BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES (DRAFT) BRITISH COLUMBIA COUNCIL on ADMISSIONS AND TRANSFERS (BCCAT) Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC Meeting date: May 2, 2016 Meeting attendees: Degree-granting institutions: SFU: Anke Kessler akessler@sfu.ca; TRU: Hasnat Dewan hdewan@tru.ca; UBC: Jerry McIntyre gerald.mcintyre@ubc.ca UBCO: Julien Picault Julien.picauslt@ubc.ca; UNBC: Baotai Wang wangb@unbc.ca UVic: Linda Welling ecadvice@uvic.ca VIU: absent UFV: Ding Lu ding.lu@ufv.ca ; Vlad Dvoracek (SLP) vlad.dvoracek@ufv.ca All other institutions: Acsenda School of Management: amelia_petersen@yahoo.com Alexander: Azadeh Khoshaein - azadeh.khoshaien@gmail.com BCIT: absent Camosun: Yolina Denchev - denchev@camosun.ca CapilanoU: Mahak Yaseri - myaseri@capilanou.ca COTR: James Wishart - wishart@cotr.bc.ca Columbia: Paul Geddes - pgeddes@columbiacollege.bc.ca Coquitlam: Sonya Plater - splater@coquitlamcollege.com Corpus Christi: absent Douglas: Kevin Richter - richterk@douglas.bc.ca FDU: absent KPU: Rob Scharf - rob.scharff@kwantlen.ca Langara: Josephine Pascuzzi pascuzzi@langara.bc.ca New Caledonia: Brian Barber - barberb@cnc.bc.ca NVIT: absent North Island: Ali Mayboudi - ali.mayboudi@nic.bc.ca Northern Lights: absent North West: absent Okanagan: Tazul Islam tislam@okanagan.bc.ca Quest U: absent Royal Roads U: absent Selkirk: Jonathan Buttle - jbuttle@selkirk.ca TRU-Open: absent TWU: Tracy Stobbe - tracy.stobbe@twu.ca UCW: absent VCC: absent Yukon: absent
Page 2 Welcome from Anke Kessler, Simon Fraser University host of the 2016 Economics articulation meeting 1. <Yolina Denchev > Call to Order 2. Introductions/welcome New Members/Guests Bodrun Nahar, Selkirk College, new member Avi Cohen, York University, presenter and guest James Bradner, University of British Columbia, guest for round-table discussion Vera Lantinova, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, guest John FitzGibbon, BCCAT, guest Regrets: Ali Mayboudi, North Island College Jonathan Buttle, Selkirk College 3. Approval of Agenda and Any Additional Items Motion to approve agenda: Anke Kessler. Second: Julien Picault. Approved. 4. Approval of Previous Minutes of the Economics Articulation Committee meeting on May 4-5, 2015 at UBC, Vancouver School of Economics. Motion to approve minutes: Hasnat Dewan. Seconded: Rob Scharff. Approved. 5. Business Arising from Previous Minutes review of actions items. Action item for chair Prepare an annual FPM report based on the institutional reports of individual members. Action item for chair prepare and submit a nomination form with BCCAT. Nominate Peter Wylie for a BCCAT award for leadership Action item for chair Communicate with Peter Wylie regarding a proposal for TAC funding multilateral transfer of the principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics courses. Present a more detailed proposal at the 2016 meeting. Action item for chair work with individual institutions to update their list of current representatives. Action item for chair set up a buddy system for new committee members Action item for Gordon Tarzwell and chair Follow up with future nominations and report to the committee. Action item for chair organize round table discussion for 2016 meeting Action item for chair follow up with SFU to determine the dates for the 2016 meeting and communicate with the committee Completed Completed Completed Agenda item for this meeting Completed BCCAT guide for new committee members was distributed The committee elected Vlad Dvoracek as SLP in fall 2015 Completed Completed 2
Page 3 6. Report from System Liaison Person. Economics and the Skills Gap Plan. Vlad Dvoracek addressed committee regarding the Skills Gap Plan and the role of the articulation committee in relation to the Plan. Discussion/questions regarding the data for economics students and programs. A written report on the Skills Gap Plan is included in the meeting materials. 7. Presentation of Institutional Reports. Discussion. The committee encourages and prefers (see previous year s minutes) the submission of written institutional reports prior to the meeting. The reports are distributed to the email list of the committee prior to the meeting. No questions arising from the written reports. No discussion. 8. Report from Joint Annual Meeting of BCCAT. Yolina Denchev and Vlad Dvoracek attended the meeting as committee chair and SLP, respectively. Peter Wylie attended as a recipient of a BCCAT award for Leadership in the transfer system. The meeting is attended by committee chairs and SLP in all disciplines as well as transfer credit coordinators, advisors, registrars and representatives of other provincial CATs. Themes of the meeting included experiential learning, new school curriculum, perspectives from advising. 9. BCCAT Report. John FitzGibbon presented the BCCAT report. The written report was distributed to the committee email list. It is also available at The committee members learned about the Central Data Warehouse project. Following a discussion of the project, the committee members emphasized the value of the data collected through the project. The committee recommended that BCCAT continue and expand the scope of the data collection. Motion: Anke Kessler. Second: Rob Scharff. Approved. 10. Guest Report(s), if any. None 11. Flexible Pre-Major Implementation annual update. Discussion. Yolina Denchev raised two questions for discussion: Is the annual process of maintaining the FPM working effectively? What can the committee members do to further promote the FPM with students? Committee members support the continued annual reporting on course changes (included in the FPM) and program changes in the degree-granting institutions. The calendar links to the programs of degree-granting institutions will not be updated annually as part of the FPM reporting. The department s FPM reports will continue to be included as a separate item in the meeting materials. Suggestions for promoting the FPM to students include: department websites, course outlines, communication with advisors and registrar s office internally. Action item for chair organize FPM reporting for the next annual meeting and discuss promotion of FPM 12. Transfer Innovation Fund call for proposals. Discussion. Yolina Denchev re-introduced a proposal for the committee to develop a multilateral transfer agreement for the principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. The rationale is that all principles courses are already part of the transfer system based on long-standing bi-lateral agreements among all participating institutions. A multilateral agreement is based on the existing bi-lateral agreements offering a simpler solution for students. A multilateral agreement will also facilitate articulations outside of the province. Yolina Denchev will contact Peter Wylie, who chaired the committee until 2012 and prepared the final report on the FPM to determine if he is interested in undertaking the work for this proposal. 3
