Teaching Experience

Texas A&M University

Instructor

Teaching Assistant

Teaching Evaluations

Evaluation scores at Texas A&M are on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).

 

 

 

 

Evaluations

Semester

Course

GPA

Enrollment

Instructor*

Course**

Overall Mean***

Fall 2009

Econ 459-500

2.28

32

4.86

4.84

4.76

Spring 2008

Econ 202-503

2.18

68

4.86

4.82

4.77

Fall 2007

Econ 323-501

2.35

29

4.81

4.56

4.70

Summer 2007

Econ 202-200

2.37

63

4.71

4.53

4.64

Spring 2007

Econ 202-501

2.32

63

4.26

4.34

4.30

Fall 2006

Econ 202-504

2.50

60

4.42

4.36

4.30

*Question: On the whole, this is a good instructor.

**Question: One the whole, this is a good course.

***Average response averaged over all 15 questions.

 

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching is about the transfer of information from a teacher to a student. Excellent professors strive to surpass this benchmark and challenge their students' thought processes; transferring skills on how to think, not merely a list of facts. They drive them beyond a strategy of minimizing effort to get an "A", and engage them in viewing the world from a different perspective. They encourage students to question the information given to them, and judge the consequences, taking no assumption as granted.

In order to accomplish these goals I encourage a high level of class participation, asking my students what the next logical step would be rather than spoon feeding. I also utilize classroom experiments like the double oral auction, so my students can see the theories they are learning in action. I find this really engages students, and arouses curiosity which elicits further questions about economics. Additionally, it introduces some levity into the classroom.

Further, I teach using examples that are relevant to current events and the lives of my students (e.g. changes in local student housing ordinances). Relating economics to the world around them breaks abstract principles down to concrete situations and demonstrates their relevance. I find students gain a fuller understanding when more context surrounds the formulas and graphs placed before them.

A key element of success in my classroom is to move beyond memorization of definitions and develop the critical thinking skills needed to apply and interpret economic concepts. Since students tend to focus their efforts on maximizing test scores and grades, I work hard to ensure my exams require more than just regurgitation. I stress short answer and essay questions, in which I require explanation and interpretation.

I make a point of being available to students whenever they are seeking answers. As such, I maintain an open door policy and do my best to accommodate requests for outside discussions. Doing this ensures I hone my skills at explaining ideas in a variety of ways as different students respond to different approaches.

Spence (1973) contends the purpose of education is to act as a costly signal of productivity to potential employers. In this school of thought, education itself need not increase abilities and instead acts merely as a sorting mechanism. It is my goal as a professor to discount this theory and actually expand the skill set of my students. When they leave my class, I want them to not only have a firm understanding of the economic concepts presented, but also their limitations and how to apply them.

Selected Comments