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Principles of Macroeconomics, Georgia State University (Fall 2015- Spring 2016)
I received the Economics Department Teacher of the Year for 2022, 2023, and 2024.
My average teaching evaluation score while at UNLV (Fall 2018-Fall 2023) is a 4.50/5 relative to the Economics Department average of 4.16 over the same period. All my classes have exceeded the department average exempt for Spring 2020.
My goal as a professor is to maximize my student’s return on their investment in my course. I recognize that students are investing time and money in my class. If in 3 years the only value they gained from the course was some credit and a letter grade, I would consider that a poor return. Fortunately, economics is inherently practical, and the information and skills that they acquire have the potential to pay dividends far beyond their college years.
Economics courses are an opportunity for students to learn about things that affect the lives of all students—even those not majoring in economics. Topics like supply and demand, market structures, the economy, money, investing, and insurance are concepts that have unlikely been formally taught prior to an economics course. Going beyond basic information, economics should build students’ conceptual skills. I want students to see the underlying causes of changes and to anticipate the outcomes of events. Economics teaches students how to make better decisions by emphasizing cost-benefit analysis, mathematical reasoning, and the concept of opportunity cost. Economics opened a new paradigm of rational decision making for me, and that is a tool I want to give students.
I believe a great professor is one who holds students to high standards while equipping them to meet those expectations. Students may be happy with good grades, but they feel fulfilled and proud when they have accomplished something meaningful and challenging. To push students without them feeling demoralized, they need to know I care. I encourage students to come to office hours and extend personal invitations to those struggling. I communicate a coach-like relationship where I emphasize that we are on the same team and that I challenge them because I want them to succeed. My course evaluations indicate I do well at this. Students frequently write that my courses are challenging and that I am an accessible, helpful professor. I am honored that my evaluation scores are high even though I ask a lot of my students. I love when students choose to take multiple classes from me, as it allows me to get to know them well and watch them develop.