Do as I Do, Not as I Say: Assessing Outcomes When Students Think Like Economists

Abstract

The authors measured the pedagogical value of sharing with students what economists do and how they do it. Ostensibly, thinking and researching like economists will transform students into better and more engaged learners as well as provide instructors with effective assessment tools. One way to bring students closer to what economists do is to implement an empirical economics research curriculum that teaches students how to access, chart, and interpret macroeconomic data; search and access peer-reviewed journal articles; and formulate, in writing, positions on economic issues. The authors assess student results with respect to an empirical research curriculum that they designed and introduced in a money and banking course at South Dakota State University.