EDUCATE Workshop: Details

Expanding Diversity in Undergraduate Classes with Advancements in (the) Teaching (of) Economics

Overview

This workshop provides opportunities for instructors of undergraduate courses to take part in course design activities and experience pedagogical strategies that will engage all of the students they teach. Attendees will have opportunities to identify learning objectives that focus on the students’ ability to “do economics” and to participate in pedagogical practices that enable students to be active participants in economic analysis. All accepted applicants are expected to fully engage with each of the three phases of the overall program. This includes completing pre-workshop activities, fully participating in all sessions and activities at the workshop, and developing and implementing a plan to put what is learned at the workshop into practice. The workshop focuses on cooperative learning, engaging lectures, data integration, and classroom experiments. Workshop leaders will work with participants to integrate the lessons learned into their own courses. Participants will be provided opportunities to share their work at the 2024 CTREE. They will engage with issues of diversity and inclusion throughout the workshop including opportunities to think critically about course goals and learning outcomes, their relationship to pedagogical choices and assessment, and how such decisions might have disparate effects on those of different races, genders, and ethnicities. In addition, attendees will learn how to discuss the sensitive topics that are an important part of the economics classroom.

Eligibility

Applicants must be scheduled to teach during the following fall and spring semesters. Preference will be given to those less than 6 years since PhD. To meet the goals of increasing diversity in the profession, the cohort will be chosen to represent a diverse set of institutions and instructors.

Workshop Costs

The AEA will cover meals during the workshop and 2 night of lodging, under the condition that the accepted applicant attends ALL related workshop sessions and activities. Accepted applicants must make an electronic payment of $100 to confirm their spot in the workshop, details of which will be included in their acceptance notification.

Workshop Leaders

• Sam Allgood, University of Nebraska
• Gerald Daniels, Howard University
• Tisha L.N. Emerson, East Carolina University
• Gail Hoyt, University of Kentucky
• KimMarie McGoldrick, University of Richmond

Goals and Objectives

Participants should expect to develop:

• The ability to apply the scientific process so as to choose between competing evidence-based teaching practices that might have disparate effects on those of different races, genders, and ethnicities.
• The ability to analyze and evaluate how classroom climate, pedagogy, and assessment impact student behaviors and outcomes, recognizing that these impacts are heterogeneous
• The ability to teach students to learn economics using some of the quantitative approaches employed by economists.
• The ability to think critically about course goals and learning outcomes and their relationship to pedagogic choices and assessment, with special attention to enhancing diversity and inclusion.
• The ability to communicate motivations for, and outcomes of, teaching enhancement to diverse audiences.

Expectations

All accepted applicants are expected to fully engage with each of the three phases of the overall program.

Pre-Workshop. In the spring, participants will have a small number of tasks to prepare themselves for the workshops. These assignments will help provide participants with a common background and will assist in developing a community among those that will participate. The following tasks should take no more than five to six hours over the entire spring semester.

• Complete a limited number of readings
• Complete a short survey
• Provide a short bio
• Provide a copy of your syllabus from an economics class you might revise as a result of participating in the workshop
• Participate in a Zoom meeting with the workshop organizers and a couple of short zoom meetings with other participants.

During the Workshop. Workshop sessions are designed to engage participants in the course design process, to provide opportunities to participate in pedagogic demonstrations and to facilitate the development of an implementation plan. Every session will require active participation and opportunities for you to interact with other participants. You will also have opportunities to work with others attending the workshop.

Post-Workshop. In the Summer of 2024 participants will work with each other and a mentor as they work with the course design process to introduce examples of one or two pedagogic practices from the workshop into their fall courses. Throughout this process, participants will be supported by the workshop community as a whole and more specifically through the use of buddy pairing and mentors. Participants will be provided an opportunity to showcase their work in sessions at the 2025 CTREE meetings.

Application Process

The application portal opens in early January, with a rolling acceptance procedure that continues until all workshop slots are filled.  The portal is now closed.

To meet the goals of increasing diversity in the profession, the cohort will be chosen to represent a diverse set of institutions and instructors. To this end, the application will not only ask about your teaching background but it will also ask some demographic information.

Questions?

All workshop inquiries should be directed to: KimMarie McGoldrick, kmcgoldr@richmond.edu.

EDUCATE is sponsored by the AEA Outreach Task Force and the AEA Committee on Economic Education.