Econ 2301 Sec 843 - Spring 2018

NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:

Principles of Macroeconomics

Course Prefix & Number: 

ECON 2301

Section Number(s): 

843

Semester/Year:

Spring

2018

Semester Credit Hours:

3

Lecture Hours:

3

Lab Hours:

0

Course Description (NCTC Catalog):

An analysis of the economy as a whole including measurement and determination of Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply, national income, inflation, and unemployment.  Other topics include international trade, economic growth, business cycles, and fiscal policy and monetary policy. 

Course Prerequisite(s): None

 

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

(1) Macroeconomics: Principles, Problems, & Policies (eBook with Connect Access Card) by McConnell, Brue, & Flynn, McGraw Hill, 21st edition, ISBN:  1259915689 / 9781259915680

Or

(1) Macroeconomics: Principles, Problems, & Policies (eBook with Connect Access Card AND Loose-Leaf Textbook Combo) by McConnell, Brue, & Flynn, McGraw Hill, 21st edition, ISBN:  1260148769 / 9781260148763

 

And

 

(2) Low-function (11 functions or less) calculator for use during exams. (No programmable, graphing, high-function, or cell phone calculators can be used during exams).

 

(3) 1 pack of narrow scantrons- Form 882-E, you will use these for exams.

 

 

CONNECT REGISTRATION THROUGH CANVAS: Students no longer need a course ID# or a separate website to register for Connect. Rather, the Connect website is now linked directly to Canvas, and so students will ONLY be registering for Connect through their student Canvas accounts for this course starting on the first day of class.

 

CONNECT ACCESS: The textbook, Learn Smart, and Connect activities are all maintained within the McGraw Hill Connect System. Students need to be enrolled immediately in Connect, which can be purchased at the bookstore, or online directly from McGraw Hill through their student Canvas accounts for this course. Free Temporary access can be used directly from Connect McGraw Hill for 14 days from the first day of class. Students must be enrolled immediately, as multiple assignments are due the first week of class.

 

CANVAS/CONNECT ACCESS: All students must have complete access to Canvas for the entire semester. It is the student’s responsibility to have access to the internet at all times, as well as having all needed programs to complete the course. Students are not to give any other person access to his/her Canvas account. Students can be removed from the course immediately up violating this rule. Once a student has given another person access to his/her Canvas account, the credibility of any work completed becomes questionable.

 

CANVAS WEBSITE: Students can access Canvas indirectly by going to the NCTC homepage (www.nctc.edu) and clicking on the “Canvas” icon/logo. Or, students can access Canvas directly by going straight to the website for Canvas (https://nctc.instructure.com).

 

 

 

Connect Technical Requirements and Support

Please review the following information from McGraw-Hill Higher Education before you begin any assignments in Connect.

 

  • Run a system check: To have a successful experience in Connect, you will need to ensure that your computer's system meets the requirements needed to access and run your assignments (e.g.: operating system, browsers, plug-ins).  It is strongly recommended that you troubleshoot your computer at least once a week, and before every test, to be sure that you will be able to complete the required exercises.  Click on the following link to learn how to troubleshoot Connect and what the computer requirements are: http://connect.mheducation.com/connect/troubleshoot.do
  • Get support: Connect has a Customer Experience Group (CXG) Support Center where you can connect with a tech specialist via chat, phone, or email. Click on this link to access the online support center: https://mhedu.force.com/CXG/s/ContactUs  

 

If you have problems with registration or technical difficulties while completing assignments, contact CXG.  I am not tech support!  Every time you speak with a representative, you will receive a case/ticket number for reference.  Be sure to keep this number so that you can easily check up on the status of any unresolved problems and also to share with me if required.

 

Here is the direct toll-free phone number for the Customer Experience Group (CXG) Support Center: 800-331-5094

 

Here are the hours of operation for the Customer Experience Group (CXG) Support Center below:


Sun: 12pm - 12am
Mon-Thurs: 24 hours
Fri: 12 am - 9pm
Sat: 10am - 8pm
(All in US Eastern Time)

 

 

***CONNECT TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES / ISSUES***

 

If you experience any technical difficulties / issues while working on assignments in Connect, it is your responsibility as the student to take the following actions:

 

(1)   Contact your Course Instructor (me) immediately to notify me of the issue AND

 

(2) Contact the Connect Customer Experience Group (CXG) immediately to report the issue at the time the issue occurs, prior to the assignment due date, so that the issue can be addressed and resolved.

 

 

Technical Problem Resolution Procedure

If you experience technical difficulties while completing an online assignment, follow the procedures as outlined below.