Page 4 The committee will further investigate the benefits and costs of a multi-institutional agreement. Motion: Julian Picault. Second: Sonya Plater. Approved. Action item for chair communicate with Peter Wylie, former committee chair, in regards to this proposal. 13. Quality assurance and transparency in the articulation process for transfer agreements. Questions were raised regarding information provided to accompany course articulation requests. Currently, usually the course outline is submitted. The course outlines typically include information about content, course structure, methods of assessment, textbook used. Calendar course description and course prerequisites are also typically included with articulation requests. A suggestions was discussed to include additional information such as sample exams. Once concern is that courses are usually submitted for articulation before the course can be offered for the first time. Committee members will take this discussion/question back to their departments. Action item for chair organize a follow-up discussion at next year s meeting 14. Dual credit for economics courses offered to high school students. The Principles of Microeconomics course is offered to high school students for dual credit at the College of the Rockies and Camosun College. The course is taught by a college instructor and covers the same content as other sections of the same course offered at these colleges. Alexander College, Columbia College, and Coquitlam College also offer this course to students in their respective high schools. 15. Dual admission agreements between colleges and universities. Dual admission agreements are in place between SFU and Douglas College for Arts students, including economics students. The College of the Rockies has dual admission/guaranteed admission agreements with the University of Victoria and the University of Lethbridge, including economics students. 16. Open textbooks for micro- and macroeconomics. Discussion. Currently, no institutions are using an open text for their principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. There are projects underway at the moment for developing open textbooks for these courses. 17. Pending articulations. Update from BCCAT. Yolina Denchev distributed a list of pending articulations for economics courses obtained from BCCAT. The representatives of departments with pending articulations will bring that to the attention of their respective departments. 18. Document management options for the committee. The annual institutional reports are the main form of information sharing. Between meetings the email list can be used to share information. The committee will not explore alternative solutions for document sharing such as google docs. 19. Format of institutional reports and FPM reports. The committee will continue to use the current process of collection FPM updates as part of the annual institutional reports. The FPM reports will be included in the meeting materials. 20. Election/Re-Election of Chair and/or SLP (if required) Hasnat Dewan nominated Yolina Denchev for re-election as chair. No other nominations. Second: Rob Scharff. Approved. 4
Page 5 21. Any Other Business None 22. Format of future articulation meetings and hospitality fee. Committee members recommended to keep the general format and hospitality fee unchanged. Other recommendations: allow more time for the topics in the round-table discussion portion of the meeting; shorten the gap between the end of the business meeting and the dinner. 23. Next meeting Committee members/departments interested in hosting next year s meeting will discuss with their departments and get back to the committee chair. Action item for chair Follow up with potential hosts of next year s meeting to set meeting date and communication to committee members. Meeting adjourned at approximately 5:15 pm Economics Articulation Meeting Simon Fraser University, Vancouver BC May 2-3, 2016 Reports from department representatives List of institutions: Degree-granting institutions BA or BSc in Economics: Simon Fraser University Thompson Rivers University University of British Columbia - Okanagan University of the Fraser Valley University of Northern British Columbia University of Victoria Institutions offering economics courses: Acsenda School of Management Alexander College 5
Page 6 Camosun College College of the Rockies Coquitlam College Douglas College Kwantlen Polytechnic University North Island College Okanagan College Quest University Selkirk College Trinity Western University Degree-granting institutions BA or BSc in Economics: Simon Fraser University Institutional Report There have been no changes at Simon Fraser University (SFU) that touch on Articulation. We would like to remind sending institutions that SFU s MATH 157: Calculus I for the Social Sciences, includes multi-variable calculus. Math 157 is a prerequisite for our Econ 201 gateway course, and the instructors in this course will assume that students know multi-variable calculus. The SFU calendar language for Math 157 reads as follows (emphasis added). Designed for students specializing in business or the social sciences. Topics include: limits, growth rate and the derivative; logarithmic exponential and trigonometric functions and their application to business, economics, optimization and approximation methods; functions of several variables. Flexible Pre-Major Report No changes. Information about intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics At SFU, the managerial economics course BUS 207 is housed in the Business School. The description for BUS 207 in the calendar reads as follows: Emphasis is upon the relevance of economic models to business decision-making and, in particular, upon the rational analysis of choice alternatives within the firm. Course will include consideration of optimizing techniques and analysis of risk, demand, production and profit in addition to examination of long-term investment decisions and business forecasting. Students with credit for ECON 301, ECON 201, or BUS 307 may not take BUS 207 for further credit. Prerequisite: Econ 103, 105, MATH 157 and 15 units. Quantitative. 6
