Based on results from a 1999 national survey, William Becker and Michael Watts found that student evaluations of teaching were by far the most widely used, and often the only method used by economics departments, to evaluate teaching in undergraduate economics courses. To investigate whether departments of economics have moved beyond the use of…

Using data collected from graduates who attended four large public universities in 1976, 1986, or 1996, the authors investigate the relationship between studying economics and civic behaviors. They compare students who majored in economics, business, or other majors, and by the number of undergraduate economics courses completed. Coursework is…

The authors provide a brief review of how economists have dealt with art in their research and more popular writings, and then consider the case that has been made for using art and other visual materials in general education and--in very few cases--to teach economics. A new Web site on Art and Economics is introduced that makes it easier for…

The authors list economic concepts and issues covered in the children's books published by Theodor Geisel and discuss his treatment of concepts that appear most often and that are treated in greater depth. Some concepts are sophisticated and taught as formal concepts only in college-level economics courses. Others are basic and used in economics…

Surveys in 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 investigated teaching and assessment methods in different undergraduate courses. In this article, the authors offer basic results from the 2010 survey. "Chalk and talk" remains the dominant teaching style, but there were drops in mean (although not median) values for those pedagogies and some growth in the use…

Little research in economic education has dealt with MBA programs. The authors investigated student performance in a microeconomics/managerial economics course taught in a one-year MBA program at the German International School of Management and Administration in Hanover, Germany, during the 2002-5 academic years. After controlling for other…

In this article, the authors explain the purpose and context for the 2009 International Symposium on Economic Education that was the source for articles on four nations with relatively developed systems for economic education: Australia, England, Japan, and Korea. The authors highlight several key comparisons from the four articles that appear in…

The National Center for Educational Statistics' Baccalaureate and Beyond study, which had data from its second follow-up released in 1999, drew a nationally representative sample of approximately 11,000 graduates in the 1992-93 academic year. Using transcript data from the study, the authors report what economics courses students in different…

In 1995, 2000, and 2005, the authors surveyed U.S. academic economists to investigate how economics is taught in four different types of undergraduate courses at postsecondary institutions. They especially looked for any changes in teaching methods that occurred over this decade, when there were several prominent calls for economists and…

In Australia, the authors learned it is common to ask one or more conference participants to summarize and assess the conference in a final "closing" session. They found the experience of serving as "closers" strangely similar to what students are asked to do in providing an overall assessment of a course or instructor at the end of a semester. By…

The National Center for Educational Statistics' Baccalaureate and Beyond (B and B) Longitudinal Study followed a nationally representative sample of approximately 11,000 students after their graduation in the 1992-93 academic year, with interviews conducted in 1994 and 1997. Approximately 1,700 graduates reported working as teachers at some time…

How much time do academic economists allocate to teaching, research, and service, and how much time do their departments want them to allocate to these pursuits? As a result of the decline in economics majors in the early 1990s, was there a change in the reward system and time allocation of academic economists toward teaching? In this study, the…

Reviews how economists use passages, plots, characters, themes, and ideas from literature and drama in their professional writings. Explains that literary passages describe human behavior and motivations; serve as evidence of the characteristics of a particular time and place; validate economists predictions and understanding of rational behavior;…

Expounds on the relationship between instructor assessments of their teaching and their student assessments. Finds that instructors who speak English as their native language favorably rate their own speaking ability and enthusiasm, while students care more about instructor preparation for class and grading rigor. (RLH)

Deals with the restructuring of undergraduate economics instruction at Russia's Moscow State University (MSU) since 1989. Examines how changes at MSU are reflected at Belarus State University and at Kiev State University. Considers issues such as training of faculty members, and the use of translated Western textbooks. (RLH)