Pub Date : 2023-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100277
Alina F. Klein, Rudolf F. Klein
There is an extensive literature asserting the undisputable educational value of games. Inspired by a popular CBS TV show, this paper presents a Survivor-style game that instructors can implement in any economics course. At first, students play in teams, then individually. This encourages both teamwork and independent learning. We also conduct an experiment to compare a control and a treatment group in terms of course scores and attendance. We find that students who have played Survivor have statistically better performance and better attendance than their peers in the control group. In light of our findings, we recommend incorporating such active-learning activities in economics classes. Integrating fun and engaging components to the “chalk-and-talk” teaching approach adds important intangible benefits.
{"title":"Improving student performance: Playing Survivor","authors":"Alina F. Klein, Rudolf F. Klein","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100277","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There is an extensive literature asserting the undisputable educational value of games. Inspired by a popular CBS TV show, this paper presents a <em>Survivor</em>-style game that instructors can implement in any economics course. At first, students play in teams, then individually. This encourages both teamwork and independent learning. We also conduct an experiment to compare a control and a treatment group in terms of course scores and attendance. We find that students who have played <em>Survivor</em> have statistically better performance and better attendance than their peers in the control group. In light of our findings, we recommend incorporating such active-learning activities in economics classes. Integrating fun and engaging components to the “chalk-and-talk” teaching approach adds important intangible benefits.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100277"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100273
Ambrose Leung, Lavinia Moldovan, Michael Ata
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework, first introduced by the Harvard School of Graduate Education in 1984, to incorporate different approaches to engage and motivate learners from diverse backgrounds in an inclusive learning environment. UDL promotes academic curriculum design based on three main principles: (1) multiple means of representation, (2) multiple means of action and expression, and (3) multiple means of engagement. This study shows how UDL can be implemented in a principles of microeconomics course, providing examples of good practice for delivery structures and evaluation criteria that integrate UDL strategies.
{"title":"Teaching economics in higher education with universal design for learning","authors":"Ambrose Leung, Lavinia Moldovan, Michael Ata","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework, first introduced by the Harvard School of Graduate Education<span> in 1984, to incorporate different approaches to engage and motivate learners from diverse backgrounds in an inclusive learning environment. UDL promotes academic curriculum design based on three main principles: (1) multiple means of representation, (2) multiple means of action and expression, and (3) multiple means of engagement. This study shows how UDL can be implemented in a principles of microeconomics course, providing examples of good practice for delivery structures and evaluation criteria that integrate UDL strategies.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100273"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-26DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100276
Ivo J.M. Arnold
This paper explains how the three-equation IS-MP-PC-model can be adapted to discuss macroeconomic adjustment in a monetary union. It introduces a two-country version that is used to illustrate the difficulties of macroeconomic adjustment in the presence of asymmetric demand and financial shocks. The level of analysis does not go beyond the level of a course in introductory macroeconomics. The adaption can be used by instructors in euro area countries to bridge the gap between the standard model and the macroeconomic issues that these countries face or by any instructor who wishes to analyze shocks in regions sharing the same currency. It also allows instructors to debate current policy issues with their students and thus motivate them for the field.
{"title":"Teaching economics of monetary union with the IS-MP-PC model","authors":"Ivo J.M. Arnold","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100276","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper explains how the three-equation <em>IS-MP-PC</em>-model can be adapted to discuss macroeconomic adjustment in a monetary union. It introduces a two-country version that is used to illustrate the difficulties of macroeconomic adjustment in the presence of asymmetric demand and financial shocks. The level of analysis does not go beyond the level of a course in introductory macroeconomics. The adaption can be used by instructors in euro area countries to bridge the gap between the standard model and the macroeconomic issues that these countries face or by any instructor who wishes to analyze shocks in regions sharing the same currency. It also allows instructors to debate current policy issues with their students and thus motivate them for the field.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100276"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Using a quasi-experimental research design, we examine the efficacy of one type of cooperative learning pedagogy (think-pair-share exercises) in the microeconomic principles course. Students in the treatment group engaged in think-pair-share exercises with an assigned partner throughout the semester. Those in the control completed the same exercises but did so individually. All students took the Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE) at the beginning and end of the semester to allow us to determine any achievement gains and whether these gains differ by treatment. Following Walstad and Wagner (2016) and Smith and Wagner (2018), we decompose student performance to consider positive learning – adjusting for guessing – on the TUCE. We find no significant effect of cooperative learning on guessing-adjusted positive learning measures.
