Exploring the Impact of Free Education on Learning Motivation

School

Copperbelt University**We aren't endorsed by this school

Course

ECONOMICS 227

Subject

Economics

Date

Dec 11, 2024

Pages

Uploaded by ElderIbis4937

Case Study: Zilola's Experience with a Free Economics CourseBackgroundZilola recently enrolled in an economics course on Udemy, which he accessed for free using a coupon. After completing several modules, (he realised that about 99% of students do less than ten minutes a year so just doing a few modules was special!) he reflects on his experience and expresses feelings of guilt for receiving such valuable content without payment. He wonders why he didn’t pay for the course and contemplates the implications of free education on motivation and learning.Key Learnings from the CourseZilola has learned several important concepts in economics, including:Supply and Demand: Understanding how market forces interact todetermine prices.Behavioural Economics: Insights into how psychological factors influence economic decisions.Market Structures: Differentiating between perfect competition, monopolies, and oligopolies.Fiscal and Monetary Policy: The roles of government and central banks in managing the economy.The Guilt of Receiving Free EducationZilola's guilt can be analysed through the lens of behavioural economics, particularly the concept of loss aversion. This principle suggests that individuals feel the pain of loss more acutely than the pleasure of gain. In this case, Zilola may perceive the "loss" of not contributing financially as a moral failing, despite the course being offeredfor free.The Value of Paying for Education1.Increased Motivation: Paying for a course can enhance commitment and motivation. The sunk cost fallacysuggests that individuals are more likely to follow through with a commitment if they have invested money into it. This could lead to better learning outcomes.2.Perceived Value: When individuals pay for a service, they often perceive it as more valuable. This aligns with the principle of anchoring, where the initial price sets a mental benchmark for value.Alternatives to Monetary Payment1

Since Zilola received the course for free, he can consider alternative ways to repay the instructor for their time and effort:Providing Feedback: Offering constructive feedback on the coursecan help the instructor improve future iterations.Writing a Review: A positive review can enhance the instructor's reputation and attract more students.Sharing Knowledge: Zilola can share what he has learned with peers or through social media, effectively spreading the knowledge gained from the course.Donating to Charity: If Zilola feels compelled to give back financially, he could donate to a charity that supports education, thereby indirectly supporting the instructor's mission.Discussion QuestionHow does the perception of value change when a product or service is offered for free, and what implications does this have for motivation and learning outcomes?- when a premium product is offered for free without time constraints, the perception of value decrease and the drive to complete it is greatly reduced if their is no passion for the product or service it could be even perceived as useless. Nevertheless, a product or service that is offered for free for a period of time and then have a high price maybe peceived as valuable becouse people who had it for free may see it initial free value as lucky and hence they me see the product as valuable. Nevertheless, the implications of free course on education also follows the some thing as mentioned but there is a component of learning motivation and the craving for that particular subject this influence the turnout of whether the course will be finished. for a highly curious individual even a free course without any reward will be worth finishing but for those without a drive to learn even the most expensive, they will have trouble finishing. However, there are those who are motivated by the Amout of money spend in the course and hence finish the course becouse they what to use get the most out of the money spent. Now, for free education with a time constraint, some people enroll just to be part of something inclusive and not miss on the opportunity, but nonetheless have no real desire to learn that particular area of education. In conclusion, for true learners the value of education is not reflected by the price but content of eduction. 2

ConclusionZilola's experience highlights the complex interplay between free education, perceived value, and motivation. While receiving a course for free can lead to feelings of guilt, it also opens up opportunities for alternative forms of repayment and reinforces the importance of understanding behavioural economics principles in educational contexts. Interestingly, Zilola also realises that if he posts a lot on any of the courses he has (for free) then this will enable him to learn a lot but also help other students (who may have paid.) In this way the paying students will be getting more for their money owing to Zilola’s efforts so, in a sense, Zilola is ‘repaying’ by helping other students. He realises on the Economics Analysis course there are many Case Studies, also on the othercourses so he resolves to work really hard!Learn more:1.- YouTube2.- YouTube3.Vitajte - www.arthome-dizain.sk3