Page 7 There is no direct conflict between Econ 201 (Intermediate Microeconomics) and BUS 207, since BUS 207 is taught in the Business school, and cannot be taken for Econ credit. BUS 207 is part of the lower division requirement for the BBA, but can be substituted for by Econ 201. Generally, Business majors will take BUS 207 instead of Econ 201. Joint Majors in Economics and Business have to take Econ 201 (this is a course required for entry into the Econ major program) and thus cannot take BUS 207 for further credit. Thompson Rivers University 2016 Institutional Report 1. DQAB review of our proposed graduate programs has been completed. If the programs are approved by the Ministry, we plan to launch them in fall, 2017. The proposed programs are: (i) Masters of Environmental Economics and Management (MEEM) and (ii) MSc in Environmental Economics and Management (MScEEM) MEEM is course-based and MScEEM is thesis/project-based degree. The degree completion time for MScEEM is expected to be longer than that for MEEM. 2. There had been no changes to the undergraduate programs (BA/BBA/BSc in Economics/Mathematics and Economics/Political Studies and Economics) since the last Articulation Meetings. 3. The Department is actively working on launching a BA/BSc joint major in Mathematics and Economics at Soochow University, which is a Tier I university, in China. 4. The proposal to offer a Post-Baccalaureate degree in Economics is currently being reviewed by the institutional committees. 5. The Department offers two First Nations Certificate Programs. A Diploma Program in First Nations Applied Economics is currently being developed. Flexible Pre-Major Report 1. (All institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the FPM courses in your institution? Ans: No 2. (Degree granting institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the lower level degree requirements for your program that affect the advisory notes of the FPM? Ans: No Information about Intermediate Microeconomics and Managerial Economics 1) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) Ans: Intermediate Microeconomics I and II (ECON 2900 and 3900); Managerial Economics (ECON 3040) 7
Page 8 2) Is calculus used as a prerequisite? Ans: Calculus is a prerequisite for Managerial Economics, but not for Intermediate Microeconomics I 3) Text and major topics Ans: Various textbooks (e.g., Varian, and Pindyck and Rubinfeld for Intermediate Microeconomics; Mansfield, Baye, and Hirschey for Managerial Economics) ECON 2900: Theory of Preferences, Demand Theory, Production and Costs, Markets ECON 3040: Demand Analysis and Estimation, Production and Costs, Technological Change, Pricing Strategies, Game Theory, Govt and Business, Business and Economic Forecasting 4) Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? Ans: They can take both courses 5) Are there any transfer credit questions/issues from the viewpoint of your institution? Ans: No 6) Any other questions you would like to discuss at the round table? Ans: None University of British Columbia Okanagan Institutional report Economics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences offers BA and BSc Majors in Economics and participates in the BA Major in PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), the BA Major in International Relations (IR) and the BSc Minor in Data Science. Economics has 9 full-time permanent tenured and tenure-track faculty members, 7 researchtrack and 2 teaching-track. Economics at UBC Okanagan campus continues to be without a formal department, its programs being administered through the combined Economics, Philosophy, and Political Science Unit 8 of the I.K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. This year, we introduced, in the UBCO calendar, a BA Honours in Economics and a BSc. Honours in Economics. These programs will be proposed starting September 2017. In order for these programs to exist we create 2 new courses corresponding to the production of the honours thesis: - ECON 495 Honours Seminar - ECON 499 Honours Essay Due to the Statistics department changing its course offering, we are currently in a process to adapt our B.Sc. major. Some required courses will not be offered anymore (by the Stats department). Flexible Pre-Major No Changes 8
Page 9 Information about intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics 1) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) Intermediate microeconomics: one 200-level course one 300-level course with the 200-level course being the prerequisite Managerial Economics one 200-level course 2) Is calculus used as a prerequisite? Yes, for the intermediate micro, but no for the managerial economics. 3) Text and major topics Textbooks used for the intermediate microeconomics Frank, R. H., I. C., Parker and I. Alger, Microeconomics & Behaviour Varian, H. R., Intermediate Microeconomics Major topics include: Consumer Theory, Demand Theory, Choice under Uncertainty, Asymmetric Information, Production & Cost, and Perfect Competition Textbooks used for the managerial economics Perloff, J. M. and J. A. Brander, Managerial Economics and Strategies Michaels, R. J., Transactions and Strategies: Economics for Management Major topics include: Supply and Demand, Production & Costs, Perfect Competition, Monopoly, Oligopoly, and Game Theory 4) Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? Students can take both courses, but cannot substitute one for another. University of the Fraser Valley Institutional Report FACULTY Sean Parkinson has stepped down as Department Head in order to serve an elected term as President of the UFV Faculty-Staff Association. Michael Maschek now serves as Head. Ian McAskill has returned to teaching from institutional secondment. There are no institutional plans to hire additional faculty this coming academic year in the Department of Economics. The Department anticipates once again hiring two faculty members on Limited Term Appointment (LTA) Contracts this coming academic year. 9