{"title":"Decomposing a pre- post-test outcome to measure the effect of cooperative learning on student achievement","authors":"Tisha L.N. Emerson , KimMarie McGoldrick , Jamie Wagner","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100274","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>Using a quasi-experimental research design, we examine the efficacy of one type of cooperative learning pedagogy (think-pair-share exercises) in the microeconomic principles course. Students in the treatment group engaged in think-pair-share exercises with an assigned partner throughout the semester. Those in the control completed the same exercises but did so individually. All students took the Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE) at the beginning and end of the semester to allow us to determine any achievement gains and whether these gains differ by treatment. Following Walstad and Wagner (2016) and Smith and Wagner (2018), we decompose </span>student performance to consider positive learning – adjusting for guessing – on the TUCE. We find no significant effect of cooperative learning on guessing-adjusted positive learning measures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100274"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-22DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100275
Diego Mendez-Carbajo , Alejandro Dellachiesa
We study the impact that the choice of data visualization tool has on student ability to create a graph and interpret the information contained in it. We use a systematic random assignment approach and control for student demographic and academic characteristics. We compare the use of spreadsheets to the use of FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) among 471 undergraduate students of statistics for business and economics. We find that although there is no statistical difference between groups in the number of started assignments, the number of completed FRED assignments is significantly larger than the number of completed Google Sheets assignments. With that caveat, we find no association between the choice of data visualization tool and the proportion of correctly built graphs, average frustration, and perceived difficulty reported by students when building the graph. We document lower confidence in the task among female students and students who used FRED.
{"title":"Choice of data visualization tool: FRED or spreadsheets?","authors":"Diego Mendez-Carbajo , Alejandro Dellachiesa","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100275","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We study the impact that the choice of data visualization tool has on student ability to create a graph and interpret the information contained in it. We use a systematic random assignment approach and control for student demographic and academic characteristics. We compare the use of spreadsheets to the use of FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) among 471 undergraduate students of statistics for business and economics. We find that although there is no statistical difference between groups in the number of started assignments, the number of completed FRED assignments is significantly larger than the number of completed Google Sheets assignments. With that caveat, we find no association between the choice of data visualization tool and the proportion of correctly built graphs, average frustration, and perceived difficulty reported by students when building the graph. We document lower confidence in the task among female students and students who used FRED.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100275"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-09DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100272
Douglas McKee, George Orlov
In this paper, we document the design, development, and validation of a new multiple-choice assessment created to test student knowledge and understanding of probability and statistics concepts used in economics. High quality measures of student skills and understanding are useful for course and program evaluation, analysis of pedagogical innovation, and identifying misconceptions and gaps in students’ prerequisite knowledge in more advanced courses. Alternatives such as final examinations often do not provide the desired coverage and are difficult to compare across terms and institutions, and student evaluations of teaching (SETs) may reflect student sentiment rather than the quality of instruction and overall student learning. Until now, the only standard assessment appropriate for undergraduate economics courses was the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE), which tests introductory economics knowledge.
