Economics 211: Course Logistics, Grading, and Introduction to Economics

Waitlist management is not handled by the instructor designated for this course. All waitlist concerns and allocations are managed exclusively by the Haslam Undergraduate Advising Office.
The Advising Office prioritizes students based on graduation necessity; students who require the class most urgently to graduate are allocated available slots first.
Students seeking information on class openings or current waitlist status are advised to check in directly with the Haslam Undergraduate Advising Office.

There has been a policy shift regarding examinations. While intro classes at Haslam moved to an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic, all exams have now returned to an in-person format.
Logistical challenges of in-person exams include fitting the assessment within a $50$ -minute class period while managing the movement of approximately $300$ people entering and exiting the room.
Approximately one week prior to an exam, students receive a link to print a unique Scantron sheet.
Unique Scantron features:
- Pre-printed with the student's name.
- Pre-printed with the student's ID number.
Once the exam is completed and scanned, the system automatically identifies the student and emails the grade directly to them.
Grades are synced with Canvas. If a question is determined to be faulty after the fact, individual grades can be adjusted through a regrading process.

Pencil and paper note-taking is perfectly acceptable, as the instructor identifies as a "pencil-paper person."
Laptops and iPads are permitted in the classroom for note-taking and viewing slides. The instructor encourages using devices to take photos of slides to insert into digitised notes.
Students must register their devices (laptop, iPad, or cell phone) to participate in clicker-based activities.
Expectation of Conduct: Students are asked to remain on task when using phones or laptops during instructional time.
Students who must leave early for appointments or have regular scheduling conflicts should inform the instructor.

When contacting the instructor, Professor Sims, students should avoid using titles like "Ms.," "Ms.," or "Mrs." and instead use "Professor Sims."
Email Salutations: "Hello Professor Sims" or "Dear Professor Sims" are preferred.
Email Subject Lines: Must include the class number (211) and the section or time (e.g., "210" or "Auditorium 210").
Response Time: Responses are typically quick, particularly in the morning hours. Professor Sims has an $11$ -year-old daughter active in various extracurriculars, which may affect availability outside of typical hours.

Pre-Class Tasks (PCTs):
- These involve watching instructional videos and taking quizzes.
- Quizzes can be retaken an unlimited number of times to achieve a score of $100\%$ . These are intended to boost student grades.
- The lowest three PCT scores are dropped.
- Late Policy: There is a $10\%$ penalty per day for late submissions (e.g., $90\%$ credit on the second day, $80\%$ on the third).
Homework Assignments:
- Homework is designed to be more difficult than PCTs.
- Students have an infinite number of attempts to complete the homework.
- Peer Collaboration: Working with friends is encouraged as a method of teaching and learning the material more effectively.
- Technical Warning: Opening a homework assignment in the system (even clicking in and out) will cause the system to start the assignment and potentially report a grade of $0$ to Canvas.

Clickers are utilized as the primary method for tracking attendance and participation.
Points are recorded by the software. To receive full credit for participation, students must earn at least $75\%$ of the total available points.
General (non-content) questions typically grant full credit to all participants.
Recordings: Every class is recorded and knock-up videos are usually posted the following day on iCampus for review or for those who missed the session.
Grading Specifics:
- The Haslam College of Business requires a grade of C or better to pass this course.
- A grade of C- is considered failing for the purposes of major requirements.
- C- Threshold: A score of $72.499\%$ or lower constitutes a C- or below.
Final Exam Date: December 7.

Core Definition: While "money" is the first word many associate with economics, the course focuses on prices rather than the origins of money itself.
The Supply and Demand Model: Described as one of the most powerful economic models. It consists of two lines used to explain changes in the economy, specifically how price, demand, and supply shift.
Macroeconomics vs. Microeconomics:
- Tariffs: Fundamentally a microeconomic principle with major macroeconomic consequences.
- Inflation: A macroeconomic phenomenon affecting the entire economy. Cited as a significant issue over recent years, evidenced by rising gas prices.
- Labor Markets: includes the study of wages and employment trends.
Case Study: COVID-19 and Bicycles:
- Preferences: Public transportation usage decreased while interest in exercise (gyms) shifted during the pandemic.
- Demand: There was a surge in preference for bicycles (mountain biking).
- Supply: Supply chain disruptions significantly hindered the ability to acquire bicycles, affecting prices and availability.

Waitlist Inquiry: A student asked about current waitlist management.
- Response: The Haslam Undergraduate Advising office handles all waitlists based on graduation priority. The instructor does not have control over these slots.
Economic Utility Inquiry: The instructor asked students to use AI to look up how an Economics course applies to their specific major.
- Student Response (Bella): Major is Management.
- Student Response (Hailey): Major is Finance.
- Student Response (Katherine): Major is Accounting with a minor in AI.
General Interaction: Students discussed the logistics of getting to class, specifically walking from a house nearby which took roughly $23$ minutes, versus taking the bus.
Curriculum Discussion (Between Students): Discussion regarding BUAD 200 and English prerequisites. One student discovered that high school credits for English only counted for English 101, making them ineligible for BUAD 200 until English 102 was completed. This student is now taking the requirement online.