AØKK08349U Seminar: Behavioral Economics of Education - CANCELLED

Volume 2016/2017
Education

MSc programme of Economics
The seminar is primarily for students at the MSc of Economics

Content

Experimentation is gaining increasing attention from education researchers and policy-makers. In this course we will discuss how experimentation can be used to shape education policy moving forward. Insights from child development, psychology, and behavioral economics can help identify underlying mechanisms of the education production function and inform the design of interventions in ways that increase (cost-) effectiveness. 

Learning Outcome

Students will review the most recent finding of behavioral economics of education.
 

Students will design (or conduct) experiments and policy interventions aiming at ameliorate education.

  • Sadoff, S. (2014). The role of experimentation in education policy. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 30(4), 597-620.

  • Lavecchia, A. M., Liu, H., & Oreopoulos, P. (2014). Behavioral economics of education: Progress and possibilities (No. w20609). National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • Levitt, S. D., List, J. A., Neckermann, S., & Sadoff, S. (2012). The behavioralist goes to school: Leveraging behavioral economics to improve educational performance (No. w18165). National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • Kraft, M. A., & Rogers, T. (2015). The underutilized potential of teacher-to-parent communication: Evidence from a field experiment. Economics of Education Review, 47, 49-63.

This seminar does not require any previous knowledge of behavioral economics (but it is recommended). The references reported above introduce to the topic. However, students should have some basic knowledge of microeconomics, statistics and econometrics (basic courses taught at BA level).
Introduction: The course will be introduced by 2 lectures September 16, 2016 which outline the main idea and the relevant literature. These lectures will be hold during the first month of the course.

Students are required to write a 12-page paper on a subject of their own choice within one of the course’s main themes. The paper can take various forms. One possibility is to do thorough analysis and discussion of some journal articles published in prominent economics journal. A second possibility is that students conduct their own experimental intervention where they replicate and/or extend a published paper and/or propose alternative experimental design. The teacher will assist students with the experimental design.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Project work
  • 200
  • Seminar
  • 6
  • Total
  • 206
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
A written seminar paper in English.
Exam registration requirements

Attendance on the seminar. The mandatory commitment paper and seminar paper have been handed in at deadline. Included in the seminar is an oral presentation for the others participans at the seminar app 25 minuts oral presentation and 10 minuts discussion.

Aid
All aids allowed

Al aids for the written seminarpaper.

For the oral presentation: No restriction, students can organize their presentation as they prefer. 

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
up to 20 % censorship at the seminarpaper
Exam period

Autumn 2016:

Deadline for submitting the commitment paper: October 1, 2016

Presentation days: Movember 21, 2016

Deadline for submitting the seminar paper is December 5, 2016 at 10 AM

For enrolled students more information about examination, exam/re-sit, rules etc. is available at the student intranet for Examination (English) and student intranet for Examination (KA-Danish).

Re-exam

Submission of a written assignmetn and an oral exam in which you may be examined in the presentations of the other students participating in the seminar during the enrolment period in question.

Criteria for exam assesment

The student must in a satisfactory way demonstrate that he/she has mastered the learning outcome of the course.