{"title":"The Economic Statistics Skills Assessment (ESSA)","authors":"Douglas McKee, George Orlov","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100272","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this paper, we document the design, development, and validation of a new multiple-choice assessment created to test student knowledge and understanding of probability and statistics concepts used in economics. High quality measures of student skills and understanding are useful for course and program evaluation, analysis of pedagogical innovation, and identifying misconceptions and gaps in students’ prerequisite knowledge in more advanced courses. Alternatives such as final examinations often do not provide the desired coverage and are difficult to compare across terms and institutions, and student evaluations of teaching (SETs) may reflect student sentiment rather than the quality of instruction and overall student learning. Until now, the only standard assessment appropriate for undergraduate economics courses was the Test of Understanding College Economics (TUCE), which tests introductory economics knowledge.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100272"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-08-06DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100271
Gabriel X. Martinez
Ineffective study strategies breed overconfidence, bad grades, misplaced blame, and little long-term learning. The psychological learning-science literature suggests that pedagogies based on spacing, self-testing, and explanatory questioning push back against these tendencies and improve learning. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the results in “Chalk-and-Talk” versus “Active Learning” microeconomics courses that used learning science insights. In the latter, the better students were more likely to earn As and middle students’ grades averaged about a letter grade higher. Weaker students’ failures and Bs were both more frequent. The quality of comments on the readings and lecture completion were highly significant predictors of over-performance for above-median students. Required practice exams and preparation time were significant predictors of over-performance for below-median students.
无效的学习策略会滋生过度自信、糟糕的成绩、错误的指责和很少的长期学习。心理学学习科学文献表明,基于间隔、自我测试和解释性提问的教学法可以抵制这些倾向,改善学习。这一假设是通过比较“Chalk and Talk”与“Active Learning”微观经济学课程中使用学习科学见解的结果来验证的。在后者中,成绩较好的学生更有可能获得a,中学生的平均成绩高出一个字母。弱势学生的失败和B都更频繁。对阅读材料的评论质量和课堂完成情况是中位以上学生表现过度的重要预测因素。要求的练习考试和准备时间是中位以下学生表现过度的重要预测因素。
{"title":"Studying like a nerd: Spacing, self-testing, and explanatory questioning in principles of microeconomics","authors":"Gabriel X. Martinez","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100271","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ineffective study strategies breed overconfidence, bad grades, misplaced blame, and little long-term learning. The psychological learning-science literature suggests that pedagogies based on spacing, self-testing, and explanatory questioning push back against these tendencies and improve learning. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the results in “Chalk-and-Talk” versus “Active Learning” microeconomics courses that used learning science insights. In the latter, the better students were more likely to earn As and middle students’ grades averaged about a letter grade higher. Weaker students’ failures and Bs were both more frequent. The quality of comments on the readings and lecture completion were highly significant predictors of over-performance for above-median students. Required practice exams and preparation time were significant predictors of over-performance for below-median students.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100271"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-06DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100270
Laura J. Ahlstrom , Cynthia Harter , Carlos J. Asarta
There has been very little change in how the economics profession teaches undergraduate students over the last 25 years. This study examines the effects of school, instructor, and departmental characteristics on teaching methods and materials used in undergraduate economics courses. We employ the regression framework originally used by Harter, Schaur, and Watts (2015a), but differentiate our work from prior research by using a single survey sample, separating descriptive statistics by course type, adding new dependent variables (e.g., use of adaptive learning technologies), and creating figures to represent predicted probabilities for a variety of variables. We find, among other things, that changes in departmental policies, such as teaching loads and class sizes, along with shifts in the composition and characteristics of faculty members (e.g., male vs. female or years of teaching experience) may have unintended consequences on instructors’ teaching practices. These findings have implications for school and departmental policies that could affect the quality of undergraduate economics course instruction.
