Oberlin Economics Workshop
A workshop on classroom experiments in economics was held in Oberlin on May 3 and May 4, 2002 with the generous assistance of the Mellon Foundation. Members of Economics Departments of each of the Ohio 5 were in attendance as well as speakers from four other Colleges and Universities. Friday evening, May 3rd, the Workshop began with a dinner in the atrium of the Lewis Environmental Studies Center.
The first presentation followed the dinner and was given by Charles Holt, Merrill Bankard Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia. His talk introduced both software and a book manuscript that are available for use for classroom and laboratory experiments in economics. He walked us through the process of setting up the parameters of several experiments and the data base which stores the results of experiments and allows the teacher or researcher to follow the experimental process. Holt then supplied hand held computers (relatively simple personal digital assistants) that were able to interact with his laptop computer through a wireless technology. These devices allowed the group to participate in an experiment and see just how an experiment could be made to work in an ordinary classroom. The talk included a discussion of materials currently available over the internet and, in particular, the procedures for accessing the software demonstrated during the workshop.
Saturday morning, three additional presentations followed breakfast, also served in the Lewis Center atrium. The presentations were made by Jeffrey Parker, George Hay Professor of Economics at Reed College; Sarah Stafford, Assistant Professor of Economics at the College of William and Mary; and David Cooper, a faculty member of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University. Parker’s presentation focused on the role of experiments in undergraduate classrooms and the experience of Reed College professors with the introduction of experiments at all levels of the curriculum. Reed College is unusual in that all introductory courses and all instructors make use of experiments. Parker described both manual and automated experiments and discussed the many pedagogical advantages of their use. He was able to describe both the benefits and the drawbacks of alternative experimental designs and provided links to additional experimental sources on line. Sarah Stafford concentrated on experiments for upper level courses but courses not dedicated to experimental economics. She described ways in which she has adapted experiments for use in courses in industrial organization as well as law and economics. Sarah made available handouts on experiments she had adapted and also provided information on others conducting classroom experiments. Finally, David Cooper described the technical equipment used at Case Western University that allows him to move classroom experiments into virtually any classroom. The faculty at Case Western have available a portable lab in the form of a rolling cart which carries machines for students to use and a server which allow interaction via wireless technology. Since few older buildings are wired for internet access, he described the advantages of this portable set up that allowed the lab to go to students rather than having to schedule classes which use experiments occasionally around a fixed computer lab. After the final presentation, the workshop participants moved outdoors to a picnic on Oberlin’s campus.
Ohio 5 participants from schools besides Oberlin College were:
James Warner and Jack Julian (College of Wooster)In addition, we had two visitors from nearby institutions: one faculty member from the University of Akron and an economist from the Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. The only costs incurred for either of these non-Ohio 5 visitors was their consumption of the buffet style meals. Although Nancy Millichap, Director of the Midwest Instructional Technology Center of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest/Great Lakes Colleges Association, had expressed an interest in underwriting the attendance of other economists, none responded to her invitation.
James Keeler (Kenyon College)
Julide Yazar (Ohio Wesleyan University)
Robin Bartlett and Parvin Alizadeh (Denison University)