A problem-based learning approach was adopted for a unit of study in first year agricultural economics at the University of Sydney with the aim of starting development of students' research skills earlier than usual. The novel teaching approach employed a structured and guided problem activity in the first semester and progressed to a more…

A major challenge in conducting classroom experiments for larger classes is the complexity of assembling responses and reporting feedback to students. The author demonstrates how mobile phone text messaging can be used to overcome the limitations of pencil-and-paper experiments without incurring the costs of full computerization. Students submit…

Problem based learning (PBL) is a recognised teaching and learning strategy used to engage students in deep rather than surface learning. It is also viewed as a successful strategy to align university courses with the real life professional work students are expected to undertake on graduation (Biggs, 2003). Problem based learning is practised…

Curriculum internationalization is a strategy adopted by many universities as they prepare their graduates for employment in the global economy. This paper is a case study of the organizational change involved in one institution's (Monash University, Melbourne, Australia) attempts to implement curriculum internationalization in the foundation…

The in house development of an online assessment tool, OASIS, has provided a unique opportunity to research the use of online assessment in teaching and learning across the university. The developing relationship between IT staff, educational designers and academics serves as a model for integrated and evolving management systems which demonstrate…

Describes required content, promotion standards, and evaluation mechanisms for economics courses in Australian high schools. (JDH)

The author advocates the application of experiential learning in economics courses at the tertiary level. The author evaluates a range of learning methods, both passive and active, in a student survey that provides data on undergraduate attitudes to various class activities. The results indicate a clear student preference for learning activities…

This paper presents a dialogue between an academic economist and an educational developer. It asks whether it is possible to teach in a way that works well for all students. The economist contends that teaching entails making a choice as to which students should benefit most--the more academically capable or the lower-achieving students. He sees…

From July 13 to 16, 2004, colleagues from around the world gathered at the University of South Australia to present and discuss their research on economic education. The conference, entitled "What We Teach and How We Teach It: Perspectives on Economics from around the Globe," was presented by The Centre for Regulation and Market Analysis…

Enrolments in undergraduate economics programs have been falling constantly since the early 1990s. This trend coincides with the increasing popularity of business and management degrees. Consequently, the major activity of many, if not most economics departments and schools in Australia is service teaching of introductory economics to first year…

In this paper, the authors review more than 300 reports of students in New Zealand, Australia, China, Singapore and South Korea who have participated in a global action-learning program to teach entrepreneurship and free market economics to their respective communities, through Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). The authors use the results of…

The study attempts to enquire into whether Papua New Guineans see education as a cargo cult, an investment or as an item for consumption. The definitions of cargo cult are examined as are the basic principles of the economics of education. The main discussion within the study is whether Papua New Guineans see education as a cargo cult, an…

In Australia, the authors learned it is common to ask one or more conference participants to summarize and assess the conference in a final "closing" session. They found the experience of serving as "closers" strangely similar to what students are asked to do in providing an overall assessment of a course or instructor at the…

We welcome you to the International Conference on Education and New Developments 2014, taking place in Madrid, Spain, from 28 to 30 of June, 2014. Education, as an important right in our contemporary world, began since we exist. Knowledge and skills were passed by adults to the young, and cultures began to extend their experiences through various…

Reports the results of a study that examined the relationships among basic skills, choice of assessment mode, and student performance in the general context of student learning strategies. The subjects were first year economics students at a college in Sydney, Australia. (AM)