econ 580: foundations of economics online fall 2018

ECON 580: Foundations of Economics Online Fall 2018 Welcome Letter

Message Hello! Welcome to ECON 580. I am looking forward to working with you this semester as we dig into issues you’ve probably thought about before but with an eye toward economics. We’re going to investigate how economics affects your life and get you thinking like an economist. The purpose of this letter is to provide you with some critical information about the course such as instructor information, textbook and courseware requirements, technology requirements, and a schedule. The last part of the letter includes a Getting Started section. It lists the things you need to complete during the first week of class. We have a lot of material to cover this semester, and you need to keep up!!! I’m excited for our course. I hope you are, too. Whether you are new to online courses or have taken quite a few, I hope you’ll find this one to be engaging and enjoyable. All the best, Prof. David Carr

Instructor Information Professor: David L. Carr, Ph.D. Email: [email protected] (please do not use the CourseMail feature in D2L) Phone: 605-658-6570 (email is a better way to contact me) Text: 970-425-6815 (This is my google number. Make sure you include your name) Office: Beacom Hall room 318 Office hours: online using Collaborate Ultra or by appointment Online section: U820T

Textbook and Courseware The textbook we’ll be using is Essentials of Macroeconomics, 8th Edition by Greg Mankiw. This book can be purchased through the USD Bookstore or also online. You do NOT need a physical book, as the online package includes both the homework package (Aplia) and the E-Book. The Aplia direct purchase and registration instructions are at the end of this letter. The course uses Desire to Learn (D2L) for all course information, lecture notes, lecture videos, and grades. You can access D2L through the MyU portal or at https://d2l.sdbor.edu/. You should check the website for this course in D2L multiple times per week. If you do not see ECON-580 in your list of courses, see me about adding you to the course.

mailto:[email protected]

https://d2l.sdbor.edu/

Technology Requirements

The University of South Dakota has established minimum technology requirements for participation in online courses. These are outlined under the “Technology Support and Requirements” section in the CDE Online Orientation document in the Getting Started section of the course homepage. At a minimum, you will need headphones or speakers for listening to the lecture videos.

Schedule The South Dakota Board of Regents defines a credit hour as constituting one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction, and two hours of out of class student work. To that end, as this is a three credit-hour course on a condensed schedule. If we were meeting face to face, we would be meeting for more than seven contact hours per week. Therefore, you should to invest 15-20 hours per week on this course. As this is an online course, we will not be meeting face-to-face, so this engagement requirement will be reproduced by the following activities, all of which will be due each week: reading the textbook, watching recorded lecture videos, and completing the weekly Aplia homework assignments and the vocabulary quizzes (in D2L content). The course calendar is included at the end of this letter! A typical weekly schedule will include reading and watching videos for 2 chapters, vocabulary quizzes for each chapter (in D2L content) and Aplia homework assignments. All assignments are due Sunday by 11:00pm, Central Time U.S. This will not be a self-paced or correspondence-like course. You will be graded on the weekly requirements. Exams for the course will be available from Monday morning though Sunday evening during weeks 5, 10 and 16.

Getting Started During the first week of classes (if not before), you need to complete the following:

1. Read the Course Syllabus. It is always available online on the D2L. You can print or save a copy. I will announce on D2L if the syllabus is updated or changed.

2. Read the New student’s guide to online learning at the U. Take the Online Student Readiness Check. 3. For this course, your exam must be proctored in a way approved by the University of South Dakota. Read

through the Testing Information provided by CDE and determine if you will be taking your exams at a University Center facility (Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City, or Vermillion) or using a proctor. If you are not using a UC, you need to fill out and return the proctoring form. Exam passwords will ONLY be distributed to proctors and UC staff. You can also use the Respondus Monitor webcam proctoring. See the information on D2L. There is a template to help you determine HOW to take your exams at the end of this letter.

4. Register, purchase, and log on to Aplia. The weekly homework assignments can only be completed in Aplia. It is a requirement for the course.

5. Determine if you will use the e-textbook or the physical textbook. If you want the physical book, you can buy a package with the physical book from the USD Bookstore.

6. Log on to D2L and review the course information for ECON 580. The most important might be the Course Schedule! This is included at the end of this welcome letter.

7. Read the chapter for week 1 and complete the vocabulary and Aplia assignments by Sunday, August 26th at 11:00pm.

https://www.usd.edu/-/media/files/usd-online/online-orientation-guide.ashx?la=en


https://d2l.sdbor.edu/


https://www.psychdata.com/s.asp?SID=146780&source=web

http://www.usd.edu/usd-online/testing-center

https://www.usd.edu/-/media/files/usd-online/proctor-form.ashx?la=en

Exam Proctor Setup

Do you want to use a live proctor or webcam exam

monitoring?

Webcam exam monitoring

Read all of the instructions and rules for Respondus Monitor on D2L.

