Classroom Experiments: Not Just Fun and Games

Abstract

"The impact of classroom experiments on student performance, attitudes towards economics, and retention is examined. Experiments increase cognitive gains overall but may be more helpful in teaching some topics than others. The size of the impact varies with preferred learning style. Multimodal and kinesthetic learners are significantly affected, while read-write learners fare just as well with the traditional lecture/discussion format. Attitudes towards economics and retention of economic knowledge are also improved by classroom experiments. The results indicate that the costs of implementing experiments in the classroom may very well be offset by the benefits to students." ("JEL" A22, C90) Copyright 2006 Western Economic Association International.

Development of an online platform for experimental teaching in microeconomics

“…In his study, participation in several experiments was especially effective for the performance of top students. Durham et al (2007) also confirm the positive effect of experiments on the students' performance and find different effects according to individual learning styles.…”

“…This study sheds further light on the perception und effectiveness of classroom experiments and the respective platform in qualitative terms, but we do not compare the students' quantitative performance in terms of marks with and without the use of experiments and the online material. Another aspect of potential interest for future studies is how different student characteristics, such as personality traits or gender, interact with the efficacy of our approach in the individual learning process, based on the study of Durham et al (2007). Finally, one of our main goals is to extend this tool to all Spanish-speaking lecturers who would like to offer this opportunity to their students.…”

Portfolio Construction in Global Financial Markets

“…Another reason for the use of games and simulations is that they provide students with an alternative to traditional classroom methods (Durham et al, 2007). Games and simulations can be quite useful in illustrating how real institutions function and allow students to see how a business or an institutional structure can affect how decisions are made in the real world.The instructor must always keep in mind that games and simulations must fit the educational purpose of the course, but the use of such alternative teaching techniques can improve student learning.…”

“…Simulations contribute to the learning process, particularly in transferring learning from the conceptual base to its ultimate application (Jones, 1998;Durham et al, 2007). A strong relationship between the degree of perceived realism and the perceived contribution of the simulation or game has been observed in most of the simulations discussed (Lantis et al, 2000).These exercises were developed as real world simulations, and they have proven excellent vehicles for encouraging deep learning and improving student appreciation of the complexity of business.…”

Experiential Learning with Experiments

“…Hawtrey (2007) discusses various experiential learning methods, among them economic classroom experiments. Classroom experiments are an accepted method of teaching economics at the university level (see, for example, the textbooks of Holt, 2007;O'Sullivan and Sheffrin, 2006).The effects of classroom experiments have been examined for different courses (Durham et al, 2007;Dickie, 2006 for introductory microeconomics) and for different personality types (cf. Emerson and Taylor, 2007;Durham et al, 2007).…”