Econ 1B03 is all about Microeconomics, unlike Econ 1BB3 which is about the opposite, Macroeconomics. Check out my review for that here.

In essence, you'll be learning about how the economy affects individual businesses...

Click here to read the entire review

So when you buy the textbook from Titles, it comes with the Aplia?

Originally Posted by klibzy

So when you buy the textbook from Titles, it comes with the Aplia?

It does, but i recommend that you only buy the aplia online since the Prof. Holmes gave very detailed notes. I never went to the lectures of this course and purely read the notes on webct and got a 10 (never even needed the textbook).

Originally Posted by syaseen

It does, but i recommend that you only buy the aplia online since the Prof. Holmes gave very detailed notes. I never went to the lectures of this course and purely read the notes on webct and got a 10 (never even needed the textbook).

Just a note that the courses will be on ELM instead of WebCT this year.

So, if i do decide to buy the book, it makes no sense to buy it from upper years becasue it doesnt come with aplia?

Originally Posted by klibzy

So, if i do decide to buy the book, it makes no sense to buy it from upper years becasue it doesnt come with aplia?

It depends on the price of the old book. You'll still need to get APLIA in order to do the quizzes and assignments.

So, if buying it new costs less than buying it old + buying APLIA, then it's worth it (assuming you want/are going to use the real copy of the book).

Hey, just wanted to know what chapter the first quiz is on? I think its only the first chapter, am i right?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by aqsac

Hey, just wanted to know what chapter the first quiz is on? I think its only the first chapter, am i right?

Thanks!

yes, look at the course outline for detail about other quizzes (there is a table on the 3rd? page)

It's just on the first set of slides.

Where have the notes been posted? She put up a link during yesterday's lecture (since ELM is down) but I couldn't find a pen to write it down in time.

Originally Posted by ladyh

Where have the notes been posted? She put up a link during yesterday's lecture (since ELM is down) but I couldn't find a pen to write it down in time.

http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/hholmes/1B03_Class/

Econ 1B03 is an introductory course in microeconomics, covering concepts like supply and demand, the different types of markets, international trade, consumer theory and all of that fun stuff. It's taught by Professor Holmes, who knows her stuff inside out. Not the most exciting lecturer and I found myself not attending class after the 1st month, since the lectures were found online in podcast form. All of her Powerpoints are also online. I usually spent 1 hour making notes / week, so it doesn't require much effort on your end to do well.

The textbook is not needed for this course - your best friend is the Powerpoint slides. Holmes has a saying that if it's not in the notes, it's not going to be on the midterm/exam!

Course breakdown included 2 midterms, a plethora of online assignments, as well as in-class quizzes, which are held weekly on the last day of lecture. Both midterms consisted of 45 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes, and are non-cumulative in nature. Class average was around low 80s, which is phenomenal for a first-year class. The higher of the two midterm was worth 30%, and the lower one was worth 5%. Amazing.

As well, there were 11 weekly online assignments, and only the top 5 counted. The assignments were worth 10%, or 2% each. The assignments reinforced last week's material and were easy marks. As well, the answers for the assignments can be found ONLINE, using your best friend, Google. The in-class quizzes were a pain, since for me, they were held on a Friday afternoon, and I had to hike all the way to MDCL to write a 20 minute quiz. I actually found the quizzes to be harder than the midterms (probably because I was usually underprepared); as a side note, these quizzes are not written by Holmes, but by the Econ TAs (or so I've heard). I believe there were 9 quizzes in total, but again, the top 5 were counted. Quizzes were worth 5%, or 1% each.

Exam was worth 50%. But, like the midterms, they were easy to complete. Composed of 90 multiple-choice, and 3 hours to complete it. This year, she included 3 bonus marks - 1 for completing a survey, 1 for filling in a student number + version number correctly, and 1 for a random question about the name of her cats. All you need to do for this class is to study Holmes' powerpoints, make your own notes, and you're on your way to a lovely 12. This course is truly a bird course.

Can I still do well without the textbook or the APLIA?

Originally Posted by syan9184

Can I still do well without the textbook or the APLIA?

Last term there was no APLIA. If you went to class today and they said you need APLIA then you will most likely need it because it would be used for assignments. You can do well without the textbook if you don't need extreme detail to learn the material.

This year, there's no APLIA. All of the assignments are strictly on ELM.