Interactive Teaching in Undergraduate Economics Courses: Bridging the Gap between Current and Best Practices

该项目向本科经济学讲师，特别是初级教师传播最佳互动学习实践和材料。这个项目是至关重要的，因为研究表明，大多数经济学教师不使用互动学习策略，几乎完全通过讲座来教授他们的课程。因此，很少有经济学课程的本科生能从互动式教学方法和材料对学生学习的重大贡献中受益。该项目分三个阶段进行。在第一阶段，参与者参加一个研讨会，他们在小组中学习互动学习策略和材料。在第二阶段，参与者回到他们的机构，重新思考他们的教学计划，接受他们计划使用的互动策略的在线补充指导，并实施它们。在第三阶段，参与者有新的机会参与教学学者社区。他们分享教学经验，发表和撰写有关教学和学习的论文，并参加教学会议。该项目为参与者提供了重要的激励措施，鼓励他们继续学习所学知识，并修改教学实践。该项目为数百名经济学讲师提供了宝贵的培训，并为10万多名经济学学生提供了更好的教育。该项目得到了各机构系主任和其他经济学家的广泛支持。它是与美国经济学会（AEA）经济教育委员会共同主办的。目前特别强调为该项目征聘少数民族和妇女，并与AEA的妇女在经济专业中的地位委员会及其在经济专业中少数群体的地位委员会合作。

This project is disseminating best interactive learning practices and materials to undergraduate economics instructors, especially junior faculty. The project is of vital importance because research shows that most economics instructors do not use interactive learning strategies and teach their courses almost exclusively with lecture. As a consequence, few undergraduates in economics courses benefit from the significant contributions that interactive teaching methods and materials can make to student learning. The project is being carried out in three phases. In Phase 1, participants attend a workshop where they work in teams to learn about interactive learning strategies and materials. In Phase 2, participants return to their institutions, re-think their teaching plans, receive on-line supplemental instruction for interactive strategies that they plan to use, and implement them. In Phase 3, participants have new opportunities to participate in a community of teaching scholars. They share teaching experiences, present papers and author research articles on teaching and learning, and participate in teaching conferences. The project provides participants with important incentives to follow through on what they learn and revise their teaching practices. The project provides valuable training to hundreds of economic instructors and improved education to over 100,000 economics students. There is broad support for the project among department chairs and other economists at a variety of institutions. It is co-sponsored with the Committee on Economic Education of the American Economic Association (AEA). Special emphasis is being given to recruiting minorities and women for the project in cooperation with the AEA's Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession and its Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession.