The Economics of Education: introduction and course overview Seminar 1 Ilya Prakhov Research fellow, Centre for Institutional Studies Higher School of Economics, Moscow,

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Course outline: main topics photo  Universities as organizations  Teachers labor market: contracts and salaries in academia  Models of admissions to universities: barriers, requirements, standardized exams  Peer effects in education: theoretical reasoning and empirical estimations  Education and labor market: investment and returns from higher education, labor market signaling  Student labor market: student employment and graduates’ job placements  Funding in higher education: premiums and penalties from education, student support  Educational production function: does schooling really matter?

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Course outline: main activities photo  Lectures  Seminars  Discussions  Presentations on articles (orally)  Group research project (orally + in written form)  Final quiz (in written form)  Final score = 0,2 · Presentation + 0,3 · Research project + 0,2 · Class participation + 0,3 · Final quiz

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Course outline: communication photo  Course materials are available online at:  Course program (to be updated)  Lectures presentations  Seminars presentations  Articles for presentations  Guidelines for presentations  Guidelines for research projects + topics (coming soon)  Current rating  Questions can be asked:  During/after classes  During the office hours  Via (course ), (personal

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Format for presentations photo The main task: to present an article as if it was your own paper, to defend it. Timing: 15 min.  Title  Brief, informative, attention-getting  Research question  What is the question? One question – 25 words or less (preferably less)  Motivation  Who cares? What literature, theoretical perspective, empirical finding, or policy conclusion do you challenge? Are there implications for theory and policy?  Methodology  What theoretical perspectives are you using? What method (statistical test, lab experiment, mathematical proof, counterexample, meta-analysis)? What evidence (cross-sectional data, panel data, case study, experimental observations)? What are your sources?  Results  Based on your results, what conclusions will you draw? What is the link between the evidence and your conclusions? What final point do you emphasize? What are the policy implications for Russia? Source: Alexandra Benham. The Ronald Coase Institute Workshop. Bratislava, 2009.

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Presentations: evaluation criteria photo  Important question  Valid argument  Clear structure of presentation  Visuals (PPT)  Timing: no more than 15 minutes Source: Alexandra Benham. The Ronald Coase Institute Workshop. Bratislava, 2009.

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 For the next seminar… photo  Warren J.R., Grodsky E. State High School Exit Examinations and Postsecondary Labor Market Outcomes // Sociology of Education, Vol. 87, 2008, pp  Juerges H., Buechel F., Schneider K. The Effect of Central Exit Examinations on Student Achievement: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from TIMSS Germany // Journal of the European Economic Association, Vol. 3, No. 5, 2005, pp

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Work in small groups: research projects photo  A group of 4-5 students should choose the topic (list of topics will be available shortly at course webpage).  Students prepare a written version of the project and oral presentation (guidelines are available at course webpage).  Deadlines: for written version (paper and word document) – 18/05, students should present their projects 22/05.  Mark for research project = 0,5 ∙ Written version + 0,5 ∙ Presentation

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Research project: Format for your paper photo  Abstract  Main idea and main results (0,5 pages)  Introduction and problem setting  What is the research question, the main idea, and why do you care about it? (1-2 pages)  Brief literature overview  3 or more scientific articles in English (up to 6 pages)  Hypotheses  They should be stated on the basis of your literature review (up to 1 page)  Methodology and data  Description of sample and (econometric) methods you use (up to 3 pages)  The model and results (up to 5 pages)  Conclusion (1-2 pages)  References

Higher School of Economics, Moscow, 2012 Final quiz photo  Open questions on the topics which were discussed during the course (lectures and seminars)

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