Agricultural economics has a rich history of using experiments in the classroom to teach applied topics and illustrate how economic theory translates into real-world phenomena. Despite the widespread attention classroom experiments in economics have received, relatively little attention has been devoted to whether and how instructors may use experiments as a teaching tool in the online classroom. We review the essential elements of three popular classroom experiments (public goods, prisoners dilemma, and pit market) and discuss how these experiments may be adapted or used in both the synchronous and asynchronous online classroom. Additionally, we discuss several online platforms and tools to make experimental games accessible with distance learning.

Barnett, B.J., and W. Kriesel. 2003. “Agricultural Economists’ Use of Classroom Economic Experiments.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 35(2):321–335.

Chen, D.L., M. Schonger, and C. Wickens. 2016. “oTree—An Open-Source Platform for Laboratory, Online, and Field Experiments.” Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance 9:88–97.

Davis, D.D., and C.A. Holt. 1993. Experimental Economics. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Dickie, M. 2006. “Do Classroom Experiments Increase Learning in Introductory Microeconomics?” The Journal of Economic Education 37(3):267–288.

Dissanayake, S.T.M., and S.A. Jacobson. 2016. “Policies with Varying Costs and Benefits: A Land Conservation Classroom Game.” The Journal of Economic Education 47(2):142–160.

Durham, Y., T. Mckinnon, and C. Schulman. 2007. “Classroom Experiments: Not Just Fun and Games.” Economic Inquiry 45(1):162–178.

Holt, C.A. 1996. “Classroom Games: Trading in a Pit Market.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 10(1):193–203.

Holt, C.A. 2007. Markets, Games, & Strategic Behavior. Boston: Pearson Addison Wesley.

Holt, C.A. 2019. Markets, Games, and Strategic Behavior: An Introduction to Experimental Economics, 2nd ed. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press.

Holt, C.A. and M. Capra. 2000. “Classroom Games: A Prisoner’s Dilemma.” The Journal of Economic Education 31(3): 229-236.

Holt, C.A., and S.K. Laury. 1997. “Classroom Games: Voluntary Provision of a Public Good.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 11(4):209–215.

Kroll, S., T.L. Cherry, and J.F. Shogren. 2007. “Voting, Punishment, and Public Goods.” Economic Inquiry 45(3):557–570.

Leuthold, J.H. 1993. “A Free Rider Experiment for the Large Class,” 12. Nelson, R.G., and R.O. Beil. 1995. “A Classroom Experiment on Oligopolies.” Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 27(1):263–275.

Ruffle, B.J. 2003. “Competitive Equilibrium and Classroom Pit Markets.” The Journal of Economic Education 34(2):123–137.

Swarthout, J.T. “Public Goods Experiment Teaching Module.” EconPort. Available at: https://econport.org/content/teaching/modules/PublicGoods.html.

Wilson, N.L.W., and R.G. Nelson. 2008. “Leader of the Pack: An Oligopoly Experiment with a Stackelberg Leader.”

Wilson, N.L.W., and R.G. Nelson. 2009. “A Laboratory Science Approach to Teaching in the Agricultural Economics Curriculum.”Review of Agricultural Economics 31(2):331–343.