be found below.
•All Challenge Exams, which are optional, will also require the use of this software.
•Students who have a Chromebook will not be able to download the proctoring software, because only the Chrome browser is allowed on Chromebooks. However, there is now an app that can be loaded onto a Chromebook that will allow students to take proctored exams on their Chromebook. For details and instructions see: https://instruction.austincc.edu/tledupdates/2021/10/20/respondus-testing-is-now-available-on-chromebooks/.
•This means that all exams can be taken at home using the free proctoring software entitled Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor.

•All exams will be available on Blackboard for re-testing purposes through May 12. •One re-test is allowed on the final exam, so taking the initial attempt before or early on May 12 is the safe choice.

 

Important Note: If you take these tests on time you will receive extra credit points that will improve your grade. See "Extra Credit Points" under "Grading" for details. The total value of these extra credit points is equal to 2% of the course grade per exam--10% in total. Details about additional ways to earn extra credit points can be found under "Extra Credit Points" below.

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Deadlines for all MyEconlab Assignments and all Exams:

I have created a separate web page for all the deadlines for the MyEconLab assignments, all the Unit Exams, and the Final Exam. I did this so you could more easily print it and keep it in a handy place.

You will find the website HERE.

In case the link above does not work and you need the specific URL, here it is: https://www.austincc.edu/sondg/homework/macro/2023-2024/DAC16wSpringMEL.htm

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Deadline for Extra Credit MyEconLab Assigments and their Exams:

These deadlines are on the same web page as for the Deadlines for all MyEconlab Assignments and all Exams above.

You can directly access them by clicking on the following link: https://www.austincc.edu/sondg/homework/macro/2023-2024/DAC16wSpringMEL.htm#MELECT3.

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Prerequisites for All MyEconLab Assignments and Unit Exams:

As noted in several places throughout this syllabus, this is a competency based course. What this means in general is that in order to move on to the next assignment or exam, you must have shown "competence" on the previous assignment of exam by passing it with a minimum grade. That minimum is 65% if you take the regular path through the course and 80% if you take the Challenge Exam path.

As with the Deadlines for all MyEconlab Assignments and all Exams subsection above, I have created a separate web page listing all the prerequisites for the MyEconLab assingments, Unit Exams, the Final Exam, and all the Challenge Exams. I did this so that it would be easy for you to print it out and have it handy as you work your way through the course.

You will find the link to this page by clicking here: https://www.austincc.edu/sondg/Prerequisites/PCM/Macro/DACprereq.htm.

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MANDATED DAC ASSIGNMENT:

As noted in the Announcement I posted on Blackboard on Wednesday, January 3, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that all disciplines in publicly funded institutions of higher education assess students taking their courses. For Principles of Macroeconomics this assessment occurs in the Spring Semester once every two years. For the ACC Economics Department, it alternates with an assessment of students in Principles of Microeconomics in alternationg Spring Semesters.

Instead of putting all of the information about this governmentally mandated assignment here, I have created documents independent of this syllabus to 1) explain what this assignment is and how it will be implemented in a Prologue to DAC and 2) deliver the mandated assignment to students.

You will find the link to the Prologue by clicking here: https://www.austincc.edu/sondg/DAC/2023-2024/Macro/Prologue.htm.

You will find the link to the DAC Assignment by clicking here: https://www.austincc.edu/sondg/DAC/2023-2024/Macro/Spring2024.

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SECTION 6
Grading

There are four ways to move through this course in order to complete it with passing grade.

The first is the way 99% of students will choose to proceed. It is the traditional method that all students are accustomed to. A letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F is possible in this the Traditional Route. It is explained in the first section below.

The second is to show competency (demonstrating knowledge of the material covered) on each unit of the course or on the course as a whole by taking the appropriate challenge exams. A letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F is possible in this the Competency Based Route. It is explained in the second section below. The first and second can be combined. If a student does not pass a Unit Challenge Exam, the student can go back to the Traditional Route to complete that unit.

The third route is to demonstrate knowledge of the whole course by taking the Course Challenge Exam. If a student passes it, the student is done with the course. If the student does not pass the Course Challenge Exam, the student to go back to the Traditional Route for the Competency Route. So the letter grades available when taking this route are C, B, or A.

