EC 110 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) 1. What are the required course materials? o You have to sign up for Aplia (and complete at least 14 assignments). o You will need the text materials for Mankiw, which is available on the Aplia website. o You need to obtain a CLICKER and register this online. Purchase of this is required. This will be use to check attendance and to answer exercises in class. 2. Do I have to attend class? o No. However, there are required in-class exercises that will be missed and you will forfeit bonus points when you do not come to class. 3. How do I know which lab section to go to? 4. The homepage on Blackboard will have this information. 5. Do I have to attend lab? o No. But you will learn more and do better in class by attending lab regularly. You can also improve your grade if you attend lab, since there are grade benefits from lab attendance. 6. Do I have to use Aplia? o Yes. If you do not, and do not complete at least 14 assignments, you could lose up to 10% of your course grade. 6. What if I miss an exam? Who can take a makeup exam/ o See the discussion of makeup exams above. These are given online via Blackboard in the department’s Testlab. 7. If my Clicker does not work, can I be counted as present on that day? Can I answer in-class exercises on paper? o NO. It is your responsibility to make sure that your Clicker is working properly. The point of using the Clicker is to smooth the process of checking attendance and working problems, and this puts us back in the position to have to check these things manually. o So, if your clicker is not working, then I cannot count you present or accept paper answers to exercises. These devices are being used to (1) allow me to make taking attendance a regular and efficient part of class and (2) actively engage students in the learning process. Please do not ask. And no, I do not have clickers for you to borrow. You have 4 classes that you can be not counted as present before you begin to lose bonus points and similar policies govern in-class assignments. So, if your clicker is not working properly, you will need to make sure that it is functioning as soon as possible, so that you do not start losing these points. 8. Can I do additional assignments for extra credit? - NO. Assignments such as these are not part of the class and do not constitute valuable learning activities. Please do not ask for this. If it is not on the syllabus, it is not part of the class. 9. What determines my course grade? - Your grade is determined only by the factors explained in this syllabus—exams, Aplia assignments, in-class exercises, written assignments plus any bonus points you have earned. No other factors will be used to make this determination. Do not ask for a “needs-based” grade change, since such decisions result in arbitrary factors altering a student’s grade. Needs based factors include unforeseen situations, such as family emergencies, deaths and other unfortunate occurrences as well as the need to earn a specific grade to graduate or stay in school. While I am sympathetic to your situation, I cannot use it as a factor in making grade decisions.Keys to Success This class is about critical thinking. Those who expect to succeed by simply memorizing material will not do well. You have to make a commitment to succeed. Microeconomics is a full-contact experience, meaning that you have to develop the necessary skills to do well. What does it take to be successful when you take up a new sport or a new hobby? You have to practice. For microeconomics, this means that you need to learn the vocabulary and the tools used. But most importantly, you need to work problems—and more problems. Do this for this class. Here are some suggestions:  Use your textbook and APLIA effectively. The materials in this will be like what you see on exams and quizzes. Pay attention to the method by which answers are determined.  Go to your lab sessions. There will be questions covered in the labs that are written just like those that will be on exams.  Do not fall behind. The first exam is September 10. If you are having problems talk to your TA or to me.  Complete Aplia assignments as soon as possible.  Carefully review all handouts. Do not expect any of these suggestions to work unless you do. A rule of thumb is that your hours out of class should be 3 times the amount of in-class time. Therefore, you should expect to spend 9 hours per week working on this class. Make the commitment to