ECON 1012NA - Principles of Economics I

Ngee Ann Academy - Trimester 2 - 2016

This course provides an introduction to a broad range of economic concepts, theories and analytical techniques. It considers both microeconomics - the analysis of choices made by individual decision-making units (households and firms) - and macroeconomics - the analysis of the economy as a whole. The use of a market, supply and demand, model will be the fundamental model in which trade-offs and choices will be considered through comparison of costs and benefits of actions. Production and market structure will be analysed at the firm level. Macroeconomic issues regarding the interaction of goods and services markets, labour and money at an aggregate level will be modelled. The role of government policy to address microeconomic market failures and macroeconomic objectives will be examined.

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Course Details

Course Code	ECON 1012NA
Course	Principles of Economics I
Coordinating Unit	Economics
Term	Trimester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	Ngee Ann Academy
Units	3

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Sothea Oum

Course Coordinator (Adelaide): Dr Stephanie McWhinnie
Course Coordinator (Singapore): Dr Sothea Oum

Contact information will be posted on MyUni

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

Explain how markets organise the allocation of scarce resources and distribution of goods and services.
Understand why economists use theoretical models as a framework to think about what is observed in the real world.
Use economic models to analyse a situation in terms of economics.
Identify the costs and benefits of economic decisions.
Describe different market structures and compare their efficiency.
Relate basic economic theory to public policy decisions.
Interpret diagrams and tables and use the information to mark informed judgements.
Communicate their knowledge and understanding of economic issues using written and visual expression.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1 - 7
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1 - 7
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	1, 3, 5, 6, 7 & 8
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	3, 4, 6, 7 & 8
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	6, 7 & 8
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	8

Learning Resources

Required Resources

"Playconomics: Principles of Economics" by Isabella Dobrescu and Alberto Motta with associated electronic textbook materials "Principles of Economics" by Isabella Dobrescu, Alberto Motta and Stephanie McWhinnie.

Playconomics is a computer-based interactive experience that plays like a videogame and teaches like a standard economics textbook. It combines gamification, personalized feedback and experiential learning in an innovative, yet accurate, way to make your Principles of Economics learning more engaging and fun. It is developed by Dr. Alberto Motta and Dr. Isabella Dobrescu (UNSW) in collaboration with Dr. Stephanie McWhinnie (University of Adelaide).

Full information on how to access the game and textbook material will be provided on MyUni. No hard-copy textbook is required.

Online Learning

In addition to the Playconomics online, experiential learning resources, the course makes extensive use of MyUni for the posting of lecture notes, assignments and important announcements.

It is expected that all students will regularly check the MyUni course website, and regularly check their university email accounts.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

Each topic is divided into a lecture component and with associated Playconomics component and tutorial questions. The lecture covers the key concepts of a particular topic. Using the Playconomics gamified learning tool and working through analytical problems in tutorial sessions will consolidate your understanding of course material. You should use the relevant sections of the textbook material to enhance your understanding of topics covered in the lectures, tutorials and the game.

Workload

No information currently available.

Learning Activities Summary

The topics to be covered include:

Comparative Advantage & the Basis for Trade
Supply in Perfectly Competitive Markets
Demand in Perfectly Competitive Markets
Demand & Supply: An Equilibrium Analysis
Government Intervention: Cost of Interfering with Market Forces
Market Power: Monopoly

Macroeconomic Fundamentals
Aggregate Supply & Aggregate Demand
Money & Inflation
Business Cycles & Fiscal Policy
Employment & Unemployment
International Trade & Exchange Rates

Topics are subject to change. Full details will be provided on MyUni.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment will consist of assignments, online learning, and a final exam.
Assignments 25%
Online Learning 10%
Final Exam 65%

Assessment Related Requirements

Legible hand-writing and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment process, and may affect marks.

It is expected that students will complete all assignments and online learning activities. A “best of” system for assignments will be used to allow leeway in the event of technical failure or illness or compassionate issues. As such, there will not generally be any special consideration of these issues but please contact the Course Coordinator to discuss any concerns.

Assessment Detail

Assignments 25%
Students will be asked to submit written answers to the indicated questions on the tutorial exercises, which will be available to download from MyUni. Instructions regarding the submission and return of these assignments will be provided on MyUni.

Online Learning 10%
Students are expected to engage in playing the Playconomics game. Every 10% of the game completed will count for 1 mark.
Further details on how and when to access Playconomics will be provided on MyUni.

Final exam 65%
The final exam will be a 3-hour exam, plus 10 minutes reading time. This exam may assess all topics covered in the course. Details regarding the structure will be posted on MyUni. Please note that this is a closed book exam. Dictionaries of any type will not be allowed in the exam. Calculators will be allowed in the exam, but calculators that can store text, are programmable, or have wireless functions will not be permitted. This means graphics calculators are not permitted, and some particular scientific calculators may not be permitted.

Submission

Refer to MyUni for detailed instructions regarding submission.
Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
Late submissions will not be accepted.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Additional Assessment

If a student receives 45-49 for their final mark for the course they will automatically be granted an additional assessment. This will most likely be in the form of a new exam (Additional Assessment) and will have the same weight as the original exam unless an alternative requirement (for example a hurdle requirement) is stated in this semester’s Course Outline. If, after replacing the original exam mark with the new exam mark, it is calculated that the student has passed the course, they will receive 50 Pass as their final result for the course (no higher) but if the calculation totals less than 50, their grade will be Fail and the higher of the original mark or the mark following the Additional Assessment will be recorded as the final result.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

A summary of, and response to, feedback will be provided at the end of the course on MyUni.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator