Implementing Experimental Designs: Best Practices for Software Programming (Summer School)

Event Location

Location: Streatham Campus

Venue Details: The Streatham campus, the University’s largest site in Exeter, is built around a country estate overlooking the city and is readily acknowledged as one of the most beautiful in the country. A Registered Botanic Garden, Streatham Campus is described by The Times as the ‘best-gardened campus in Britain’ and by The Independent as having a ‘sublime’ setting. The grounds feature many exotic trees and shrubs and with stunning views across the city to the sea at Exmouth. Many students say they simply fell in love with the campus when they came to visit – its lakes, parkland, woodland and gardens make it a very special place that offers a safe and enjoyable environment for study. All the teaching buildings, together with the sports park, the library, the shopping centre, restaurants, cafés and bars are within walking distance of each other.

More Information: For details of how to get the the University of Exeter's Streatham Campus, please see maps and directions.

Attendee Categories

1. Masters/PHD Students

Cost: £75.00

Description: This three-day summer school provides a guide to experimental economics researchers on best practices for translating an idea for an experimental design to an implementable experiment, whether in the laboratory or online. In contrast to courses which focus on software packages (such as oTree or z-Tree courses), on this course you will learn how to create a program that is efficient, reliable, and which enables collaboration, adaptability, and reproducibility.

Additional Items

Contact

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ted Turocy ([email protected]) and Boon Han Koh ([email protected])

More Information

In the first part of the course, we will implement two sets of commonly seen experiments using oTree. We will introduce a conceptual framework for implementing experimental designs, which includes defining the different states of an experiment, and developing storyboards and wireframes for the information screens, input screens, and calculations/ output screens. We will then demonstrate how to translate the designs to software, including topics such as defining groups and matchings, sequential decision-making, multiple decision-making periods, randomization devices, and systematically recording variables for logging and reproducibility. In the second part of the course, we will provide a brief introduction to key technologies used in producing professional-looking applications, including webpage generation via templates, CSS and Bootstrap, and JavaScript and jQuery. There will also be opportunities for discussions centered on specific aspects of experimental designs based on individual participants’ needs. Throughout, we will emphasise the use of git and GitHub for version control and collaboration, and management of Python virtual environments for reproducibility and portability. This is therefore not just another oTree course! By the end of the course, you will acquire skills which are transferrable to other platforms or technologies.

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