ECON 8856 Experimental Economics
This class is an introduction to experimental methods in economics. We will cover all the steps of an experiment from design, measurement, and randomization to practical considerations like cost and power analyses. This is mainly a methods course; the experiments we discuss are chosen to give a broad understanding of experimental methods (e.g., lab, field, and online studies, experiments in developing countries, interventions in organizations, and so on). The course is not intended to provide a foundation of famous experimental results overall or for any one topic. The take-away of the course is to develop the ability to design a confound-free experiment regardless of question or context.
Course overview
- Department
- Economics
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Graduate
- Offered
- Periodically in the Spring
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.64 / 5 · Excellent
- Instructor rating
- 4.71 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 4
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | Lucas Coffman | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4–6 hrs/week | 3 of 4 |
| Spring 2024 | Lucas Coffman | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.8 | — | 5 of 5 |
| Spring 2023 | Lucas Coffman | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 1–3 hrs/week | 1 of 2 |
| Spring 2022 | Lucas Coffman | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 1–3 hrs/week | 5 of 6 |