  1. Take a screen shot:  Take a screen shot/Print Screen of the monitor when the problem occurs. Save as a .pdf or .jpg file.
  2. Contact technical support: Make sure you give a complete description of your problem so the Help Desk staff will have the pertinent information in order to assist you properly. This may include:
    • course name/reference number and/or instructor name
    • operating system, Internet browser, and/or Internet service provider (ISP) information
    • Print Screen file
    • your contact information
  1. Send a message to your instructor to notify him/her of the problem: Include all pertinent information of the incident (as listed above).  You must provide the ticket/case number that you receive from technical support. This ticket provides proof of the time and date you tried to submit an online assignment.  Any notifications that do not include this ticket/case number will be invalid.
  2. Follow up: If you do not hear back from the technical support within a timely manner (less than 48 hours), it is your responsibility to follow up with the appropriate person until a resolution is obtained.

 

 

             

 

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:

Caroline Gosch Wunder

Campus/Office Location:

Gainesville campus, MSS #816

Telephone Number:

(940) 668 - 7731 Ext. 4904

E-mail Address:

cgosch@nctc.edu

 

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

 

7:45 – 8:15 am

9:35 – 10:05 am

Krum HS

 

10:30 – 11:00 am

12:30 – 1:00 pm

Gainesville 816

 

7:45 – 8:15 am

9:35 – 10:05 am

Krum HS

 

10:30 – 11:00 am

12:30 – 1:00 pm

Gainesville 816

 

Online

5:00 – 7:00 pm

 

Online

5:00 – 7:00 pm

 

Online

5:00 – 7:00 pm

 

Online

5:00 – 7:00 pm

 

 

 *All emails will be answered within 24 hours.

 

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog

 

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

 

Explain the role of scarcity, specialization, opportunity cost, and cost/benefit analysis in economic decision-making.

 

Identify the determinants of supply and demand; demonstrate the impact of shifts in both market supply and demand curves on equilibrium price and output.

 

Define and measure national income and rates of unemployment and inflation

 

Identify the phases of the business cycle and the problems caused by cyclical fluctuations in the market economy.

 

Define money and the money supply; describe the process of money creation by the banking system and the role of the central bank.

 

Construct the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model of the macro economy and use it to illustrate macroeconomic problems and potential monetary and fiscal policy solutions.

 

Explain the mechanics and institutions of international trade and their impact on the macro economy.

 

Define economic growth and identify sources of economic growth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements

Graded Course Elements

Percentage or Point Values

28

Assignments (15 Homework & 13 LearnSmart)

15%

15

Quizzes

15%

5

Exams

70%

 

 

 

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS, EVALUATION METHODS AND GRADING CRITERIA

 

Each student’s semester grade will be determined by the following:

       Assignments (Homework & LearnSmart):    15%

       Quizzes:                                                                         15%

       Exams:                                                                            70% 

       Total:                                                                           100%

 

 

Assignments: There will be 13 LearnSmart assignments and 15 homework assignments of which your lowest 5 (five) scores will be dropped.

 

The 13 LearnSmart assignments are directly over textbook content and will be completed in Connect via the “Assignments” Tab in our Canvas course. LearnSmart uses adaptive technology to tailor the assignment and learning experience to each individual student’s needs. LearnSmart starts by identifying the topics a student knows and does not know. As the student progresses, LearnSmart adapts and adjusts the content and questions on the assignment based on the individual student’s strengths, weaknesses, and confidence. Each LearnSmart assignment is set to take 20 minutes to complete on average. However, it may take some students more than 20 minutes to complete and some students less than 20 minutes to complete.

 

  • **How quickly a student completes the assignment depends on (1) how many questions the student answers correctly and (2) how confident the student is that their answer is correct, prior to viewing the correct answer and their score for each question. So, if you are confident that the answer you have chosen is correct, make sure to click “I know it” when you are asked “Do you know the answer?” after having answered the question. If you are confident that your answer is correct , but instead you click on “Think so,” “Unsure,” or “No idea,” then LearnSmart will keep on giving you additional questions covering those same concepts until you (1) do answer all of the questions correctly and (2) are confident that you answered all of the questions correctly. Therefore, as there is no limit on the number of times that a student can attempt and work through each LearnSmart assignment, if a student continues answering all of the questions that LearnSmart presents him/her with in the assignment, the student will eventually achieve a perfect score and earn a “100” on the assignment.

 

Please be aware of the opening and closing dates for the LearnSmart assignments, as no assignment will be re-opened once it has closed and no late assignments will be accepted.  Again, you have no limit on the number of attempts on the LearnSmart questions to get the correct answer and state that you are confident the answer is correct, and there is no time limit. Think of this as practice!

 

The 15 Homework assignments are directly over textbook content, excluding the first “Math Practice” assignment and the second “Graphing Tool Introduction” assignment, and will consist of 4 to 8 multi-part questions with an occasional written response question, and will be completed in Connect via the “Assignments” Tab in our Canvas course. Please be aware of the opening and closing dates for the Homework assignments, as no assignment will be re-opened once it has closed and no late assignments will be accepted.  You have 3 attempts on HW questions to get the correct answer and there is no time limit. Think of this as practice!

