Courses Bachelor Display 2024-2025

Course Description To PDF
Course title Learning by Experimenting
Course code EBS2058
ECTS credits 4,0
Assessment Whole/Half Grades
Period
Period Start End Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
6 23-6-2025 6-7-2025 C
Level Intermediate
Coordinator Lex Borghans
For more information: lex.borghans@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Language of instruction English
Goals
- Understanding of problems and pitfalls in the implementation of innovative practices in firms and organisations;
- Knowledge about tools for systematic experimentation to support innovations;
- Basic understanding of statistical packages needed to evaluate experiments.
Description
Firms and organisations are always looking for innovative practices to improve their performance. But how do they know that a new approach is really better than the old practice? A new marketing program, changes in human resources tools, new training programs, changes at schools or new approaches to combat traffic jams or fight crime: all have to deal with the question to what extent they will really improve outcomes and what elements are responsible for this result. This requires systematic comparison and therefore experimentation is the best way to learn. Recently new tools have been developed to learn by experimentation.

In this skills training the full process of a systematic field experiments - that in practice can take several years - is simulated in two weeks. Students can - individually or in small groups - choose topics of their interest and develop and implement a program to experiment with change.
Literature
Prerequisites
This course is in transition for the bachelor Fiscal Economics.
See the Bachelor Education and Examination Regulations for more information.

The following rule applies to bachelor Fiscal Economics students.
TRANSITIONAL REGULATION (EBS2058):
The bachelor Fiscal Economics has been discontinued.

There will be repeat education for year 1 and year 2 courses up to and including academic year 2025-2026 and exam-only up to and including academic year 2026-2027. For year 3 courses there will be repeat education up to and including 2026-2027 and exam-only up to and including academic year 2027-2028.

Whether a course is in transition, cancelled, or replaced may depend on the cohort you are in. Sometimes there are additional criteria. It is therefore very important to carefully read the EER and any addendum so you can apply the rules to your individual situation.


PREREQUISITES:
An advanced level of English.
Teaching methods (indicative; course manual is definitive) PBL / Assignment / Groupwork
Assessment methods (indicative; course manual is definitive) Final Paper / Participation
Evaluation in previous academic year For the complete evaluation of this course please click "here"
This course belongs to the following programmes / specialisations
Bachelor Economics and Business Economics - Economics Year 2 Elective Skill(s)
Bachelor Economics and Business Economics - Economics and Management of Information Year 2 Elective Skill(s)
Bachelor Economics and Business Economics - International Business Economics Year 2 Elective Skill(s)
Bachelor Fiscal Economics Transitional Regulation
Bachelor International Business Year 2 Elective Skill(s)
SBE Exchange Bachelor Bachelor Exchange Skills
SBE Exchange Master Bachelor Exchange Skills
SBE Non Degree Courses Bachelor Skills