Teaching Economics with Cartoons, a Wire Detector, and ChatGPT: A Reflective Case Study

Aim of the Study

This case study aims to illustrate the use of ChatGPT in developing teaching materials through an interactive conversation. It demonstrates how I shared one of my recent innovations in teaching economics, considered the feedback provided, and used it to further develop and improve my teaching approach.

It further explores the combined use of analogy-based cartoons and physical objects, including a wire cable and a wire detector, as complementary teaching tools for explaining price and quantity determination, as well as average cost calculation, under monopoly. The approach was designed to promote student engagement, spark curiosity, and support students with different levels of prior experience in economics.

More broadly, the case study aims to help educators tailor their teaching by considering the differing characteristics, educational backgrounds, and learning needs of their students. It highlights the importance of combining appropriate teaching approaches to support both students who may find economics complex and those who may find introductory topics too familiar when both groups are taught in the same class. It also aims to encourage and motivate educators to adopt and adapt innovative teaching methods.

Rationale for This Teaching Approach

I often use stories and cartoons and, when possible, depending on the nature of the topic and my creativity, I also use physical objects. I felt that I needed to develop an innovative way of teaching because of the characteristics of my students. Broadly, there are two groups of first-year students in terms of their previous experience of studying economics at post-16 level. Those who have not studied economics at post-16 level may find the subject complex and boring, whereas those who have studied economics at A-level or college level may find some first-year topics too simple and boring. Therefore, having students with different educational backgrounds in the same classroom creates an additional teaching challenge. My approach has been to address this challenge through the use of analogy-based cartoons (Demirbas, 2024).

However, I identified a limitation in the Penguin analogy, as it primarily focused on price determination and was not designed to capture the cost-calculation aspects of the model. This created a gap in explaining the full structure of monopoly analysis. To address this limitation, I recognised the need for an additional method that could work alongside the Penguin cartoon and provide a clearer and more effective representation of cost calculations.

For this purpose, I decided to use two physical objects from outside the classroom, namely a red wire cable and a wire detector, to complement the existing approach. In this teaching session, I introduced a red copper wire cable, approximately 60 cm in length and bent into a U-shape, to represent the average cost curve. My intention was to create a teaching environment in which students would learn not only through theory but also through the active use of objects (Hardie, 2015), while also supporting experiential learning (Kolb, 1984).

Before using these new objects in my teaching, I decided to brainstorm with ChatGPT to explore how I could further improve and develop my method. I found this interaction with ChatGPT useful and enjoyable. I critically considered and adapted its suggestions before using the teaching approach in the classroom. The full conversation is provided in the Appendix.

My Reflection on Using Penguin Cartoon without the Wire Detector

As usual, I first started with the theory, explaining that the MC=MR rule is used to identify the profit-maximising quantity and the corresponding market price under monopoly. I then moved on to the Penguin and Aurora cartoon strip (see Figure 1) and shared the story with the students as follows: “Hi everyone. This is the story of McKenzie and Martin’s journey to Aurora. As usual, McKenzie and Martin meet first, and then they set off together for Aurora to meet Demandra. When they finally arrive, they view the penguin.”

I asked the students to connect the cartoon with price determination under monopoly. After giving them a couple of minutes to consider the analogy, I mapped the elements of the story onto their corresponding elements in the theory, or target domain, as follows: McKenzie represents marginal cost, Martin represents marginal revenue, arriving in Aurora represents average revenue, meeting Demandra represents reaching the demand curve, and finally viewing the penguin represents determining the price. As the connections became clear, I could see signs of recognition and satisfaction in their expressions, suggesting that they had established a meaningful link between the base domain, the story, and the target domain, the economic theory.

This was supported by the students’ written comments and ratings, including:

“5/5. I find it helpful as a way to remember what to do when shown after the technical explanation. “I think it would confuse me slightly if it was before the explanation on the board was done so I like how you did it.”

“Good concept and idea, but hard to grasp straight away, 4/5.”

“It simplifies the understanding of it. It is very clear and makes sense. A good way of thinking. 5/5.” 

“I like it, 5/5. It helps me understand through the storytelling and diagram.”

“It was 100% useful because it helped me visualise the steps I needed to follow. It was fun as well. Thank you, Mr Erkan.”

