Nominated, Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award, Penn State Erie, Erie PA, Spring 2001, 2002

Nominated, Guy W. Wilson Award for Excellence in Advising, Penn State Erie, Erie PA, Spring 1998

Nominated, Vanderbilt University's Chancellor's Lecture Series on Great Teaching, January 1992 (by J. Lilley and J. Brighton)

Certificate of Merit, "Class with Most Practical Applications," Behrend College Lion Ambassadors, April 1990

Recipient, Guy W. Wilson Award for Excellence in Advising, Penn State Erie, April 1990

Recipient, Council of Fellows Excellence in Teaching Award, Penn State Erie, Erie, PA, May 1982 and May 1986

Who's Wo Among America's Teachers, 4th edition, 8th edition, (nominated by students)

Teaching Philosophy
Courses Taught

Teaching Philosophy

A key goal of my teaching is for my students to see Economics as a way of understanding the way the world works, and as a method for making better decisions, both right now and later when they start their careers.

The broader subtext of my teaching and all my contacts with students is to push them to make conscious decisions for their lives, rather than passively waiting to see what happens. I want to help them move from a world in which others make most of their decisions (external locus of control), to a world in which they choose to make conscious, informed decisions (internal locus of control.) Since Economics is all about decision-making, these two goals fit together very nicely.

To get students to make the connection between Economics and their own lives, in my classes I regularly ask them to ask themselves "What does this have to do with me? How can I apply this right now, and in my future career and life?" I often assign students to come up with their own, original real-world examples of in-class concepts, both as applied to the whole market and to their individual lives. If I can succeed in making the class more relevant to them, it will also be more inherently interesting, which makes it easier for them to devote the time and hard work it takes to be successful in my classes (and beyond.)

I try to model what I teach, telling how I use the concepts in my own decision-making. I incorporate many real-world applications of the concepts we discuss, often trying to make the examples do double-duty for both the Econ concept and my broader subtext. For example, in my Intro Microeconomics class we apply supply and demand analysis to occupations and salaries. I require students to go online and get data about starting salaries and predictions of demand increases for several different occupations. This helps them learn about the supply and demand paradigm, but also provides crucial information at a time when most of them are in the process of officially choosing a major. In the module on diminishing returns I apply that concept to their learning process and the literature on cramming versus studying throughout the semester. The module on utility theory has an example about how they can set up rewards for themselves to foster behavior that is desired long-run (e.g., studying for an exam) over short-run (partying tonight.) We talk about long-run vs. short-run choices and how those apply to business, but also how they apply to their own behavior--on any given Friday night, for example.

I want to help students learn how to learn efficiently and effectively, so I explain my teaching methods and why I've chosen them. This is laid out in my syllabus and I often explain my approach in class as I do it. I show them that there's a method to my madness, so that students are partners with me in the education process instead of having education "done to them." I require them to be active learners in class. I explicitly tell them what they're paying for the course on a per-hour basis, and encourage them to get their money's worth by coming to every class and being an active participant. I challenge them to get an education rather than just a degree, and explain the difference. To help with this, I have created an extensive (20 page) guide to each of my courses which has all the usual syllabus material, but also explanations of how I teach, links to helpful material, and "Secrets for Success" in each class that I and my former students have come up with over the years.

I want my students to be able to compete with students from the best schools, so they can be successful after they leave the academy. Therefore I try to set high standards. It's not easy to get an A in my classes, but it is always possible. I explain the standards and why I set them where I do, and try to get the students to buy into the process rather than seeing it as a set of arbitrary hoops through which they have to jump. I tell the students early on that I want them to be able to compete and I try to foster an atmosphere in which I help them succeed, one in which they see me as a coach pushing them to do their best. I cheer their successes and help them analyze their failures to improve performance in the future. In my intro classes, I also provide feedback about how each class did on a few test questions taken from nationally-normed Economics test, so they (and I) know where there stand compared to those against whom they'll be competing for jobs.

I'm aware that many students find Economics to be a very difficult subject, and that it may have a reputation for being boring. Part of my task is to recognize that it is a tough subject, but show students that it is more than worth the effort, and to make it interesting, too. Done correctly, Economics should be one of the most interesting fields since it applies to such a broad variety of issues of vital importance. I really believe that Economics is an important field, and I want to convey that to them. I try to make my classes high-energy, and am always enthusiastic about the field and their learning it. This helps them come to class even when they're busy, and learn even when they're tired. I also encourage students to consider Economics as a major or a minor, if it speaks to them, and several students each semester see me outside of class to discuss this.

