Economics: Microcomputers in the College Classroom—A Review of the Academic Literature

Abstract

During the past I5 years, numerous articles have appeared in academic literature concerning the use of microcomputers in the college economics curriculum. This paper presents a brief review of this literature. The authors discover that the specific topics and issues addressed in this literature are diverse. However, five major content themes are revealed: (I) implementation of programs and/or course procedures, (2) presentation of new computer programs, (3) critical software reviews, (4) overviews of the state of classroom computer usage, and (5) surveys and empirical analyses of student performance under controlled conditions. The authors conclude that the empirical evidence suggests that computerized instruction in college economics is most effective when simulation programs are used. This conclusion is based on a very limited number of studies, and more research is needed in this critical area of inquiry. Keywords economics, computers, learning, evaluation, education, simulations, tutorials, reviews.