These comments indicate that the students generally found the cartoon clear, memorable, and helpful in supporting their understanding. They also suggest that the timing of its use was important, as presenting it after the technical explanation helped students connect the story and diagram with the underlying economic theory.

Figure 1. The Penguin and Aurora Cartoon Strip

Connecting Average Cost with Alternating Current through Sound Cues

I have used the Penguin story and cartoon strip in Level 4 modules at the University of Lincoln for over three years, mainly with students studying general business-related programmes, and have consistently received very positive feedback. However, the cartoon was initially designed to illustrate price determination and therefore does not cover the identification of the average cost (AC) curve. I decided to develop a complementary teaching method to support this powerful cartoon and help students also understand the cost aspect of the diagram.

In previous sessions held several weeks before I introduced the wire detector, I facilitated this example by making a continuous beeping sound with my mouth to indicate that we had reached the AC curve. This approach drew on the shared acronym AC, which refers to both alternating current and average cost. I used this acronym similarity as a teaching device to help students establish a memorable connection between the two terms, temporarily treating the average cost curve as a form of “current”. The sound was used while showing students where the average cost per unit is identified on the diagram. This also created a symbolic link, as energy is often associated with cost.

First, using a board marker, I followed the vertical line upward from the point where the marginal revenue and marginal cost curves intersect, represented in the story by Martin meeting McKenzie. I then moved upward, as McKenzie and Martin travelled to Aurora, which represents average revenue, where they meet Demandra and view the penguin together. This illustrates reaching the demand curve at the profit-maximising quantity in order to identify the corresponding monopoly price.

What Is Your Postcode?

I also reminded the students that identifying the correct starting point is essential for locating the correct market price and profit-maximising quantity. Again, I used another analogy and asked them, “Do you know your postcode?” I then continued, “What happens if you order an item but enter an incorrect postcode? It may be delivered to the wrong address.” I connected this analogy with the theory and explained that, in this topic, our postcode, or starting point, is where MC=MR. If we start from another point, we will identify an incorrect market price and a quantity that does not maximise profit.

I then moved the board marker vertically downward from the MC=MR point towards the quantity axis. When I reached the AC curve, I made a beeping sound for approximately three seconds and reminded the students that we had successfully reached the average cost curve. At this point, we could identify the average cost per unit and use it, together with the quantity, to calculate total cost.

Next, I moved the marker further down towards the quantity axis and described the quantity sold as Martin and McKenzie visiting the Queen at house number 200. I intentionally used the term “Queen” because it begins with the letter Q, which represents quantity, making it easier for students to remember the connection. In this example, house number 200 represented the profit-maximising quantity. I again reminded the students that if our starting point were incorrect, we might arrive at a house number other than 200. This would represent a misdelivery and would mean that we had failed to identify the correct profit-maximising quantity.

I greatly enjoyed using this teaching technique, as it appeared to improve students’ engagement and participation in the class.

Red Cable and Wire Detector

I later introduced a red cable and a wire detector, instead of making the sounds myself, to make the explanation more interactive, realistic, and memorable. I developed this teaching material within a day through an interactive conversation with ChatGPT.

For this purpose, I prepared a 60 cm red copper wire cable and gathered masking tape and a wire detector (see Figures 2 and 3). First, I introduced the materials to the students. I then drew the demand, MC, and MR curves on the board and taped the red copper wire onto the board to represent the AC curve. After this, I displayed the cartoon on the projector screen.

I first used the diagram to explain how to identify the price and profit-maximising quantity under monopoly. I then moved to the cartoon and introduced the story of McKenzie and Martin. The students appeared amazed by the story. I could see excitement in their eyes and satisfaction on their faces as they followed the explanation.

Later, I returned to the whiteboard and showed the students the point where the MR and MC curves intersect, representing McKenzie meeting Martin. From this point, I moved vertically upwards towards the demand curve, represented in the story by McKenzie and Martin travelling to Aurora to meet Demandra and view the penguin, which represents the corresponding monopoly price.

Figure 2: Monopoly Equilibrium: Determination of Price and Quantity

After that, holding the detector and following the same vertical line, I moved it downward. When I reached the AC curve, represented by the red wire cable, the detector produced a continuous sound and displayed a red light, replacing the beeping sound I had previously made myself. At that moment, the students appeared surprised and impressed. I saw them smiling and showing their appreciation for the innovative teaching method I had developed. I then explained that we had reached the AC curve at the profit-maximising output, which allowed us to identify the average cost per unit and then calculate total cost at this level of production.

