Interactive Economics Instruction with Java and CGI

Abstract

tain interactive modules to achieve substantial pedagogical value beyond that obtained via conventional media. These materials are designed not only to engage the interest of the student but also to promote conceptual understanding difficult to convey on a static printed page or chalkboard. All applets discussed below may be reached by clicking on the Java applets link from the main home page. A simple example that should be familiar to participants of an introductory course in microeconomic principles is the Linear Demand, Elasticity, and Total Revenue applet. This may be reached by clicking on the URL for #2 in the Economics 1 section. Although fundamental to the material, the relationships between these concepts can be quite difficult to grasp for first-time economics students. This applet allows students to experiment with different prices and quantities and to see how the relationships change along the demand curve. A more fully developed example that illustrates our philosophy for Web-based material is the Edgeworth Box Applet with Cobb-Douglas Preferences. To reach this applet, click on the URL for #4 in the Economics 1 section. The initial page encourages the student to explore the components of the applet through a graphical tutorial. When the student is comfortable with the features of the applet and its use, he or she may take a self-grading multiple-choice quiz that requires interaction with the applet. The immediate feedback from the quiz encourages active understanding of the model, as opposed to just passive viewing. A third applet, #3 in the Economics 143 section, is the 2D Function Studio. This applet is designed to assist upper-division economics students to visualize functional forms, their derivatives, and how the shapes of these relationships vary with the signs and sizes of the parameters. It is introduced with a guided tour and accompanied by a quiz. These World Wide Web applications were designed (independently and in collaboration with Trudy Ann Cameron) by me, while I was a graduate student, to enhance the educational experience of undergraduate economics students at UCLA. They should work equally well at other institutions of higher education.