Page 10 COURSES/CURRICULUM The UFV Undergraduate Education Committee (UEC) has approved ECON 199, Special Topics. This course is intended on providing students with an opportunity to investigate various contemporary social, environmental, and economic issues. The course will feature application of economic methodologies and analyses but assumes no prior knowledge of economic theory. It requires no pre-requisites and is meant to appeal to students in disciplines other than economics. It will be offered for the first time in the Fall, 2016 semester as ECON 199C The World Economy. PROGRAM (Economics) The Economics Major at UFV is still relatively new. The first undergraduate arts degree in economics will be awarded at Convocation this Spring. Three students in the program have initiated the formal process with the UFV Student Union Society to create the Economics Student Association (EconSA). To enhance information exchange on learning economics at UFV, a Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ufvecon/, has been created. PROGRAM (Bachelor of Arts) The College of Arts Council has approved changes to the Bachelor of Arts degree. These changes are currently being reviewed by Senate. The most significant change is that all students will be required to complete a Blackboard eportfolio as part of their BA. The eportfolio is an Outcomes Portfolio. Students demonstrate their learning related to the nine Institutional Learning Outcomes. This eportfolio must demonstrate the student s ability to reflect on his/her learning and the student s ability to show the integration of their learning across all aspects of his/her life. Members of the BA Task Force have argued that the eportfolio will be an important tool which not only showcases student learning in the BA, but also allows students an opportunity to invest in their future success. Students may use their eportfolios to support graduate school applications, work applications, or other post-ba activities. Students are provided with guided, credited support in completing their eportfolios. [Arts 101 (2 credits), 201 (1 credit), 301 (1 credit) and 401 (2 credits); see below] 10
Page 11 Students successfully completing ARTS 101, 201, 301, and 401 will be able to: ARTS 101 Design a BA Outcomes eportfolio Identify Institutional Learning Outcomes and strategies for achieving them Develop strategies for making connections between different types of learning experiences Summarize readings and learning experiences Present the eportfolio, its rationale, and a completion strategy Navigate the university's Learning Management system, as demonstrated through completion of an online tutorial ARTS 201 Use respectful approaches to discuss their own and others eportfolios Respond to feedback and revise appropriately Demonstrate learning related to Institutional Learning Outcomes Make connections between different types of learning experiences Present a revised eportfolio and rationale for revisions ARTS 301 Assess critically their own and their peers eportfolios Incorporate feedback judiciously and explain revisions Use a rubric to assess how eportfolios meet stated criteria Present a revised eportfolio and a final portfolio completion plan ARTS 401 Integrate learning and life experiences in the eportfolio to demonstrate achievement of the Institutional Learning Outcomes Assess critically their own and their peers eportfolios using a defined rubric Adapt the eportfolio for post-ba purposes, including career and/or educational goals Deliver a professional oral presentation of the eportfolio to an audience INSTITUTION The Board of Governors has started the process for selection of the next President & Vice Chancellor of UFV, to succeed Dr. Mark Evered upon his planned retirement, June 30, 2017. The Board will lead the search for a new President & Vice Chancellor with procedures approved by Senate. http://www.ufv.ca/media/assets/senate/resources/procedures-for-presidential-search-approved-at-senate- 2016-02-12.pdf The composition of the 13-member Presidential Search Committee is also outlined in these procedures. The Senate is tasked with selecting 5 of the 13-members of this committee: one senior academic administrator (Associate VP, Dean, Associate Dean), three faculty members, and one staff member (FSA or exempt). Flexible pre-major report this report is needed to ensure the currency of the FPM. The FPM agreement, course grid, advisory notes, and the report itself can be found on the BCCAT website - http://www.bctransferguide.ca/fpm/econ. Please answer the following question(s): 11
Page 12 1) (All institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the FPM courses in your institution? N/A 2) (Degree granting institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the lower level degree requirements for your program that affect the advisory notes of the FPM? N/A. Changes to the BA requirements are expected by May, 2017. Updates to our advisory notes will be made once calendar changes are finalized. Information regarding intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics courses Please answer the following questions: 1) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) It is offered at the third-year level, Econ 307. 2) Is calculus used as a prerequisite? Yes, but can be waived by the instructor case by case. 3) Text and major topics Perloff and Brander. Managerial Economics and Strategy, 2014. Or: Baye, Michael, Managerial Economics and Business Strategy, 2014. 4) Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? It is the same course: Managerial Microeconomics. 5) Are there any transfer credit questions/issues from the viewpoint of your institution? N/A University of Northern British Columbia The university Academic Planning Committee has been reviewing the programs and degrees at UNBC, and it will make recommendations for changes in the future. Currently, the Department of Economics functions as before with no significant changes in teaching, research, budget, and staff. The major changes in the Department are: 1. We reviewed and revised our curriculum of BA in Economics. The changes are: Deleted ECON202 (History of Economic Thoughts) and ECON203 (History of Canadian Economy) from the curriculum. Developed two new courses at the 200-level: ECON204 (Contemporary Economic Issues) and ECON206 (Methods of Economic Evaluation). Students are required to choose any two courses from ECON204, ECON206, and existing ECON210 (Introduction to Health Economics and Policy), and ECON220 (Global Economic Shifts) in order to meet the degree requirement. Developed a new up-level course named ECON412 (Applying Economic in the Community) as a required course. Students will practice their learned research methods and quantitative skills by taking this required course. We also list a number of policy-oriented courses provided by other programs at both lower and upper divisions as required elective courses. 12
