Montana State University Department of Ag. Economics and Economics. Web:

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1 Course: Economics 305 Peer Leadership in Economics Fall 2015 Hours & Location: 305 Meetings: W 12:00-1:00 LINH Meetings: (Dylan): M 9:00-9:50 ROBH (Alex): M 10:00-10:50 WIL (Montana): M 11:00-11:50 REID (Andy): M 12:00-12:50 ROBH (Beau): M 1:10-2:00 ROBH (Max): M 2:10-3:00 ROBH 412 Montana State University Department of Ag. Economics and Economics Web: Instructor: Dr. W. Stock Office: 307 Linfield Hall Phone: Fax: E- mail: wstock@montana.edu Office Hours: M&F: 1:30-3:00, or by appointment ECNS 101 Class Times (Stoddard): TTH 12:15-1:30 JONH (Stock): MWF 3:10-4:00 GH (Stoddard): TTH 3:05-4:20 GH 101 Course Objectives: This 3- credit course teaches leadership through peer instruction of ECNS 101 students. Students lead independent study labs for students enrolled in ECNS 101 (labs are numbered ECNS 105), read academic research on effective pedagogy, meet with the professor to coordinate and discuss teaching techniques, write problem sets to facilitate learning in ECNS 101/ECNS 105, and conduct a course research project. Course Audience: Economics students who have earned high grades in ECNS 301 or ECNS 101 & ECNS 204. Selection into the course is done through a screening of applicants. Course Prerequisites: ECNS 101 & ECNS 204 or ECON 301, and By Instructor Permission Text: None. Journal articles identified by the instructor are used as course reading assignments. These are available on the course website. Copies of the 101 Text, Social Issues and Economic Thinking, will be provided to you. Credit toward Major: Course will count as elective credit in the ECNS curriculum, limited to three credits. Although the course can be taken more than once, it can only count toward the economics major curriculum requirements once. Course Assignments: There are five categories of assignments in this course: 1. Problem Set Creation: Each week during the semester, you will create the problem set assignments to be used as homework for the ECNS 105 class. I will provide templates from which we will develop the questions. Each of you will be responsible for writing two problem sets and answer keys. 2. Readings & Discussion: A set of supplemental readings is available by download (.pdf files) from the class website. These readings are chosen to provide an overview of (1) surveys and essays regarding teaching techniques and advice regarding "what works" when teaching, (2) discussions over how and whether to change economics pedagogy, and (3) research on the effectiveness of pedagogical choices. I will provide discussion questions for you to answer and you will be expected to turn in your written answers on the days we discuss the readings in class. 3. Weekly Journal Reflections: You will be required to keep a weekly journal of your teaching experiences this semester. The goal of the journal is to provide individualized feedback about your ECNS 105 sessions. Bring your journal with you to your ECNS 105 sessions and as soon as you can get a moment after the session is over, write a page or so describing what happened during the session and how you felt about it. Drop your journal off by the end of class each Wednesday. I ll respond and get your journal back to you before your ECNS 105 session each week. 1