 

 

Quizzes:  There will be 15 Quizzes of which your lowest 3 (three) scores will be dropped.  The quizzes are directly over textbook content, excluding the first “Course Introduction & Syllabus” quiz, and will consist of 30 multiple-choice questions and will be completed in Connect via the “Assignments” Tab in our Canvas course.  Please be aware of the opening and closing dates for the quizzes, as no quiz will be re-opened once it has closed and no late assignments will be accepted. For the quizzes, you have 2 attempts to get the correct answer, and each quiz attempt is timed for a maximum of 45 minutes. **Note, you cannot pause the time on the quiz once you have started the attempt. If you click “save & exit” on the quiz and close the page, the time still keeps running and your attempt will be submitted automatically once the time has run out.

 

 

EXAMS: There will be 5 Exams of which your lowest 1 (one) score will be dropped. These are assessments directly over textbook content and will be completed during the normal class lecture time on the specified exam days. Exams 1, 2, 3 & 4 will each cover 1/4 of the material and consist of 50 multiple-choice questions to be completed in a maximum of 75 minutes. The Final (Exam 5) is cumulative and will cover all of the course material from the start of the semester to the end, and consist of 80 multiple-choice questions to be completed in a maximum of 120 minutes. As the lowest exam grade is dropped, the 4 individual remaining exam grades will each be worth 17.5% of the student’s overall course grade. Therefore, Exams count for 70% of the student’s overall course grade.

 

You will have only 1 attempt to complete and submit exams. Please be aware of the opening and closing dates for the exams, as no exam will be re-opened once it has closed and No makeup exams will be given or permitted.

 

**Note: All students MUST complete the “Assessment Quiz”. It is a mandatory assignment required by the department for completion of the course. If you do not complete the “Assessment Quiz”, your lowest 1 (one) exam grade will NOT be dropped. 

 

The “Assessment Quiz” covers all of the student learning outcomes for the course and is used by the department to measure what students have learned and mastered after having completed the entire course.

 

 

 

**Details on when Assignments (Homework & LearnSmart), Quizzes & Exams are open and due will be given in Connect and/or on Canvas.  It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of what is due and when it is due. Failure to regularly sign into Canvas and/or Connect could be the difference between passing and failing.

 

 

The final grade is out of 100 percent according to the following scale:

 

90 – 100 = A                80 - 89 = B                   70 - 79 = C

 

60 – 69 = D                  59 or below = F

 

 

 

IMPORTANT DATES

Classes Begin                                                                    Tues, Jan 16th

Official Date of Record                                                    Mon, Jan 29th

Exam 1                                                                                 Tue, Feb 13th

Exam 2                                                                                     Thur, Mar 8th

Spring Break                                                                            Mon - Fri, Mar 12th – Mar 16th

Classes Resume                                                                      Tues, Mar 20th   

Last Day to Withdraw with "W"                                          Thur, Apr 5th

Exam 3                                                                                               Tue, Apr 10th

Exam 4                                                                                     Thur, May 3rd     

Assessment Quiz                                                                 Sat, May 5th               

Final / Exam 5                                                                          Tue, May 8th from 8:15 am – 10:15 am                                                                                                                                                

 

 

 

FINAL GRADES:

 

Once the Final Exam Deadline has passed, all grades are final. Do not ask for any other work, extra credit, etc., to help raise your grade at that point. All final grades are determined by the coursework completed throughout the semester and follow the standard rounding rules, rounding to the nearest whole number (i.e., a final grade of 89.50 is an “A” and a final grade of 89.49 is a “B”, etc.)

 

 

COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)

 

GENERAL DESCRIPTION AND TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

Subject to change, please see Canvas for most up-to-date schedule

 

Weekly Schedule

Topic/Assignments

 

Thur 1/18

DUE: Math Practice Assignment – by 11:59 PM

 

Fri 1/19

DUE: Graphing Tool Introduction Assignment – by 11:59 PM

               

Sat 1/20

DUE: Course Introduction & Syllabus Quiz – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 1/23

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 1 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 1/25

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 1 – by 11:59 PM

 

Fri 1/26

DUE: Quiz Ch. 1 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 1/30

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 2 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 2/1

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 2 – by 11:59 PM

 

Fri 2/2

DUE: Quiz Ch. 2 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 2/6

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 3 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 2/8

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch.3 – by 11:59 PM

 

Fri 2/9

DUE: Quiz Ch. 3 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 2/13

Exam 1 (Ch.’s 1, 2, 3)

 

Thur 2/15

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 7 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 2/20

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 7 – by 11:59 PM

 