Page 13 The total required Economics courses for the degree of BA in Economics are 15 (45 credit hours), and 6 (18 credit hours) are in the upper-division. We also revised the Economics Minor requirement and Joint Major with Political Science, International Studies, and Mathematics, according to the new Economics Curriculum. Please view http://www.unbc.ca/calendar/undergraduate/economics for more information. 2. We created a course-based option for our MA in Development Economics program, in addition to our existing project/thesis options. The course of study is composed of a minimum of 25 credit hours for the coursework only and project options and a minimum of 28 credit hours for the thesis option. Students in the coursework-only option are required to complete eight courses successfully totaling 24 credit hours plus ECON700. At the time of application or after successfully completing 12 credit hours, students may choose between one of two other options: (i) to produce a detailed project proposal with bibliography and to defend, in a formal oral examination, a 9-credit-hour project of a maximum of 50 pages in length and to complete an additional 3 credit hours of course work, or (ii) to produce a detailed thesis proposal and to defend, in a formal oral examination, a 12-credit-hour thesis of a maximum of 75 pages. Students choosing option (i) or (ii) must obtain the support of a supervisor and of the Program Chair. In addition, any student who does not, at the time of entry to the program, have a course in econometrics at the undergraduate level will be required to take ECON312 (Econometrics) as part of their graduate degree program in order to meet graduation requirements. A minimum grade of B is required in such a course. Please view http://www.unbc.ca/calendar/graduate/development-economics for more information. University of Victoria Institutional report Dr. Graham Voss is the new chair of the department starting July 1, 2016. He is currently the acting chair. Flexible pre-major report this report is needed to ensure the currency of the FPM. The FPM agreement, course grid, advisory notes, and the report itself can be found on the BCCAT website - http://www.bctransferguide.ca/fpm/econ. Please answer the following question(s): 1) (All institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the FPM courses in your institution? 2) (Degree granting institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the lower level degree requirements for your program that affect the advisory notes of the FPM? Starting September 2016 (not May 2016 though) MATH 102 Calculus for Students in the Social and Biological Sciences or MATH 100 13
Page 14 Calculus I has now been changed as follows One of MATH 100 Calculus I, MATH 102 Calculus for Students in the Social and Biological Sciences, Math 109 Introduction to Calculus Information regarding intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics courses Please answer the following questions: 1) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) Econ203 (Intermediate Microeconomics I) Econ 205 (Managerial Economics) (We also have Econ313: Intermediate Microeconomics II which has as one of the prerequisites Econ 203 with at least a C. Both these courses and the minimum grade requirement in Econ203 are program requirements for our BA and BSc Major programs.) 2) Is calculus used as a prerequisite? a. 203: Intermediate Microeconomics I: Yes (Math 100 or MATH 102) b. 205: Managerial Economics: No 3) Text and major topics Text a. 203: Frank, Robert H., Ian C. Parker and Ingela Alger, Microeconomics & Behaviour, fifth Canadian edition, 2013, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Higher Education; ISBN-13: 978 00710 51866 b. 205: Managerial Economics and Strategy by Perloff and Brander Major topics a. 203: Rational Consumer Choice Individual and Market Demand Production Technology Cost of Production Perfectly competitive markets Monopolistic markets Basic Non-cooperative Game Theory Oligopolistic markets: Cournot/Bertrand/Stackelberg Duopoly Models Exchange / Trade in a Simple Exchange Economy b. 205: Demand theory; utility theory; consumer behaviour; elasticity Supply; cost Market structure models (PC, Monopoly, oligopoly, mono -comp) Corporate governance 14
Page 15 4) Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? Students are not allowed to substitute and students can only take Econ205 before taking Econ203. Institutions offering economics courses: Acsenda School of Management Acsenda School of Management is a private degree granting institution that has offered a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree since 2004. Renewal of consent for the BBA was granted for another five years in 2014. The BBA has five concentrations: Accounting, Human Resources Management, International Business Management, Marketing Management and General Management. Acsenda also has consent to offer a new Bachelor of Hospitality Management (BHM) degree. The first students were accepted into this program in April 2016. The BHM is a direct entry four year degree program with an emphasis on the business of hospitality management. The program integrates courses from the BBA program with specialized courses in the field designed to prepare graduates for the unique challenges of leadership in the changing hospitality industry. A mandatory for-credit paid internship occurs halfway through the program providing opportunities for students to gain industry experience outside of their country of residence and bring that experience back to the classroom. There are currently 186 students at Acsenda most of whom are international students from over 20 different countries. The largest groups of students are from Korea, Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, and others), China and the Philippines. Cultural diversity, along with managing classes where students have a range of post-secondary experiences, continues to be both an asset and a challenge for faculty members who teach at Acsenda. Pending approval from the Ministry of Advanced Education, Acsenda School of Management will transition to new ownership in 2016. International student recruitment will remain the primary focus although due to the global reach of the new ownership group, enrolments are expected to grow dramatically over the next five years. Included in the five year plan is expansion of faculty, staff (student services) and the campus facility. One of the objectives of the plan, especially in the year ahead, is to expand the number of courses accepted for transfer credit by other institutions. We trust that our continuing participation in the annual BCCAT articulation meetings will result in a better understanding of the quality and comparability of our courses in the different subject areas. Alexander College Alexander College is a private college founded in September 2007. The college now has two campuses: one in Burnaby and one in Downtown Vancouver. The College has about 1300 students in each regular school term, and about 500 students are enrolled in economics courses. There are three regular faculty and three sessional instructors in the Economics Department at Alexander College in 2015-2016. 15