2 4. Class Participation: Your ECNS 105 peer leadership sessions will explicitly depend on your participation as a leader. Our 305 class meetings will rely on you to discuss the readings, participate in the research project, and work collaboratively to develop questions for the ECNS 105 sessions. In order to be prepared for class each week, you will need to have read the week s reading assignment, answered questions pertaining to it, and made your contributions to ECNS 105 problems to use each week. Evaluation of your class participation will be based on the quantity and the quality of your contribution to the 305 class. 5. Course Group Project: A major component of the course is the course project. The learning objectives of the project include developing an understanding of the debates in higher education and economics pedagogy (methods of instruction), an understanding issues related to defining teaching effectiveness, and an understanding of the research methods for assessing teaching effectiveness. We will jointly define a research project for the course. a. Research Topic Idea. This assignment consists of a typed description of at least two potential hypotheses to examine during the class this semester. You should identify potential data (existing or obtainable during the semester) with which to test your hypotheses. Your topic description should explicitly state the cause and effect relationship you are interested in, should describe a potential ideal randomized controlled experiment to measure the causal effect, and should state why the hypothesis is important. A detailed description of this assignment is on the ECNS 305 class website at b. Previous Literature Reviews I, II, III. These assignments include 1-2 page typed summaries of previous research literature on learning assessment and/or pedagogy. Each literature review should separately cover a minimum of two journal articles and should explicitly describe how each of the articles relates to the research topic covered this semester. You will present your reviews in class and they will be shared via the class website. A sample literature review is on the ECNS 305 class website at: c. Project Outline. This assignment is used to organize the overall structure of the paper and to ensure that each section fits logically within the overall framework of the paper. Since we are reading research papers for the course, you can look to these as a template for how to structure and organize your paper and how to form your citations of others' work. A sample outline is available on the class website at: d. Data Description. This assignment includes a typed description of the data you intend to use to examine your project's hypothesis. You should explicitly state how the data is valid for testing your hypothesis, and also describe any shortcomings of the data. You should include a verbal description of the data source (government, your own survey, etc.), time period covered, geography covered, unit of observation, etc.) and a table of descriptive statistics for your data (means, standard deviations, variable names, units of measure). Details about the data description assignment are on the ECNS 305 website at: e. Empirical Framework. This assignment will involve writing a description of the empirical method you will use to test your hypothesis. You should explicitly state why this method is valid and describe any shortcomings with the method. A description of this assignment is on the ECNS 305 class website at: f. Empirical Results. This assignment will involve writing a description of the empirical results of applying your empirical framework to your data. It should include a table of results and a verbal interpretation of those results as they relate to your paper's hypothesis and the existing literature. A description of this assignment is on the ECNS 305 class website at: g. First Draft. This assignment will involve writing a first draft of the paper to include introduction, literature summary, data description, empirical framework, empirical results, and conclusion. h. Final Project. This assignment will involve writing the final draft of the paper as revised based on instructor and peer feedback on your first draft. 2

3 Grading: Grades will be based on participation, course project, and assignments created for ECNS 105 students as follows: ASSIGNMENT POINTS POSSIBLE Outside Readings Discussion Questions 5) 45 Problem Set Contributions 25) 50 Weekly Journal Reflections 5) 70 Course Project: Research Topic Idea 10 Literature Review I 10 Literature Review II 10 Literature Review III 10 Outline 10 Data Description or Empirical Framework 10 Empirical Results or Literature Review 10 Draft Project Contribution 10 Final Project Contribution 30 Project Total 110 Total 275 The grading scale for the course is: A: >=90%, B: 80-90%, C: 65-80%, D: 50-65%. Missed Leadership Sessions: Do not miss your ECNS 105 sessions! You are responsible for leading all of your ECNS 105 sessions throughout the semester. Except in extreme and documentable circumstances, if you miss a leadership session and make no prior arrangements to have it covered (or if those arrangements fall through), your overall course grade will decrease by one full letter grade. Missed Assignments: An assignment is considered late if it is not turned in by the end of class time on the day that it is due. To allow for unforeseen conflicts or illness, one assignment (with the exception of problem sets and final project contribution) may be turned in late. Late assignments turned in after one week past the due date will be assigned a zero score. Beyond the one assignment allowance, late assignments will be assigned a zero score. Grades of "Incomplete": In accordance with MSU policy, incomplete grades will not be assigned except for cases of extreme personal hardship or unusual academic situations that are certified by the Dean of Students. See the "Courses, Credits, and Grades" section of the MSU online catalog ( for more information. Academic Misconduct: Academic Integrity: Please read and comply with the student conduct expectations contained in the document, Student Conduct Code, available online at For this class, problem set writing may be done in collaboration with other students, although simply copying another student s assignment will be considered academic misconduct. Note: The information in this syllabus, including grading information, is not concrete. Any changes to the syllabus will be discussed in class. 3