Figure 3: Wire Detector Demonstration on AC Curve

The collected feedback and ratings also demonstrated the students’ satisfaction, as shown in the following comments:

“5/5 for the cartoon and copper wire. It helped a lot understanding monopolies. I studied economics before.”

“I rate the copper model and the penguin cartoon both a 5/5. I did not study Economics during A-Levels so this has helped me understand the MC=MR graph thoroughly.”

“In my opinion, the cartoon and copper wire illustration was very useful to understand monopoly. I have studied economics before.”

“I rate the cartoon copper wire 5/5. It gave a memorable way to remember the graph. I did study economics.”

“I have not studied economics before, and I found this very useful.”

“I rate the cartoon 4/5. I rate the copper wire 5/5. No, I have never studied economics before.”

“I would rate your invention a solid 5/5. And 5/5 for effort.”

The feedback received further motivated me, as it showed that the combined use of the cartoon, copper wire, and detector was effective for the entire group, including students who had studied economics before joining the university.

Conclusion

My reflection is that ChatGPT can be useful for brainstorming, even though some of its suggestions may not be appropriate or accurate. However, these suggestions can still help educators refine and develop their own ideas. It is also important to recognise that the usefulness of ChatGPT depends heavily on how prompts are written. Therefore, we need to remain aware that we are interacting with an AI system and critically evaluate its responses. The way humans see, interpret, and understand the world is different from the way the system processes information.

For example, have you ever asked ChatGPT how it recognises colours? It has no eyes, yet it can identify colours in images by processing visual information. This illustrates why using clear and accurate prompts is important, as this can improve the quality of the interaction and help generate the intended output.

From a teacher’s perspective, the most valuable suggestion I received from ChatGPT during this conversation was to invite students to use the wire detector themselves or to allow them to come forward in small groups to observe it more closely. This could further promote student engagement and enhance their learning experience.

I followed this suggestion and invited the students to use the detector to identify the AC curve. A volunteer joined me at the front of the seminar room and used the detector while the rest of the class watched with curiosity. The student followed the vertical line downward from the point where McKenzie and Martin met, representing the intersection of MC and MR. The student stopped when the detector produced a continuous sound and displayed a red warning light, indicating that they had successfully reached the AC curve and identified the average cost per unit at the profit-maximising quantity.

Importantly, teaching a group of Level 4 students with different levels of prior knowledge and educational backgrounds requires educators to adapt existing approaches or develop new and innovative methods. Students who have not studied economics before may find the subject complex, while those with previous experience may find introductory topics too familiar. It is therefore important to ensure that both groups remain engaged with the class and that neither group is left behind.

More broadly, as demonstrated in this case study, teachers should be proactive in understanding the characteristics of their students and in adapting existing methods or creating new ones to improve student engagement and performance. Each student learns differently, and each teaching method has its own strengths and limitations. By following these two simple but important principles, I aim to develop diverse and engaging ways of teaching.

Finally, cartoons can be very effective, but they also have limitations. Therefore, after using the Penguin cartoon strip for over three years to teach price determination under monopoly, an idea spontaneously came to mind to extend this approach by using a wire cable and a wire detector to further enhance the student learning experience. I tried this approach, and it worked well. I strongly encourage colleagues to apply or adapt this innovative method in their teaching to help students leave the session smiling and highly satisfied with their learning experience.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my colleagues Davina Bird, Jane Charlesworth, Abdul Haque, and Sultan Efe; our student illustrator, Victoria Todd; and the student members of the focus group, including James Spencer, James F. Burlison, Rebecca Wilson, and Ismayl-Mazen Hamdi, for their continued and significant support in transforming my original Penguin and Aurora story into the cartoon strip used in this case study.

References

Demirbas, E. (2024) Storytelling with cartoons in economics and statistics. Economics Network, Ideas Bank. Available at: https://doi.org/10.53593/n3939a (Accessed 13 July 2026).

Kolb, D. A. (1984) Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall

Hardie, K. (2015) Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching. Higher Education Academy. https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets.creode.advancehe-document-manager/documents/hea/private/kirsten_hardie_final_1568037367.pdf (Accessed 13 July 2026).

Appendix: ChatGPT Conversation Extract