Economics professors present at UNC-Wilmington teaching workshop

Steve DeLoach, professor of economics and chair of the Department of Economics, and Brandon Sheridan, assistant professor of economics, served as presenters during the 17th annual Teaching Workshop at UNC-Wilmington on Oct. 20.

The organizers of the workshop explain, “The workshop is devoted to the teaching of economics and focuses on applicable ideas and information that you can quickly put to use in your classrooms.”

Drawing from his own research and extensive classroom experience, DeLoach presented on the topic of incorporating online discussion into a course. He offered numerous practical tips to instructors for posing questions, moderating discussions, grading, and increasing engagement.

Sheridan provided advice on an experiential learning activity he uses in class, known as MacroJournals. In these assignments, students collect primary data, make judgments about the economy, and create economic reports similar to what an economic analyst would do in a typical setting. Sheridan advised how to incorporate the assignment into introductory and upper-level courses, and shared feedback from students on how valuable they found the assignment.