Page 16 We offered about 10 sections of first year and 9 sections of second year level economics courses in each regular school term. The following second year level courses were offered in 2015-2016: Econ 210 Money and Banking Econ 260 Environmental Economics Econ 280 Introduction to Labor Economics Econ 290 Canadian Microeconomics Policy Econ 291 Canadian Macroeconomics Policy Econ 295 Managerial Economics We are planning to offer a new second year level course in 2017: Econ 201 Microeconomic Theory I: Competitive Behavior Camosun College Institutional report The Department offers courses in Principles of Micro and Macroeconomics, Intermediate Micro and Macroeconomics, as well as Money and Banking, International Trade and Finance, and Managerial Economics on both of our campuses in Victoria. We have an increase in the number of sections offered due to international enrollment and dual credit courses with the high schools. On the faculty side, Matt Agbay received a continuing faculty appointment starting in September. Currently, the department is advertising a full-time continuing faculty positon in finance and two term faculty positions in finance and economics and statistics. Flexible pre-major report there are no changes to the courses listed in the flexible pre-major Information regarding intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics courses: 1) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) Econ 203 Intermediate Microeconomics Econ 205 Managerial Economics 2) Is calculus used as a prerequisite? Econ 203 Intermediate Microeconomics: Yes (Math 108 or Math 100) Econ 205 Managerial Economics: No 3) Text and major topics Econ 203: Text: Frank and Parker Topics: Demand & supply, elasticity, consumer theory, producer theory, costs, perfect competition and monopoly, oligopoly models, game theory, Econ 205: Text: Perloff and Brander Topics: similar to 203 but more applied to business decision-making 4) Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? Yes 16
Page 17 5) Are there any transfer credit questions/issues from the viewpoint of your institution? Students transferring to the University of Victoria are advised to not take managerial economics if they have already completed intermediate microeconomics College of the Rockies Institutional Report: College of the Rockies continues to have ECON 101 (Microeconomics), ECON 102 (Macro-economics), ECON 207 (Managerial Economics), ECON 250 (Environmental Economics), and ECON 280 (Labour Economics) as possible economics course offerings. For the 2015/2016 academic year, three sections of both Microeconomics and Macroeconomics were offered as well as one section of Environmental Economics. Total enrolment in economics courses was down this year and this could be partially attributed to the significant decrease in the number of students coming from Brazil due to a change in that government s funding for students to study abroad. The College is working on an Economics and Commerce Pre-Major where students take a variety of first- and second-year university courses in arts and sciences in preparation to transfer to a commerce or economics program at a university. This pre-major will consider our FPM and the caveat about students choosing their courses wisely and considering transfer agreements is there. This pre-major seems to be geared mostly towards UVic given the structure of their BCom program and the fact that high school students who enrol at the College receive dual admission for select programs at UVic and current students at the College receive guaranteed admission to UVic for select programs. I suspect this pre-major will pass through Education Council soon. Finally, College of the Rockies finished its comprehensive five-year strategic plan last year and has begun implementing the various strategies contained within. The College celebrated its 40 th anniversary and part of this included a complete rebranding of the College including a new logo and many brand-related aspects. Flexible Pre-Major Report: 2. Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the FPM courses in your institution? No Information about Intermediate Microeconomics and Managerial Economics: 1. At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) Managerial economics is offered at the second-year level. Intermediate microeconomics is not. 2. Is calculus used as a prerequisite? No. However, basic differentiation techniques are introduced (e.g., first- and second-order derivatives) and are used with profit maximization, constrained optimization, point elasticity, production functions (e.g., Cobb-Douglas), isoquants, etc. 17