4 (WEEK) DATES (1) 8/26 (2) 9/2 (3) 9/9 (4) 9/16 (5) 9/23 (6) 9/30 (7) 10/7 (8) 10/14 (9) 10/21 Introduction, Planning, and Training Anticipated Course Schedule TOPICS and ASSIGNED READINGS Research Project - Overview Outside Readings: Overviews on Teaching 1 - Elzinga, Kenneth G. (2001) Fifteen Theses on Classroom Teaching, Southern Economic Journal. 68(2): Gosser, David K. (2001) The Peer- Led Team Learning Workshop Model, in Gosser, D., Cracolice, M., Kampmeier, J., Roth, V., Strozak, V., and Varma- Nelson, P. (eds), Peer- Led Team Learning: A Guidebook, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Research Project Topic Discussion Outside Readings: Research Project Process and Overviews of Peer Leadership 1 - Wooldridge, Jeffrey (2009) "Carrying out an Empirical Project," in Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach, 4 th Edition. Cengage Learning. 2 - Gosser, David K. (2001) The Students Perspectives, in Gosser, D., Cracolice, M., Kampmeier, J., Roth, V., Strozak, V., and Varma- Nelson, P. (eds), Peer- Led Team Learning: A Guidebook, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Research Project Topic Decision Outside Readings: Cooperative Learning Free Riding Issues 1 - Bartlett, Robin L. (1995) "A Flip of the Coin. A Roll of the Die: An Answer to the Free- Rider Problem in Economic Instruction," The Journal of Economic Education 26(2): Research Project Literature and Data Discussion Research Project Ethical Conduct of Research Discussion Research Project Literature Discussion I Outside Reading: Learning Assessment Empirical Evidence 1 Stock, W., Ward, K., Folsom, J., Borrenpohl, T., Mumford, S., Pershin, A., Carriere, D., and H. Smart, (2013) Cheap and Effective: The Impact of Student- Led Recitation Classes on Learning Outcomes in Introductory Economics, Journal of Economic Education, 44(1): Research Project Literature Discussion II ECNS 105 Mid- semester Evaluation Discussion & Decision **ECNS 105 Mid- semester Evaluation Administration** Research Project Literature Discussion III Outside Reading: Pedagogy - Challenges 1 - Frank, Robert (2012) Less is More: The Perils of Trying to Cover Too Much in Microeconomic Principles, in Hoyt, G., and K. McGoldrick (eds) International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics, Northhampton, MA, Edward Elgar. Research Project Data Discussion I Research Project Empirical Framework Discussion I ECNS 105 Mid- semester Evaluation Discussion Outside Reading: Teaching Assessment Descriptive Evidence 1 - DeLoach, Stephen (2012) What Every Economist Should Know About the Evaluation of Teaching: A Review of the Literature, in Hoyt, G., and K. McGoldrick (eds) International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics, Northhampton, MA, Edward Elgar. DUE WJ1 DQ1 PS2 PS3 DQ2 WJ2 PS4 Research Topic Idea PS5 DQ3 WJ3 PS6 WJ4 Ethical Conduct of Research Training Certificate PS7 Literature Review I DQ4 WJ5 PS8 WJ6 Literature Review II Literature Review III DQ5 WJ7 PS9 PS10 Project Outline DQ6 WJ8 4

5 (10) 10/28 (11) 11/4 (12) 11/11* (13) 11/18 (14) 11/25* (15) 12/2 Research Project Data Description Discussion Research Project Empirical Framework Discussion Outside Reading: Pedagogy - Challenges 1 - Figart, Deborah (2012) Teaching Non- majors, in Hoyt, G., and K. McGoldrick (eds) International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics, Northhampton, MA, Edward Elgar. Research Project Empirical Framework Discussion II Research Project - Data Description Discussion II Research Project Empirical Results Discussion I Research Project Literature Review Discussion I Outside Reading: Pedagogy - Differences in Student Learning 1 - Ziegert, Andrea L. (2000) The Role of Personality Temperament and Student Learning in Principles of Economics: Further Evidence, The Journal of Economic Education. 31(4): Research Project Empirical Results Discussion II Research Project Literature Review Discussion II Research Project Draft Project Discussion Outside Reading: Learning Assessment Empirical Evidence 1 - Siegfried, John J. (1977) Is Teaching the Best Way to Learn? An Evaluation of Benefits and Costs to Undergraduate Student Proctors in Elementary Economics, Southern Economic Journal, 43(3): Research Project Final Project PS11 DQ7 WJ9 PS12 WJ10 Data Description Empirical Framework PS13 DQ8 WJ11 WJ12 Empirical Results Literature Review DQ9 WJ13 Draft Project Contribution WJ14 Final Project Contribution 5