The COVID-19 pandemic uniquely affected nearly all the subject matter in a typical principles of macroeconomics class. Fluctuations in the basic macroeconomic data in the COVID era were staggering and offer new teaching opportunities. In addition, because the recession was primarily driven by supply side shocks, the entire episode offers a unique…

in this article, author Neil Shanks writes about a "people's economics" approach to teaching K-graduate economics, an approach he argues should replace the more traditional and pervasive neoclassical approach. Similar to the shift from 'great white men and wars' history to social and 'bottom up' history, Shanks believes a people's…

The author of this article demonstrates how the unified approach to answering economic questions employed in modern quantitative macroeconomics research can be taught to undergraduate students using the Solow model. Through an application to post-WWII Japan, students get hands-on experience with (1) documenting empirical facts, (2) developing a…

Misconceptions hinder optimal student learning. They need to be addressed explicitly and formally to achieve effective teaching of economics. The author of this article outlines an activity that is designed to address misconceptions about "others" using a backward course design framework. Fink's significant learning categories,…

Democracy and capitalism are two of the most consequential institutional systems in the world. However, their dynamic complexity, current turmoil, and evolution make them challenging to study. High-engagement teaching can bring the subjects alive, motivate student exploration, inform choices, animate sensible policy recommendations, and make a…

Students enrolled in online courses tend to be less successful as measured by the rate of A's, B's, and C's than students enrolled in face-to-face courses. Yet little work has been done addressing whether these gaps vary depending on students' broader relationship with the university, including whether they are degree-seeking students and whether…

Environmental justice issues have been absent or downplayed in most environmental economics textbooks and classes. This omission is a lost opportunity to teach and extend core economic concepts while attracting a diverse set of students. In this article, the authors share different perspectives and teaching materials to introduce an environmental…

The authors of this article explain how two Veconlab class "experiments" can be used to clarify common points of confusion about the cost curves (sunk, marginal, and average). In each case, the experiment can be motivated, framed, or explained with environmental policy applications that are provided in the suggestions-for-discussion…

Among existing infrastructures to disseminate innovative teaching methods and to build collaborative networks, the authors situate a community of practice (CoP). They explain what a CoP is and compare it with teaching-focused economics journals and conferences, and other infrastructures such as institutional teaching centers. Since 2016, the…

The authors of this article propose a simple exercise of monopoly pricing to illustrate complex theoretical results on the welfare effects of group pricing. By exposing students to this exercise, they aim to bridge a gap between the standard textbook analysis of group pricing and more general results in the literature and clarify some students'…

The authors describe an asymmetric information demonstration that assigns students different probabilities of incurring healthcare expenses. In each round, students choose whether to purchase insurance; then, the instructor randomly determines who gets "sick." After computing insurer profits, students help determine a new insurance price…

This study employed quantitative methods to analyze survey results related to the epistemic beliefs and classroom practices of economics educators. Studying economics has positive benefits at the individual, family, and social levels, but analysis of learning outcomes suggests that economics education needs to increase student engagement and…

The study explored the use of Flipped Classroom (FC) approach in learning Economics by grade X students at Gaselo Higher Secondary School, Wangduephodrang, Bhutan employing a quasi-experimental design. The study found a significant mean difference between control (M = 9.5200, SD = 2.21491) and experiment group (M = 14.2273, SD = 3.48252) and the…

Dominion of the scarcity principle as the basis for economic analysis is virtually absolute in teaching the introductory course in economics. This supremacy is neither valid nor desirable. Two compelling alternative foundational concepts for economics are "uncertainty" and "inequality." These alternatives lead to vastly…

The authors of this article describe how instructors can incorporate stratification economics (SE) into coverage of discrimination in introductory economics. SE is an economics subfield that provides a framework for understanding how collective action to maintain relative group position can create and sustain economic inequality. They illustrate…