Page 18 3. Text and major topics: Text: Managerial Economics by Samuelson and Marks. Major topics: review of fundamental economic concepts (done throughout the course as topics arise); optimization including constrained optimization; demand analysis; utility functions, indifference curves, and the budget line; discussion of time series data and regression analysis (this is covered much more thoroughly in STAT 106 and ACCT 369); production functions including isoquants and the isocost line; cost functions; analysis of market structures; payoff tables; competitive strategy; market failure including externalities; risk and uncertainty; asymmetric information; and bargaining and negotiation. 4. Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? Not applicable Coquitlam College Institutional report - Currently we have 4 f/t and 2 p/t instructors. - Each semester, we offer 22 sections, in total, of 8 courses. They are all first year and second year courses. - Currently, we are in the process of researching and developing new courses, in particular, ones which are interdisciplinary. Flexible pre-major report this report is needed to ensure the currency of the FPM. The FPM agreement, course grid, advisory notes, and the report itself can be found on the BCCAT website - http://www.bctransferguide.ca/fpm/econ. Please answer the following question(s): 1) (All institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the FPM courses in your institution? None. 2) (Degree granting institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the lower level degree requirements for your program that affect the advisory notes of the FPM? N/A Information regarding intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics courses Please answer the following questions: 1) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) We offer Managerial Economics at the 200/ second year level. We do not offer intermediate microeconomics. 2) Is calculus used as a prerequisite? Yes. 3) Text: Managerial Economics and Business Strategy by Baye and Prince. and major topics: We cover demand and supply, demand elasticities, consumer behaviour, L/R and S/R costs, determination of market structure, perfect competition, monopolistic competition, single- price monopoly as well as alternative pricing approaches, oligopoly (Cournot, Sweezy, Stackelberg, Bertrand, and game theory). 4) Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? N/A 5) Are there any transfer credit questions/issues from the viewpoint of your institution? None. 6) Any other questions you would like to discuss at the round table? None. Douglas College 18
Page 19 Douglas College is still growing rapidly. We continue to add new programs and course sections in both Business and Economics to meet the growing demand. Though we have had several phases of renovations and expansions recently, construction work scheduled for this summer at the New Westminster campus will be adding 22 additional classrooms. The extension of the Evergreen SkyTrain line is expected to be completed by the end of the year (or early 2017), and this will directly link the Coquitlam and New Westminster campuses and add some additional flexibility for our students. The Economics department offers courses through the BBA degree program and through our two two-year diploma programs which are focused on university transfer: The Commerce and Business Administration University Transfer Diploma is designed to enable students to transfer to Bachelor degree programs in Commerce and Business Administration at BC universities, and, The Associate of Arts Degree (Economics Specialty) is designed to meet the Flex-Major requirements for transfer to Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree programs in BC. Our most recent program development is our PDD, and it will be launched for fall semester registration. Post-Degree Diploma in Global Banking and Economics. We are working this summer to re-align our UT diploma programs with our degree options, and we have been considering the opportunities for further BBA program development. If anyone is interested in exploring opportunities to partner with Douglas College in block transfer agreements, please contact Kevin Richter, Chair of the Economics department and Coordinator of CBA UT diploma programs (richterk@douglascollege.ca). Kwantlen Polytechnic University Institutional Reports prepared for the 2016 Economics Articulation Meetings 1. Institutional Report: The Economics Department at KPU continues to offer courses at the first, second, third, and fourth year levels. We are continuing to offer our Minor in Economics. Contact person is the new Chair of our Articulation Committee, Laurie Phipps: laurie.phipps@kpu 2. Flexible Pre-Major Report: There are no changes to the courses listed in the Flexible Pre-Major report. However, we are contemplating revising the content of our ECON 3150 (3) Managerial Economics course, in order to align it more with industry needs. When our institution approves the changes, we will be re-articulating the course. 3. Intermediate Microeconomics and Managerial Economics: Our answers to the questions - Intermediate Microeconomics: (ECON 2350) 19
Page 20 1.) second year level (2000) 2.) yes 3.) Pindyck and Rubinfeld is usually used major topics are: Consumer Theory Production and Cost Profit Maximization and Perfect Competition Monopoly Imperfect Competition Economic Efficiency and Factor Markets (the degree to which the last two are emphasized varies by instructor) 4.) Currently students cannot take both for credit. This is about to change, and they will be able to take both for credit. Students generally cannot substitute, as Intermediate Micro is transferrable in a way that Managerial Economics is not; also, Managerial Economics has a statistics prereq. and Intermediate Micro has a calculus prereq. 5.) Not for Intermediate Micro. 6.) No Managerial Economics: (ECON 3150) 1.) third yar level (3000) 2.) no, calculus is not a prereq. 3.) Brickley, Smith, and Zimmerman, Managerial Economics and Organizational Architecture, 6 th. edition, McGraw Hill, New York, 2014. Topics are: Demand and Estimation Production and Costs Market Structures Pricing and Pricing strategies Creating Value Economics of Strategy and Game Theory Conflicts, Contracts and Asymmetric Information Risk Analysis Behavioral Economics and making Choices for your Business 4.) With our planned changes, students will be able to take both without the problem of too much overlap; but this also means that they will not be able to substitute. 5.) With the changes we are making, there will need to be a re-articulation of this course, as it will become more applied. (We currently transfer to UVIC) 6.) Are any of the other institutions making their Managerial Economics courses more applied? North Island College List of courses accepted as fulfilling the requirements in the Economics flexible pre-major: ECO 110: Principles of Microeconomics ECO 111: Principles of Macroeconomics 20
