Engaging Students to Make Economic Sense of Data: Towards a Better Mix of Learning Resources DEE09 Wednesday 9th September 2009 Dean Garratt and Stephen.

Engaging Students to Make Economic Sense of Data: Towards a Better Mix of Learning Resources

DEE09 Wednesday 9th September 2009Dean Garratt and Stephen Heasell

Economics DivisionNottingham Trent University

http://www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/archive/data_worksheets

Dean’s perspective

What do professional economists do?Advocate of Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

‘Embed concepts, theories and techniques in real world scenario’

Context can help to enhance deeper learningEnhance awareness of economic environment

Historical and international

PBL beyond ‘principles in economics’ modules Transition and study skills modules Quantitative economics modules

Steve’s perspective

For introducing methods used in HE Economics

For introducing the information production function

Applicability of theoretical ideas and methods

Appeal to external interests

Clear exposition of complexity

Dumbing Down?

Instrumental?

3 main messages

Data can play a role in engaging students with

economics

How to retain student engagement when learning

about the ‘production’ of data

Learning materials should be easy to blend into a

package of learning resources

Ideas addressed in the Case Studies

Economic concepts and theory embedded in dataEconomic concepts and theory used to interpret dataThreshold concepts and key ideas

Opportunity cost; nominal and real; stocks and flows

Ideas ‘arising from classroom experience’ Levels, rates of change Trends and volatility Volumes and values Frequency of data Ratios, percentages and proportions

And more ideas…

Specific data-related issues Choice of data Cross-sectional/Time series/Longitudinal Seasonally-adjusted/cyclically-adjusted Reliability Timeliness Use of proxies Use of plural sources together Risk of misleading over-interpretation

Evidence from a funded project

Case studies: structure and contentFor first-time HE students of economics From classroom to case study: successes and

limitations

Case Study Structure

Data UseData Search and SelectionData Transformation and InterpretationReview Questions 6 dual-column pages; tables; charts; few equations;

short sentences & paragraphs

Case Study Topics

Working with Data on… Economic Growth House Prices Household Debt Consumption Spending Government Finances

How will tutors integrate the Studies into their module LT?

Napier & UCL

NBS & NTU

Empirically-led LT for Economics

Empirically-led LT in economic conceptsEmpirically-led LT in data workData use-led LT in data workNon HE data use-led LT in data work for decision

makersEmpirically-led introduction to the information

production function

Stimulating rigorous use of data as a resource for learning

Overcoming reluctance to work with dataInformation and education production functionsEmbed concepts in an empirical contextPractising data and ICT skills