The fourth and final route to passing the course is the Fail-Safe Route.

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Mandatory DAC Assignment Will Modify the Grading Schemes Below. See the details of how it will do so in note that follows the Fail-Safe Route.

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Grading Traditional Route

The course consists of four units. Each unit contains four chapters of material. Each chapter requires that students pass a homework assignment and a quiz over the material in it on Pearson’s MyEconLab. Students cannot go on to the next chapter until they pass these assignments and quizzes with a grade of at least 65%. Once they pass all of the assignments and quizzes in a unit, the unit exam will become available to them to take. Students must pass the unit exams with a grade of 65% or better to be able to take the next unit exam after they also successfully complete the homework assignments and quizzes of the chapters in the next unit. Three attempts will be available to students on each unit exam with only the highest grade counting. If students cannot make a 65% or better on an exam after three attempts, they must contact the instructor for advice on how to proceed.

Once the fourth unit exam has been successfully completed with a grade of 65% or better, the final exam will become available. Two attempts are allowed on the final exam; only the highest will be used.

A student has completed the course when the student completes the Final Exam. The letter grade a student will be assigned will be determined by the weighted average of the grades on the four UNIT Exams and the grade on the Final Exam. Each UNIT Exam will have a weight of 15%, or 150 points out of 1000 in the course. That is UNIT I will have a weight of 15%; UNIT II, 15%; UNIT III, 15%, and UNIT IV will have a weight of 15%; in the point system used this is equivalent to 600 points or 60% of the grade. And the Final Exam will have a weight of 40% or 400 points. 150 + 150 + 150 + 150 + 400 = 1000 points.

Letter Grade	Weighted Average	Points
A	90 to 100%	900 to 1000+
B	80 to 89.9%	800 to 899
C	65 to 79.9%	650 to 799
D	55 to 64.9%	550 to 649
F	0 to 54.9%	0 to 549

NOTE #1: Because of the Letter grades are exclusively determined by the grades earned on the UNIT Exams. The grades earned on the Pearson MyEconLab homework assignments and quizzes are not used directly in determining letter grades. These assignments and quizzes do matter though, since students cannot take the UNIT Exams without passing them with a grade of 65% or better.

NOTE #2: Because of the Extra Credit Points already mentioned and more thoroughly discussed later in this syllabus, the total points shown in the Blackboard gradebook might be greater than 1000. However, the letter grades will be based on points accumulated as shown in the above table. It is certainly possible that some students might accumulate more than 1000 points.

NOTE #3:The FINAL EXAM grade might be curved. It depnds on the class average for the exam. I will curve the grade up if the average grade is less than 75%, 300 of 400 points. For example, if the avarage final grade is 70%, 280 points, I will add 20 points to everyone's final exam grade. However, if the average class grade on the final exam is above 75%, then there will be no curve added. This is important because the exceptions to the above grading table listed in NOTE #4 use the grade you made on the FINAL EXAM plus the curve to determine if you made above or below 55% (F), 65% (D), and 90% (A) respectively. In the settings for My Grades in the left navigation bar of Blackboard, I will select the setting that will show the class avarage for the final exam grade. That way you will be able to see what the class average on the final exam is at the end of the semester and will be able to estimate what the curve might be.This does put some uncertainty into figuring out what your FINAL EXAM grade is, but, remember, you do have one retest available on the FINAL EXAM, and I do use the highest grade of the two.

NOTE #4: Finally there are several important pieces of information that students need to keep in mind when preparing for the final exam.
1) If a student makes an F on the final, (that is, makes less than 55% or 220 points out of 400 on the final exam), then the student can make no higher than a C in the course.
In other words, a student cannot make an A or a B in the course if he makes an F on the final.
2) If a student makes a D on the final, (that is, makes at least 55%, 220 points, but less than 65%, 260 points, on the final exam), then the student can make no higher than a B in the course.
In other words, a student cannot make an A in the course if he makes a D on the final.
3) If a student makes a 90% (360 points--not counting extra credit points) or above on the final exam, the student will earn an A in the course regardless of his total points.

The first two items are why students are allowed one retest opportunity on the Final Exam and why a Practice Final is being provided to students in this course. It is hoped that this Practice Final will help students better prepare for the final and take away some of the anxiety that students normally feel when approaching a final exam. And the retest opportunity gives students a second chance if they do poorly on the Final. The highest grade of the two attempts on the Final Exam will be used to calculate grades.

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Grading Competency Based Route:

The Traditional Route explained above contains competency components in that students must make minimum grades on the chapter homework assignments and quizzes to proceed to the next chapter and to the UNIT Exam. And students must also make minimum grades on the UNIT Exams to proceed to the next Unit Exam or to the Final Exam.

To make this course a thorough going competency based course, students may skip over the chapter homework assignments and quizzes in a Unit if they can make at least an 70%on the UNIT CHALLENGE EXAM. If students make less than 70% on the UNIT CHALLENGE EXAM, then they must work through all the chapter homework assignments and quizzes in a Unit and take the regular Unit Exam. If students make a 70% or better on the UNIT CHALLENGE EXAM, then they can go on to take the next UNIT CHALLENGE EXAM or start working on the Pearson MyEconLab assignments for the next Unit.

After successfully completing the UNIT IV CHALLENGE EXAM, a student may take the regular Final Exam.

A student's letter grade in the course will be determined by their grades on the UNIT CHALLENGE EXAMS (or mixture of UNIT CHALLENGE EXAMS and the regular UNIT EXAMS) and the FINAL EXAM.

Like the regular Unit Exams discussed in the Grading Traditional Route section immediately above, UNIT CHALLENGE EXAMS must be taken using the Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor.

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Grading Whole Course Competency Route:

To complete the logic of a Competency Based Education course, a Course Challenge Exam will be available at the beginning of the course. This Course Challenge Exam will be just like the comprehensive Final Exam, AND, like the Final Exam, it must be taken using the Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor. It will consist of 50 questions. The questions will all be correlated with specific learning objectives which will be listed on Blackboard. If a student makes an 70% or better on this Course Challenge Exam, then the student will have demonstrated mastery of the material in this Principles of Microeconomics survey course and the grade the student will be assigned will be determined as follows:

Letter Grade	(Grade on Course Challenge Exam not including extra credit points)
A	90 to 100%
B	80 to 89.9%
C	70 to 79.9%

If a student scores less than a 70% on the Course Challenge Exam, then the student will need to show mastery in the four UNITS mentioned above. If a student makes a B on the Course Challenge Exam and wants to raise his grade to an A, then the student will need to proceed through the four UNITS as outlined above in the Grading Traditional Route section.

It is my belief that this assignment will be easier to complete and that grades will be higher on it than average grades have been on Unit Exam 3 and 4. In addition, I plan to make several videos available to all students explaining the general theories needed to complete the assignment. And I plan to schedule several Zoom meetings in which I will go over the material needed to answer the assignment.

Competency Based Route

As with the Traditional Route, I will require the DAC assignment in place of Unit Challenge Exam 3 and Unit Challenge Exam 4. My advice for students considering this route is to work through the MyEconLab assignments for these two units just as if you were following the Traditional Route. Doing so will be very helpful in completing the DAC assignment.

The extra credit deadline for submitting the mandatory DAC assignment for students following the Traditional Route or the Competency Based Route is Tuesday, April 23, by the end of the day.

If students who have completed everything in these first two routes but the required DAC assignment, they will receive a 0% for the 30% of the course grade it represents.

Whole Course Competency Route

If students who take this route pass the Course Challenge Exam with a C, B, or A, they will still have to complete the DAC assignment. The Course Challenge Exam will be 70% of your letter grade, and the DAC assignment will be 30%.

Fail-Safe Route

Students who follow this route to a passing grade will need to complete this assignment in addition to completing all the required MyEconLab assignments. A grade of 55% or better will ensure your letter grade of C.

The deadline for submitting the mandatory DAC assignment for students following the Whole course Competency Route or the Fail-Safe Route is Tuesday, May 7, by the end of the day. Because of the nature of these routes there is no extra credit attached.

If students who passed the Course Challenge Exam do not submit an assignment, they will receive a grade based on the 30% weight of the DAC being worth 0%.
If students who completed all the MyEconLab assignments but have no point totals from the exams or low point totals from the exams, they will receive grades based on their point totals.