Page 21 MAT 102: Calculus for Life Sciences MAT 181: Calculus I MAT 115: Introduction to Statistics MAT 182: Calculus II List of courses accepted as fulfilling the post-principles Economics course requirement in the Economics flexible pre-major: ECO 245: Money and Banking ECO 270: Environmental Economics Note: ECO 245 and ECO 270 have not been offered since 2005. They are not required courses in any programs, so they were discontinued in order to release resources that were needed to offer the college s 4-year BBA degree program. There is hope that these two courses will be offered in near future. School of Business Highlight: It has the highest growth of international students within North Island College departments and programs. Over 50% of students in the School of Business are international students. Okanagan College The Department of Economics at Okanagan College currently employs two full-time continuing faculty members and two part-time continuing faculty members. In the upcoming academic year, the Department of Economics will offer 13 sections of Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 115) 11 sections of Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 125) 1 section of a 200- level Economics of Developing Countries course (ECON 261) 1 section of a 200- level Environmental & Natural Resource Economics course (ECON 271) 1 section of a 200 level Managerial Economics course (ECON 205) 1 section of a 300 level International Economics course (ECON 357) Concurrently, the department schedules Distance Education courses in Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics as well as Environmental/Natural Resource Economics. As for Summer Session, the department will offer courses in Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics. Economics offers required and optional courses mainly for Okanagan College s School of Business, but also for the Diploma of International Development and the Diploma of Environmental Studies. Pre-requisite changes for ECON 271 (Environmental & Natural Resource Economics): Since January 2016 the pre-requisite for ECON 271 has been changed from second year standing to ECON 115- Principles of Microeconomics. 21
Page 22 Inclusion of courses in the FPM report: The following two 200-level courses should be included in the FPM report: 1. ECON 271- Environmental & Natural Resource Economics 2. ECON 261- Economics of Developing Countries Quest University INSTITUTIONAL: Quest University is now reaching its first "steady-state" equilibrium, with 640-700 students on campus. This past year, a Teaching Fellow was added to the faculty to teach six blocks of the foundation course, Political Economy. The two economics faculty have taught courses in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics (both pitched at intermediate level), Development Economics, Behavioural Economics, and the interdisciplinary Environmental and Ecological Economics. Enrollment in these courses has been roughly the same overall as in previous years. Next year, a course in heterodox economics will be offered for the first time. FLEXIBLE PRE-MAJOR: Nothing to report INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS is offered as a 3000 level (Concentration course). Calculus is not a prerequisite, but is helpful. Primary text: Microeconomics by Goolsbee, Levitt, and Syverson (supplemented by Jane Austen, "Pride and Prejudice" and Michael Chwe, "Jane Austen, Game Theorist" Main Topics: Consumer theory, Theory of the Firm, Game Theory. We do not offer Managerial Economics. Selkirk College Selkirk Institutional report Our program has been growing through international recruitment. We have hired a second instructor to help with the expanded number of courses. However, Selkirk continues to offer only first year principles courses. Flexible pre-major report 1) (All institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the FPM courses in your institution? No changes at Selkirk. 2) (Degree granting institutions) Starting May 2016, are there any changes to the lower level degree requirements for your program that affect the advisory notes of the FPM? Information regarding intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics courses Please answer the following questions: 7) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) a. Not offered at Selkirk Trinity Western University 1. Institutional Update General 22
Page 23 Trinity Western University (minor, economics) has not had any changes in the past year or two that affect the economics minor. We continue to teach several hundred students Principles of Economics courses each year. As well, all business students are required to take our third-year managerial economics course. Because it is difficult for business students to take a minor in economics, the minor/concentration is seldom awarded (one or two per year). 2. Program/Course Update Transfer Credit Applications or Alterations No change. Information regarding intermediate microeconomics and managerial economics courses Please answer the following questions: 1) At what level are these courses offered in your institution (200, 300, etc.) Intermediate is not currently offered. Managerial Economics (ECON/BUSI 301) is a third-year course. Its pre-requisites are both ECON 102 (Macroeconomics) and ECON 201 (Microeconomics). 2) Is calculus used as a prerequisite? No. MATH 101 (Math for Business) is required for business students (who are the vast majority of those who take 301), but it is theoretically possible for someone to take 301 before MATH 101. 3) Text and major topics Currently using: Luke M. Froeb, Brian T.McCann, Mikhael Shor, Michael R. Ward, Managerial Economics: A Problem Solving Approach, 3 rd edition, 2014, South-Western Cengage. Landsburg, Steven, The Armchair Economist, The Free Press, New York, 1995. Supplemental readings I include A LOT of supplemental readings. Some from pop-economics books like Dan Ariely s Predictably Irrational, Tim Harford s The Logic of Life and Charles Wheelan s Naked Economics; some from newspapers and media; some from scholarly sources and journals. Topics include: More depth on supply and demand, elasticity, economies of scale, etc. Review of Principles Dynamic pricing models Price Discrimination Game theory and bargaining Risk and uncertainty Auctions Asymmetric Information (Adverse selection, moral hazard and principal-agent problems) 4) Can students take both courses, or are students allowed to substitute? Not applicable. 5) Are there any transfer credit questions/issues from the viewpoint of your institution? No. We rarely have students transfer in this course. 6) Any other questions you would like to discuss at the round table? I see on the agenda the issue of ESL learners and their writing. This is a big concern for me as well. But I would put it more broadly even; I am concerned about the poor writing from all students, not just ESL. I 23