University faculty and a local community group collaborated on an event that involved raising funds for a scholarship while bringing awareness to the university's historic costume collection. As part of this program, students created an original design inspired by one of the collection's garments that was featured in a fashion show. Feedback about…

In this article, the authors illustrate the use of Bloomberg for analyzing topics in macroeconomics and monetary policy in economics and finance courses. The hands-on experience that students gain from such a course has many benefits, including deeper learning and clearer understanding of data. The authors describe goals and learning objectives,…

The authors of this article propose a classroom simulation designed for advanced economics or finance courses whereby student teams role-play Moody's sovereign credit risk analysts. Despite the importance of sovereign credit risk ratings in affecting the funding liquidity of countries, the process generating ratings is a black box. The authors use…

In this article, the authors describe a classroom experiment on exchange rates appropriate for undergraduate courses in macroeconomics, international economics, and money and banking. Student teams compete by managing virtual portfolios of six foreign currencies over a period of several weeks. Trading requires a few minutes in class. Students gain…

In this article, the author describes the practice of active learning with Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED). First, he outlines the broad intellectual context of learning with and about economic data, summarizing the recent scholarly contributions made to the topic. Next, the author presents several strategies for teaching with FRED in the…

The author of this article provides a framework for using readings outside of the textbook to increase engagement with topics in labor economics, to aid in the development of research skills, and prepare students to create a scholarly research proposal. The outside readings used in this course are academic journal articles. The students are…

The author of this article presents an innovative economics course based on current events and news, using "The Economist" as the primary course text. The course constructs shared learning around news in real time to inspire and excite students' ability to see economics in their world. The course supports Allgood and Bayer's…

Learning-focused teaching must take into account students' cognitive processes. Chew and Cerbin (2021) offer a conceptual framework based on nine interacting cognitive challenges faced by students to guide instructors toward teaching practices that provide the best opportunities for students to learn. The goal of this guideline article is to…

Supported by the Learning by Giving Foundation or other philanthropic sources, many college courses are allowing students to give away charitable grants to nonprofit organizations. In this article, the author shares the experience of a Learning by Giving Economics of Altruism class taught at an introductory level. The class is taught using best…

The money creation and monetary policy chapters in the leading introductory textbooks commonly present an outdated and misleading approach that is now largely irrelevant. A preferable model would help students understand that money and monetary policy are about bank and household motives, the importance of capital, and the role of credit. An…

Undergraduate degrees awarded in economics by U.S. colleges and universities were stagnant from 2010 (2009-2010) through 2013, increased rapidly (almost 14 percent) over the 2 years from 2013 through 2015, but have subsequently leveled off from 2016 through 2019.

"Doing economics" is an important theme of undergraduate economics programs. Capstone courses increasingly include instruction in "data literacy" and the STEM-related skills of quantitative and empirical methods. Because the professional discipline has moved in this direction and because of greater employer demand for these…

In this pedagogical contribution the authors extend the traditional three-class tariff employed in the French passenger railway system with the more resonant story of the service quality variations associated with the three passenger classes of the ill-fated RMS "Titanic." In doing so, they provide economics instructors with an…

"Cap and trade" is one of the most innovative policy options developed by environmental economists. By placing a cap on a social bad and allowing firms to buy and sell the right to generate it, policymakers combine government intervention with market-based incentives to improve welfare and internalize the externality. Such programs…

The authors describe an undergraduate economics elective focused on the Great Recession and the recession resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. They have taught the course with great success at both liberal arts colleges and research universities and at all levels of the curriculum ranging from a first-year seminar to an upper-level elective. They…