 Using Excel to Teach Principles of MicroeconomicsNo 2021-01, Working Papers from DePauw University, School of Business and Leadership and Department of Economics and Management Abstract: Teaching introductory economics is difficult because students often do not have the terminology and tools needed to understand economics concepts and models. To communicate these ideas, the successful principles instructor must prioritize concreteness and avoid abstraction. Spreadsheets offer clear visual displays of data and theoretical results, making them a natural way to teach introductory economics and develop true competency. Two Excel add-ins, FRED and Solver, are highlighted in examples that can be integrated easily into any principles of microeconomics course. A macro-enabled workbook to introduce the idea of emergent order is provided (http://academic.depauw.edu/~hbarreto/working/LangtonsAnt/LangtonsAnt.xlsm) and a few online resources for teaching with spreadsheets are also mentioned. Integrating spreadsheet-based pedagogy into a principles of microeconomics course will improve learning outcomes. Keywords: spreadsheet; FRED; Solver; add-in; data; optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dew:wpaper:2021-01 Access Statistics for this paper More papers in Working Papers from DePauw University, School of Business and Leadership and Department of Economics and Management Contact information at EDIRC. |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.