Wed 2/21

DUE: Quiz Ch. 7 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 2/22

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 9 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 2/27

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 9 by 11:59 PM

 

Wed 2/28

DUE: Quiz Ch. 9 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 3/1

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 12 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 3/6

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 12 – by 11:59 PM

 

Wed 3/7

DUE: Quiz Ch. 12 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 3/8

Exam 2 (Ch.’s 7, 9, 12)

 

 

 

 

Mon 3/12 – Fri 3/16

Spring Break

 

 

 

 

Sun 3/18

DUE: Classical vs. Keynesian Economics Assignment, Classical vs. Keynesian Economics Quiz – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 3/20

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 10 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 3/22

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 10 – by 11:59 PM

 

Fri 3/23

DUE: Quiz Ch. 10 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 3/27

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 11 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 3/29

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 11 – by 11:59 PM

 

Fri 3/30

DUE: Quiz Ch. 11 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 4/3

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 13 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 4/5

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 13 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 4/5

Last Day to Drop a Course and Withdraw with a “W”

 

Fri 4/6

DUE: Quiz Ch. 13 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 4/10

Exam 3 (Ch.’s 10, 11, 13)

 

Thur 4/12

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 14 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 4/17

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 14 – by 11:59 PM

 

Wed 4/18

DUE: Quiz Ch. 14 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 4/19

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 15 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 4/24

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 15 – by 11:59 PM

 

Wed 4/25

DUE: Quiz Ch. 15 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 4/26

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 16 – by 11:59 PM

 

 

 

 

Tue 5/1

DUE: Homework Assignment Ch. 16 – by 11;59 PM

 

Wed 5/2

DUE: Quiz Ch. 16 – by 11:59 PM

 

Thur 5/3

Exam 4 (Ch.’s 14, 15, 16)

 

Fri 5/4

DUE: LearnSmart Assignment Ch. 20 – by 11:59 PM

 

Sat 5/5

DUE: Assessment Quiz – by 11:59 PM

**Note: All students MUST complete the Assessment Quiz. It is a mandatory assignment required by the department for completion of the course. If you do not complete the Assessment Quiz, your lowest 1 (one) exam grade will NOT be dropped.

 

The Assessment Quiz covers all of the student learning outcomes for the course and is used by the department to measure what students have learned and mastered after having completed the entire course.

 

 

 

 

 

Tue 5/8

Final / Exam 5 (Ch.’s 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 12, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16)

from 8:15 AM – 10:15 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

** The instructor reserves the right to make changes or adjustments, as she deems necessary.  Changes and/or adjustments will be announced on the Announcement page of Canvas &/or Connect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

Additional Instructor-specific Absence Policy:

 

Regular and punctual attendance is essential for success in this class. If you miss a class session, obtain a copy of the notes from one of your student colleagues. Additionally, regular logins to Canvas and Connect are crucial to successful completion of this course.  It is up to you to keep up with due dates and announcements. Note: I DO NOT drop students-- if you stop logging into Canvas and completing assignments in Connect, and do not drop the class, you will receive an “F” in the course.  It is YOUR responsibility to drop the class or withdraw if you so choose.

 

 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is ______ Thursday, April 5th, 2018_________.

 

 

 

DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321.  Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx  

 

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)_______     

 

o         Communication

o         Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

 

            Government/Political Science

X         Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

o         American History


 

REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)

 

X             Critical Thinking

X              Communication

X              Empirical and Quantitative

 

o           Teamwork

                Personal Responsibility

X              Social Responsibility

 

COURSE TYPE

o           Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)

X          Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course

o        WECM Course

 

 

 

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.

 

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion.  Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty.  See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”. 

 

 

Instructor-specific Academic Dishonesty Policy:

 

Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated in this course.  You are not to give any person (which includes parents, spouses, friends, etc.) access to your Canvas account at any time during the semester.  If you do, you are putting the integrity of the course work completed in question.  Do not ask someone to email me on your behalf in Canvas.  If you have an emergency and cannot contact me yourself, it is best to have an alternative person contact me on my office phone_940.668.7731 Ext. 4904_or my NCTC email address: _cgosch@nctc.edu_.  Again, do not give anyone access to your Canvas account.  Any student who cheats on any course material (exams, assignments, and post-tests) will immediately fail the course and academic dishonesty papers will be filed with the Dean and VP of Instruction.

 

 

 

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS

Name of Chair/Coordinator:

Crystal R.M. Wright

Office Location:

Gainesville Campus, Room 824

Telephone Number:

940-668-7731, ext. 4320

E-mail Address:

cwright@nctc.edu

Name of Instructional Dean:

Dr. Bruce King

Office Location:

1525 W. California St., Gainesville, Texas

Telephone Number:

940-668-4267

E-mail Address:

bking@nctc.edu

 

 

 

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