Understanding the role of pedagogy
Pedagogy is not just practicing in the classroom. It is understanding the importance of why practices used are important. Much of my work deals with the importance of proper pedagogical practices.
Since 2024, I have been working with the Social Sciences Dean and his office as part of the Pedagogy Innovation Initiative. In the first year, I worked with four other teaching-focused faculty to identify the challenges in today's learning environments. As co-chair since 2025, I work with another faculty member to implement change within the division. We are working with multiple faculty members on possible major changes to two large introductory courses, and have started a Community of Practice with some faculty within the division.
Two other pedagogical projects are listed below.
EENE: Experiments in Education
In 2024, I attended the inaugural meeting of EENE, The Economic Education Network for Experiments. One of the main purposes of the organization is to implement randomized control trials (RCTs) to help answer important questions related to the Education of Economics. There are a few dozen members actively working on new potential projects, with several dozen others part of this network. Some of them have participated in collecting data for EENE projects.
I am currently working as a lead member of running the first RCT being run by the organization. We have data from the 2025-26 academic year on over 25 classes and over 700 students at several institutions. Depending on the results of the first year's data, additional data may be collected in the 2026-27 academic year.
In our RCT, we are analyzing the effect of team contracts on students' attitudes toward group work, behavior in team environments, students' sense of belonging in the classroom, and team dynamics.
Results are still being compiled as of June 2026.
MAX
A summer bridge course for first-year students
It is often not easy to transition from high school to college. For many students, math and science courses do not go as well as intended, leading them to declare new majors.
The MAX program, also known as the Maximizing Potential Program, is a relatively new program meant to make the transition to a STEM major easier. (Economics is included as part of STEM in this program.)
One part of the MAX program is a summer six-week online synchronous course starting each August. I was part of large team who helped to create this course. Students not only get a refresher on math and science material, but also learn important navigational skills, such as time management skills and learning when getting help is necessary for success.
Another important aspect of the course is that a substantial amount of time is devoted to breakout rooms with Undergraduate Learning Assistants. This near-peer experience is vital for many of the students to feel comfortable with their transition to a college environment.
Students are also able to get additional tutoring services in select math and chemistry courses in the subsequent fall.
Early results look promising. In the first year, low-income, first generation, and minoritized students averaged a GPA of about 3.3 in select calculus and chemistry courses. Demographically matched students not in the MAX program averaged about 3.1.
Another innovation for this course involved TikTok-like videos, short videos (up to about 2 minutes each) that teach an important concept or problem-solving technique. I star as the STEM superhero /0 (pronounced "slash-oh") in several videos meant to be more entertaining than standard educational videos. Topics covered include skills for solving problems and a refresher on high school-level math skills. Some videos relate to pop culture, such as references to the number of Swifties in the world.