{"title":"Teaching methods and materials in undergraduate economics courses: School, instructor, and department effects","authors":"Laura J. Ahlstrom , Cynthia Harter , Carlos J. Asarta","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100270","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100270","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There has been very little change in how the economics profession teaches undergraduate students over the last 25 years. This study examines the effects of school, instructor, and departmental characteristics on teaching methods and materials used in undergraduate economics courses. We employ the regression framework originally used by Harter, Schaur, and Watts (2015a), but differentiate our work from prior research by using a single survey sample, separating descriptive statistics by course type, adding new dependent variables (e.g., use of adaptive learning technologies), and creating figures to represent predicted probabilities for a variety of variables. We find, among other things, that changes in departmental policies, such as teaching loads and class sizes, along with shifts in the composition and characteristics of faculty members (e.g., male vs. female or years of teaching experience) may have unintended consequences on instructors’ teaching practices. These findings have implications for school and departmental policies that could affect the quality of undergraduate economics course instruction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"44 ","pages":"Article 100270"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50186578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100266
Cristina Miragaya-Casillas , Raimundo Aguayo-Estremera , Alberto Ruiz-Villaverde
There is an open debate in academia about whether economics students behave in a more self-interested manner than non-economics students. This debate is based on the assumption that economics students are exposed to the study of standard economic models. These models begin with a representative agent, the homo œconomicus, which is a rational optimizer that serves to satisfy their own self-interest. A systematic review was conducted to enhance this debate. Empirical studies that tested the existence of behavioral and/or attitudinal differences related to self-interest among university economics and non-economics students were included. The results provide evidence that economics students are more self-interested than non-economics students. This review has allowed us to highlight the limitations of the pre-existing scientific papers published to date. Primarily, the majority of studies have used cross-sectional data, and it is advisable to carry out more studies with longitudinal data.
{"title":"University students, economics education, and self-interest. A systematic literature review","authors":"Cristina Miragaya-Casillas , Raimundo Aguayo-Estremera , Alberto Ruiz-Villaverde","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100266","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There is an open debate in academia about whether economics students behave in a more self-interested manner than non-economics students. This debate is based on the assumption that economics students are exposed to the study of standard economic models. These models begin with a representative agent, the homo œconomicus, which is a rational optimizer that serves to satisfy their own self-interest. A systematic review was conducted to enhance this debate. Empirical studies that tested the existence of behavioral and/or attitudinal differences related to self-interest among university economics and non-economics students were included. The results provide evidence that economics students are more self-interested than non-economics students. This review has allowed us to highlight the limitations of the pre-existing scientific papers published to date. Primarily, the majority of studies have used cross-sectional data, and it is advisable to carry out more studies with longitudinal data.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100266"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50196195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2023.100265
LaTanya Brown-Robertson , Samantha Nichols
This study investigates the impact a historically black institution's (HBI) Undergraduate Learning Assistant (ULA)-peer-tutoring program-effecton African American male student success. The ULA program allows upper-level college students who have successfully completed lower-level economics and accounting courses to serve as peer tutors to undergraduate students by providing in-class support and out-of-class office hours. This paper seeks to tackle the causal effects of peer tutoring on African American male students' success in quantitative base courses at a predominately HBI. The results predict that an African American male students have a higher probability of passing an economics or accounting lower-level course if a ULA is present compared to if a ULA is not present. Educators can use these findings to design better university-wide interventions and classroom-based support for students to address the African American male achievement gap, specifically in quantitative-based courses.
{"title":"Exploring an Undergraduate Learning Assistant (ULA) program’s impact on African American male student success","authors":"LaTanya Brown-Robertson , Samantha Nichols","doi":"10.1016/j.iree.2023.100265","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iree.2023.100265","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates the impact a historically black institution's (HBI) Undergraduate Learning Assistant (ULA)-peer-tutoring program-effecton African American male student success. The ULA program allows upper-level college students who have successfully completed lower-level economics and accounting courses to serve as peer tutors to undergraduate students by providing in-class support and out-of-class office hours. This paper seeks to tackle the causal effects of peer tutoring on African American male students' success in quantitative base courses at a predominately HBI. The results predict that an African American male students have a higher probability of passing an economics or accounting lower-level course if a ULA is present compared to if a ULA is not present. Educators can use these findings to design better university-wide interventions and classroom-based support for students to address the African American male achievement gap, specifically in quantitative-based courses.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45496,"journal":{"name":"International Review of Economics Education","volume":"43 ","pages":"Article 100265"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50196194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}