Looking back at this course, I really enjoyed it. The parts I enjoyed the most were being able to post weekly on blogs because you usually do not see this in a Economics courses. I also really liked the excel spreadsheets because every time I went into doing one, I started off a little confused but by the end of the night I would figure them out by re-reading chapters in the book or reading what was written on the excel spreadsheet.
I learned a lot when it came to the type of graphs that were used in the excel spreadsheets, especially on the last couple excel spreadsheets (Principal-Agent Model from a State-Preference was one of them that really stumped me but eventually I figured out).
What I took away from the class being structured in a way of having blog posts due first and then talking about them the next Monday was that it gave us an idea of what was going to be talked about in class so that we could formulate our ideas before coming to class. I like this way of learning a lot better than simply just reading a chapter in a book because it got us to apply our knowledge to the certain topic and then regurgitate it in class the following Monday. This bridged the gap between just reading and then listening to an hour and half lecture.
When it came to approaching the blog posts, I usually sat down at my computer a day before or on the night that it was due and first gathered my ideas. I would usually take the questions that were asked and copy and paste them into a OneNote and then answer all the questions with short sentences or bullet points. After I had everything that I wanted to talk about, I would then go to blogger and start typing. By this point the words would simply flow out of my fingertips because all my ideas were right there and ready.
For the excel homework's, I made the mistake of starting the very first excel homework the night it was due and barely got it in on time. I did not realize how in depth/the amount of thinking the excel homework's took. Now I always start the homework's the night before it is due so I am not crunched for time because when I am rushed, my brain likes to shut off which prolongs the process even further.
Aspects of the course that I would have liked to see in this class would be more visual notes during lecture. I usually find myself to nod off when the professor is simply talking the entire time and there is nothing on a big bright screen to keep my focus on. Other than that, I really liked the structure of this class and would consider taking another Econ 490 class next semester.
Thank you for a wonderful semester!
