This class has the prerequisite that you MUST have completed Foundations of Behavioral Economics to enroll in this course.

Now that you have an introduction to behavioral economics concepts, it’s time for an advanced course! This 10-week course will build upon the concepts from Foundations of Behavioral Economics using Melina’s “Cs of Behavior Change”. In this course, students will consider how things like context matter when building out a behavioral intervention. They will also look at how cognitive load, clarity, and consistency can be evaluated using various concepts of behavioral economics, including decision fatigue, regret aversion, satisficing, sludge, and so much more.

Get ready for a class with even more relevant concepts introduced in a thoughtful way to help you easily understand how to begin applying behavioral economics into your business.

The course instructor is Melina Palmer, founder and CEO of The Brainy Business, which provides behavioral economics consulting to businesses of all sizes from around the world. Her podcast, The Brainy Business, has downloads in over 170 countries. Melina worked in corporate marketing and brand strategy for over a decade before earning her master’s in behavioral economics. She has contributed research to the Association for Consumer Research, Filene Research Institute, and writes the Behavioral Economics & Business column for Inc Magazine. Check out her first book, What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You on sale now.

Curriculum Outline (subject to change)

In this class, students can expect to learn about the importance of: 

·         Curiosity and Context: understand who you are talking to and what matters to them

·         Complexity and Cognitive Load: decision fatigue, ambiguity (uncertainty) aversion, serial position effect, satisficing, and ratio bias

·         Concern: inequity aversion, regret aversion, information avoidance, counterfactual thinking, prefactual thinking

·         Consistency: precommitment, projection bias, and the hot/cold empathy gap

·         Connection and Control: the halo effect, the IKEA effect

·         Confidence: Dunning-Kruger effect, confirmation bias

·         Clarity: sludge

·         Choice and Contrast: decision staging

·         Complacency: status quo bias

·         Carrots: internal and external motivation

➡️ FAQs ⬅️

Who is this course for? 
Our classes are designed specifically for practitioners and professionals in a wide range of fields. The courses are more applied than theoretical, so whether you are established in your corporate career and looking for an edge (or change of pace) or an entrepreneur and everything in between, you will benefit from this course. 

Is there an application form to sign up for this course? 
Yes, once you click on the Enroll button you will be prompted to answer a series of questions that we view as your application. We strongly believe that everyone should have an opportunity to knowledge, but if we determine that you would not be a good fit for the course then we will promptly refund your money.

How is the course taught? 
This program is entirely online so students from around the world can participate. One aspect that makes this course unique is that it is the lecture is prerecorded so you can listen whenever you wish. Students can choose to attend the virtual office hour and interact with fellow students and the instructor or they can watch the recorded discussion later. The course is pass/fail with the majority of graded material being posted discussions with your class cohorts.

What if I have questions about the course material? 
Each week we will offer online “Office Hours” so you can talk directly with the instructors.

How long is the course? 
The course is 10-weeks long. Each week you will have readings and assignments to complete.

Where can I learn more about the Certificate Program? 
For full details, visit Certificate Program.

How much of a time commitment is required each week? 
We would suggest that you allot 2-3 hours to complete the readings, assignments, and watching the presentations. Most weeks we will have optional readings in case you are really interested in that week’s topic and want to dig in more, but that is completely up to you.

What are the technical requirements? 
We use the online learning platform, Canvas that we will grant you access to once you enroll in a course. As long as you have access to the internet you should be good to go. Also, it would help if your computer has a camera and microphone enabled so you can take full advantage of the “Office Hours” and to be able to ask questions during the class, though this is not required.

Are the course credits transferable to either a Bachelor’s or Master’s program? 
No. Courses offered through CPED.tamu.edu are non-credit bearing courses. These are offered as opportunities to learn new skills and enhance job performance and to assist numerous professional licensing and accrediting bodies that require continuing education as a provision for the preservation of good standing in their industry. Those who complete the full Certificate program in Applied Behavioral Economics will receive a certificate of completion. 

How many courses can I take at any one time? 
We want to ensure students take time and learn the material deeply so we limit students to taking up to 2 courses per semester.  There are opportunities to take shorter condensed courses in between semesters. (If you are participating in the full Certificate in Applied Behavioral Economics, you can take two condensed courses in place of one elective.)

Can you drop a course once it has started? 
Yes, you can drop any required or elective course before the second week of class for a full refund.  You will receive a 50% refund between weeks two and five. 

What is the Human Behavior Laboratory? 
The Human Behavior Laboratory at Texas A&M University is one of the largest biometrics lab in the academic world, bringing together a transdisciplinary team of leading researchers and advanced technology to deliver insights never before produced at this scale and speed. From marketing and education to nutrition and economics, biometric research applies to a wide range of disciplines. When you understand how people make decisions, you can be better prepared to help them make better ones. Individuals can make better life choices about their health, finances, relationships, what they buy, and how they manage risk. Businesses can increase product recognition and sales if they know what customers really want and how to reach them. Health providers can increase patient compliance and success by understanding how to motivate patients to develop self-control and adopt healthy behaviors.

After I have enrolled/registered for my course, how do I log in to view more information about it? 
Once you have registered for a course, workshop or conference, additional information can be found in the Catalog listing.  Go to http://cped.tamu.edu and click “Login” in the upper-right corner of the website.

Additional Questions? If they are about Continuing Education at TAMU go here. Otherwise, please contact the program manager at HBL@TAMU.EDU

Ready to Enroll? Great! We look forward to seeing you in class on January 17, 2022!