Where to Get Online Study Help (Especially in Economics!)

Economics is a challenging subject or field of study. I remember battling it as a high school  and college student and being baffled by concepts that didn’t seem relevant to my everyday life. There are a lot of theories and disciplines to memorize. Sometimes the classroom sessions and extra readings here and there are not enough to fully understand or master the subject. By definition, economics is the study of “study of how societies use scarce resources to produce valuable commodities and distribute them among different people.”

Back in the old days (or when I went to school!), students only had the option of listening to their professors and reading their textbooks. However, in the present time where we now live in a fast-paced world, sometimes we do not have the luxury of spending hours and hours reading in a library. In addition, books are too expensive that an ordinary college student could not afford them.  With millions of millions of contents uploaded to the internet, knowledge and educational resources have become very accessible.

The traditional concept of school and education has been challenged by the modern technology and ideology. The teaching tools or methods have drastically changed over the years. Schools, especially college, have integrated modern technologies into their teaching materials. Lectures are no longer limited within the classroom walls, as online lectures and conferences are already possible. Teachers can now give online economics homework, research projects, and even online examinations.  

However, as an economic student where do you go online to get help in studying economics?

The unlikely answer – YouTube!

Research, specifically in the marketing world, has shown that video contents content are very effective tools for imparting information about your products, or services. Marketers use video to educate their target customers. Video can convey complicated topics in a more effective way. And in the internet, where can you find loads and loads of video content for free? The answer is YouTube, and I use it ALL the time in my classroom and direct students there for extra help!

YouTube is usually associated to viral video streaming, watching music video, and is generally used for entertainment purposes. However, it is very apparent that has the potential to become an effective educational tool. Videos of lectures by known economic professors, informational videos by a well renowned economics expert, and thousands of tutorials can be found in YouTube. You just have to be diligent and smart when searching for videos to watch because YouTube is a video hosting website and contains entirely user-uploaded contents. Since its contents are only uploaded by users, the quality and reliability of its content might be a bit of a suspect. To make sure that you are getting reliable video materials, look to the YouTube channels of famous university, economics professors and experts.

Financial Information Websites

The best thing about the internet is that quality information and educational material are accessible and free of charge, with the exception of your connection.  Investopedia is one example of a reliable economics/financial information website. This and other online encyclopedias will help explain to you various economic theories and principles, complete with illustrations and examples. These websites also provide several tutorials on economic and finance and reviewers or exam materials that help your grasp key terms and concepts.

Online Tutors and Expert Help

If you have some cash to spare, you spend them on employing the help of an online tutor. Finding reliable and legit economic experts online can be very hard. The barrier of online setting can be very restrictive when checking to for the qualification of online tutor. That is why you need to do your research. There are numbers of companies online offering expert help and tutorials on subjects like economics, commerce, etc. Rounded up all the online tutoring sites you can find, read their reviews, client testimonials, and their profiles. Sort all your options and then decide which to employ.

Online/Digital Document Libraries

Digital libraries like scribd, academia.eu are also great source of educational materials. These subscription-based websites with open publishing platform are where students like you upload their own review materials. However, since it is uploaded by users or students, these materials might not be accurate and reliable. Be very wary when selecting documents that you will download. Scan the document first and try to counter check, if possible, if it is accurate. Use this resource at your own risk. Subscribe to a digital library that implements stringent filters and screening on the documents being uploaded on their website.

Online Economic Journals

This is where you read about the opinions and thoughts of economics experts. If you want to learn how your favorite economics expert thinks, this is the place where you go. Read the articles that they have written, their opinions in the latest economic trends. However, these journals and articles might not be what you need to ace the finals exams for your economics subject. As these are already for advance readers and most articles/opinions will not explain principles and theories detail to details. If you are still trying to learn the basic concepts in economics, these journals might not be of help for you. However, if you are looking for concrete examples on how various economic theories and principles related to each other in the real world, these journals of expert economist might be of help.

End Note

Perhaps, the best thing that the internet can give you the access to information and it is up to you how to use it properly. As a teacher, I encourage my students to only use reputable sources and to be selective when choosing material for research. When looking for online help when studying, you should not confine yourself to one or two mediums or sources. Those mentioned above are not the only good economics and financial education sources out there.  Use all the reliable and accurate information you can get to create your own study material. You can use your teacher’s lecture of handouts as a guide and find on the internet what your teacher failed to expound on or explain clearly.

Make your own reviewer or study material based on your teacher’s syllabus, and remember to study hard no matter what format you choose.

What are your favorite online study tools?