Take the practice quiz in D2L

Email [email protected] to tell them you're using the webcam option.

Live proctor

Do you live within 10 minutes of Vermillion?

Yes. You need to send an email to

[email protected] to tell them you are testing in

Vermillion

Make an appointment at www.registerblast.com/usd to

take your exams.

No. Do you live near Brookings, Madison, Pierre, Rapid City, or Sioux Falls?

Yes. You are strongly encouraged to use the University Testing Centers. You need to email

[email protected] to tell them where you are testing.

Make your appointment directly with the testing center you are using.

Contact info for all of them is on D2L.

No.

You MUST submit a proctor form in the first week of class.

2018

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

30 31 01 02 03 04 05

06 07 08 09 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Begin Fall Semester

Begin UNIT 1: INTRO/Ch 1

READ Syllabus + Ch 1

WATCH INTRO/Ch 1 Videos









DEADLINE for UNIT 1:

INTRO (PRACTICE) HW/Aplia

VOCAB/D2L by 11PM Central

HW/Aplia by 11PM Central

27 28 29 30 31 01 02

Begin UNIT 2: Ch 2,3 READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

Last Day to Drop w/Refund

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos




AUGUST

2018


27 28 29 30 31 01 02


WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

Last Day to Drop w/Refund

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos

READ Ch 2,3

WATCH Ch 2,3 Videos




03 04 05 06 07 08 09

LABOR DAY HOLIDAY

Begin UNIT 3: Ch 4,5

READ Ch 4,5

WATCH Ch 4,5 Videos

READ Ch 4,5

WATCH Ch 4,5 Videos

READ Ch 4,5

WATCH Ch 4,5 Videos

READ Ch 4,5

WATCH Ch 4,5 Videos

READ Ch 4,5

WATCH Ch 4,5 Videos




10 11 12 13 14 15 16


WATCH Ch 6,7 Videos

READ Ch 6,7

WATCH Ch 6,7 Videos

READ Ch 6,7

WATCH Ch 6,7 Videos

READ Ch 6,7

WATCH Ch 6,7 Videos

READ Ch 6,7

WATCH Ch 6,7 Videos




17 18 19 20 21 22 23

EXAM 1 OPENS@8AM Central

Ch 1,2,3,4,5,6,7

EXAM 1 OPEN EXAM 1 OPEN EXAM 1 OPEN EXAM 1 OPEN EXAM 1 OPEN DEADLINE for EXAM 1

EXAM 1 ENDS@11PM Central

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Begin UNIT 5: Ch 8,9 Read Ch 8,9

WATCH Ch 8,9 Videos

Read Ch 8,9

WATCH Ch 8,9 Videos

Read Ch 8,9

WATCH Ch 8,9 Videos

Read Ch 8,9

WATCH Ch 8,9 Videos

Read Ch 8,9

WATCH Ch 8,9 Videos




SEPTEMBER

2018


01 02 03 04 05 06 07

Begin Unit 6: Ch 10,11 READ Ch 10,11

WATCH Ch 10,11 Videos

READ Ch 10,11


READ Ch 10,11


READ Ch 10,11


READ Ch 10,11





08 09 10 11 12 13 14

Native American Day Holiday

Begin Unit 7: Ch 12,13

READ Ch 12,13


READ Ch 12,13


READ Ch 12,13


READ Ch 12,13


READ Ch 12,13





15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Begin Unit 8: Ch14,15 READ Ch 14,15


READ Ch 14,15


READ Ch 14,15


READ Ch 14,15


READ Ch 14,15





22 23 24 25 26 27 28


Ch 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15



29 30 31 01 02 03 04



READ Ch 16,17


READ Ch 16,17


READ Ch 16,17


Last Day to Drop with "WD"

READ Ch 16,17





OCTOBER

2018


29 30 31 01 02 03 04



READ Ch 16,17


READ Ch 16,17


READ Ch 16,17


Last Day to Drop with "WD"

READ Ch 16,17





05 06 07 08 09 10 11



READ Ch 18,20


READ Ch 18,20


READ Ch 18,20


READ Ch 18,20





12 13 14 15 16 17 18



READ Ch 21,22


READ Ch 21,22


READ Ch 21,22


READ Ch 21,22





19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Week OFF for Thanksgiving! Week OFF for Thanksgiving! Week OFF for Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving Day Holiday Week OFF for Thanksgiving! Week OFF for Thanksgiving! Week OFF for Thanksgiving!

26 27 28 29 30 01 02



READ Ch 23,24


READ Ch 23,24


READ Ch 23,24


READ Ch 23,24





NOVEMBER

2018


26 27 28 29 30 01 02



READ Ch 23,24


READ Ch 23,24


READ Ch 23,24


READ Ch 23,24





03 04 05 06 07 08 09


Ch 16,17,18,20,21,22,23,24



10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 01 02 03 04 05 06

DECEMBER

econ 580: foundations of economics online fall 2018

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