DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - TMA04 Marked and Returned

A gratifyingly quick turn around on this TMA, and another good mark especially on the econometrics part of the TMA. Therefore I guess the EMA will be econometrics based, so now need to focus down on a question and have that accepted as worth researching.

My overall TMA score should be over 85% unless the wheels come off completely in the next two TMAs, so the pressure is really on with the EMA to get the overall module result to a Pass 1, and make a 1st Class degree possible, but that does seem some way away.

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - Back in the game ?

Finally got through TMA04.

I think I'm getting to grips with econometrics, but the TMA result will confirm or destroy that statement.

The essay on gender discrimination in India was interesting and I am hoping for a good mark for this, although it is by far he most scrappy essay I have ever written - the content is all there, but it could do with a lot more polishing as a piece of prose.

Work is taking me abroad again, so some enforced thinking time to focus on the EMA and narrow in on a subject and research question.

This is by far the most nerve racking part if the course........

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - Week 21

Week 21 – Block 5: Research Methods – Week 1: Introduction

Part	Task
21.1 Research Methods Week 1 – Doing your economics project: Introduction and overview	Read Week 1: Introduction and overview in the PDF booklet DYEP: Getting started
21.2 Online tutorials – DYEP: Starting your project	Complete the online tutorials DYEP – Starting your project I, II and III
21.3 Online tutorials – DYEP: Studying the sample projects	Complete the online tutorials DYEP – Studying the sample projects I, II and III
21.4 Project Timeline – Recording your progress towards your module project	Learn the various stages of your project work

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - Week 20

TMA 04

The assignment

Cut-off date: 10 March 2015

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - Week 19

Week 19 – Block 4: Optional chapters

Part	Task
19.1 Environmental Economics III	Read DEPMP: Chapter 13
19.2 Environmental Economics III: Film	View a film
19.3 Economics and Society III	Read DEPMP: Chapter 16
19.4 Economics and Society III: Film and video clips	View a film and some short video clips
19.5 Business and Innovation III	Read DEPMP: Chapter 18
19.6 Business and Innovation III: Video clips	View some short video clips
19.7 Finance III	Read DEPMP: Chapter 18

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - Week 18

Week 18 – Block 4: Optional chapters

Part	Task
18.1 Environmental Economics II	Read DEPMP: Chapter 12
18.2 Environmental Economics II: Video clips	View a short video clip
18.3 Economics and Society II	Read DEPMP: Chapter 15
18.4 Economics and Society II: Video clips	View a short video clip
18.5 Business and Innovation II	Read DEPMP: Chapter 18
18.6 Business and Innovation II: Film and video clip	View a film and a short video clip
18.7 Finance II	Read DEPMP: Chapter 20

Chapter 14 was a pretty interesting read and there are some interesting theories and ideas about how and why we are wrong when estimating or relying on intuition.

A tutorial this weekend has certainly made what is required for the end of course project a lot clearer. I need to finish this chapter and the next and find something that catches my eye to base the project on. I am pretty sure the project will be about wages, but I need to see if my employer will play ball or not, if not it may then be an econometric project which I'd rather avoid.

Hoping for an early turn around on the last TMA being marked, promises have been made :-)

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - Week 17

Week 17 – Block 4: Optional chapters

Part	Task
17.1 Overview of the optional themes for Block 4	Learn about the four Block 4 themes and choose one of them
17.2 Environmental Economics	Browse the chapters for this theme: Chapters 11, 12 and 13 and video clips
17.3 Economics and Society	Browse the chapters for this theme: Chapters 14, 15 and 16 and video clips
17.4 Business and Innovation	Browse the chapters for this theme: Chapters 17, 18 and 19 and video clips
17.5 Finance	Browse the chapters for this theme: Chapters 17, 20 and 21
17.6 Environmental Economics I	Read DEPMP: Chapter 11
17.7 Economics and Society I	Read DEPMP: Chapter 14
17.8 Business and Innovation I	Read DEPMP: Chapter 17
17.9 Finance I	Read DEPMP: Chapter 17

P A N I C  has now set in !

TMA03 will be finished by the deadline on the 10th Feb, but it will be being written right up to the 11th hour.

Haven't touched the dreaded econometrics Week 15 work yet, so now one big week behind where I would ideally be..... but worse than that we should be starting the process of choosing a theme and I need to get this cracked before next weekends tutorial.

I really don't fancy Finance, so that is out, Business and Innovation and Environmental Economics are not really my thing, so I guess it will have to be Economics and Society which is what I am most interested in anyway.

So three chapters to read and some video clips to watch, and a project question to dream up.

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - Week 1

	Week 1 – Industrial capitalism, markets and economics Part Task 1.1 Explore the DD309 study materials Read online welcome letter 1.2 Using forums in DD309 Read forum information 1.3 Industrial capitalism, markets and economics Read DEPMP, Book 1, Part I, Chapter 1 1.4 Rethinking market economics View a short film 1.5 Online tutorials: Game theory Complete Game theory I and Game theory II 1.6 [Optional] Tutorial 3: Modelling demand DD202 CD-ROM tutorial (revision material)
	Even before you get to 1.3 and opened the book for the first time (were you to do everything in the order suggested)  there was quite a bit of reading in 1.1 and 1.2. The main message I took from these sections was that Level 3 courses will be a bit of a step up from Level 2, a far bigger step than that from Level 1 to Level 2
	The TMAs on their own are around 50% bigger in terms of word count and require a far better standard of answer than I have been used to for the last three years.( Writing at Level 3 ) From the DD309 Course Webpage the TMAs are made up of the following sections. TMA/EMA Cut-off date Word limit Weighting 01 18 Nov. 2014 Part A: 800 Part B: 1800 20% (substitutable) 02 6 Jan. 2015 Part A: 700 Part B: 700 Part C: 1400 20% (substitutable) 03 10 Feb. 2015     Part A: 800 Part B: 1500 20% (substitutable) 04 10 Mar 2015 Part A: 800 Part B: 1500 15% (substitutable) 05 21 April 2015 Part A: 1200 Part B: 800 15% (substitutable) 06 12 May 2015 1200 10% (non-substitutable) EMA 5 June 2015 5000
	So, if nothing else this demonstrates the need to keep up to schedule, I'm not going to be able to wing a 2600 TMA in a day or so........ At least Chapter 1 was fairly straight forward and I still remember and understand the game theory sections from DD209, so not too much of a study shock from Week 1. GRETL and the accompanying data sets for Part 1 are downloaded and installed, but as yet I've not attempted to do anything with them. TUTORIALS Mid-week last week the tutorial dates came through, and then went away again.....and then came back. Initially I was very disappointed at there only being three face to face tutorials and the rest, five I think, are online. I like the chance to meet other students face to face and this has been severely reduced now. The DD309 that is running now had tutorials in London and they seemed to meet up before/after for drinks/discussions which seems a good idea, but now I will be driving that is less likely especially if there is only three tutorials as it doesn't really afford the opportunity to develop relationips. On the plus side it will cut down on traveling and getting up really early, and as long as the 'technicals' are up to speed, it may be a fairly efficient way to do tutorials...... we will see.
	It would appear that the tutorials are a real lottery. Those in London, Tonbridge and Cardiff have 6 face to face tutorials, while those in Ireland have only two face to face tutorials, so there doesn't seem to be any set standards for the learning experience.

DD309 : Doing economics: people, markets and policy - The Course Website Opens

The course website is open and looks a pretty familiar setup which is good. As this is a fairly mature course there will hopefully not be some of the problems we came across in DD209's first year.

No news yet on my tutor or tutorial dates, but hopefully that will come soon.