Let’s face it—keeping students engaged while teaching Economics can be hard. One strategy that has proven successful is the use of games and experiments to help teach Economics concepts while keeping students interested.

The History of Economics Experiments and Games in the Classroom

Experiments were first used in the Economics classroom by Edward Chamberlain as far back as the late 1940’s. These activities have students connect the economic theories they’re studying to real world applications, which leads to increased interest, critical thinking and real learning.

While Economics experiments are great for capturing students’ attention, it takes a fair amount of time and effort on the instructor’s part to design and implement them in the classroom. The solution: using premade experiments created and supplied by a digital provider. When Nobel Prize winner Paul Romer created Aplia in the early 2000’s, he knew that providing experiments and robust homework assignments would be a real plus for instructors. The basic experiments provided by Aplia were incredibly popular—instructors found them easy to implement and easy for students to use.

Years later, Cengage launched a more robust online learning platform called MindTap. This online learning platform enables instructors to customize the online experience while offering students a wealth of resources and activities. MindTap uses the dependable Aplia program as the engine that drive its homework assignments and, thanks to a partnership with MobLab, has an incredible suite of Economics experiments built right into the MindTap platform at no additional charge.

Games Available with MobLab in MindTap

Any of the 25 MobLab experiments in MindTap can be played in a matter of minutes, which gives instructors ample time to analyze real-time results and dive into student-generated data for insightful discussion. Instructors can also use MobLab within MindTap to poll students and take attendance.

Here are just a few of the Economics games you can try in your classroom (click on each to see game description and instructions):

How to Start Using MobLab Experiments in MindTap

With a few simple clicks, instructors can easily add games and experiments into the MindTap learning path. These activities have helped many instructors increase class participation, student feedback and retention of course material. The result is a dynamic, comprehensive and fluid educational experience.

Watch this quick-start video tutorial on how to easily use MobLab in MindTap.

Additional Resources