I want the classroom to be a comfortable place for students, where they know they'll not be attacked but where they will be challenged to stretch themselves in new ways. To encourage students to come to class and to make it more interesting, I incorporate humor into my classes. This doesn't take the form of "stop the class, I want to tell a joke" but rather humorous examples, bad puns related to the material, and other things dropped in at the spur of the moment-graphs and laughs. I like to use the humor as a variable-ratio reinforcement mechanism, where they'll hear the funny things and get the jokes if they're paying attention. It also helps to break the tension when we're covering tough, technical material as we often do.

While my classes are very interactive, I always try to treat my students with respect, never demeaning them or ridiculing them for being unprepared or for asking a simplistic question. When called on in class, a student can always pass if they choose, but they know that they get a very low grade for that day's participation (1 out of 5). While I try help students find answers, they also have to learn that there are consequences for being unprepared or for not trying to understand things on their own. (In that regard, I'm also a hard-liner on academic dishonesty.) I try to help them see that there are some objective standards they have to meet, and just "doing their best" isn't always good enough. They will be judged by their performance, not their effort. While I'll commiserate with a student who flunks an exam, I always point them back to their own behaviors as a cause, with an emphasis on "what can you do differently next time?" Immediately after the first exam, we discuss this in class and I assign the "Strategy for After the First Exam," which helps them identify causes for why they're not doing as well as they might like, and asks them to identify some behavioral changes that will help them do better.

I recognize that students learn in different ways, and try to accommodate them. My classes typically use words, numbers, graphs, and equations to explain concepts. In my intro courses, I explicitly encourage students to think about how they learn best, and to try different techniques such as study groups, videos (which I've placed in the Library), on-line ancillaries for my textbook, study guides, and other textbooks.

I'm a firm believer in "learning by doing" so most of my classes incorporate hands-on experiences. For each of my courses, I have devised an extensive group of problem sets which require students to demonstrate that they can apply the tools that they're learning in class. These often require them to use our tools to analyze articles from the Wall Street Journal or other news sources. In my Money and Banking and Regional Economics classes, students have to find, download, clean up and analyze real-world data, and be prepared to discuss it in class.

Along with my classroom teaching, I also work personally with a number of students outside the classroom. In the last five years, I have supervised ten students in college-funded research grants. These each resulted in a research report and a presentation at Behrend's annual multi-college research conference; three of these resulted in research awards for my students. Several have also presented their work at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and some projects have turned into jointly-authored papers that we have presented at my own professional conferences. I also involve my undergraduates in my own research, setting aside part of my grant and contract budgets to hire undergraduates. This gives them the opportunity to learn the tools of their trade instead of working in fast-food restaurants or changing oil at Wal-Mart. About ten students have worked with me in this way over the last five years. I am also active in one other important way outside the classroom. Technically it falls into the "Service" category at PSU, but I also think of it as teaching. That is my ongoing role as faculty advisor for the Society of Undergraduate Economists (SUE). SUE is one of the most active business clubs on campus, and each year organizes a trip to a financial center (New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington) to tour various businesses and other organizations, and to meet with alumni for career advice. SUE also hosts a couple of parties each year for faculty and students to interact outside the classroom, and one of these is typically at my house.

I am also very pleased that my contact with my students doesn't end at commencement. It is rare that a week goes by that I don't hear from one of my former students. I actively try to connect our current students with the alumni, and this sometimes results in internships and/or jobs. Of course, I tell my current students, that they have to pass it on. It is most gratifying to hear of my former students' successes, and hope that I've played (hopefully more than) a small part in bringing them about.

Courses Taught *

ECNS 397A: To Be An Economist (Fall 2007)

ECNS 420: Money, Banking, and Economic Activity (Fall 2002) (Fall 2003) (Fall 2004)

ECNS 597A: International Economics

ECNS 430: Regional Economic Analysis (Spring 2002) (Fall 2007)

ECNS 495: Internship

ECON 002: Introductory Micoreconomic Analysis and Policy (Spring 2002) (Fall 2002) (Spring 2003) (Spring 2004) (Fall 2004) (Spring 2005) (Fall 2006) (Fall 2007) (Spring 2008)

ECON 002H: Introductory Microeconomics Analysis and Policy- Honors (Spring 2003) (Spring 2004) (Spring 2005) (Spring 2007)

ECON 302: Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis (Spring 2007) (Spring 2008)

* Syllabi are only available online for four semesters. Visit the School of Business for copies of others.