Amanda Clayton Walsh
Economics PhD Graduand, North Carolina State University
Teaching Philosophy
As an adjunct instructor at Elon University and an independent instructor and teaching assistant at North Carolina State University, I have developed clear teaching goals and have improved upon their execution within the introductory economics classroom. My primary goals in teaching are that students actively engage in course content, become co-creators of knowledge in the classroom, develop responsible time and resource management skills, and apply their knowledge to the analysis of real-world issues.
Students are actively engaged in course content during lectures by being provided with concrete examples related to their personal experiences or to current events. I also routinely break students into small groups during class to work on problems from chapter handouts that allow them to practice applying concepts. Students are assessed throughout class in a low-stakes manner by raising their hand with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to convey their level of confidence with the material. Students have shared, through mid-course surveys, that they find the tangible, real-world problems and examples instructive and that they feel more confident with theories after in-class applications. Outside of class, students continue to actively engage in course content by completing homework that requires them to describe key concepts using their own examples and to use the models and equations learned in class to solve tangible problems.
Students are encouraged to become co-creators of knowledge in the classroom by guiding lectures based on the questions they find most challenging. Students are also asked to anonymously assess the extent to which lectures and assignments prepare them for in-class assessments throughout the semester. Based on student responses, the class votes on proposed changes. I find student responses to be instrumental in gauging the various learning needs within the classroom. Students also express more appreciation for the course structure and materials when they feel that they have a voice in how the course is constructed.
Clear expectations of student behavior and course responsibilities are set to foster responsible time and resource management skills among students. In doing so, I hope that students develop problem-solving strategies that can be applied to a wide range of endeavors outside of the classroom. Students are encouraged to use each other as resources outside of class by exchanging contact information and uploading a profile picture on the course website. On the first day of class, we discuss the principle of opportunity cost and how it relates to the choices students make about attending class, reading the textbook, and completing homework. Attendance is not mandated and regular reading responses are graded for completion with minimal point values to allow students to freely determine their participation level. Throughout the semester, students are asked to assess their class performance and effort as well as the extent to which they believe the two are linked. By creating an environment of independently motivated, responsible academic conduct, I have found that student attendance levels are high and that students more frequently accept ownership for their learning process and resulting course outcomes.
My assessment methods ensure that students have a working knowledge of course content and enhance students’ abilities to apply economic concepts to ill-defined problems in the real world. All of the homework and exams that I construct include short answer questions to better assess each student’s mastery of the course material. My exams require students to interpret excerpts from news articles and provide economic explanations for the phenomenon depicted in the text. To help students further develop their creative and critical thinking skills, I require that they write short, two to four page papers in which they choose any concept covered in class and apply it to the analysis of a current event or real-world issue of their choice. Students are graded in part on the creativity with which they select their topic and are expected to come up with an application that is not provided in their course materials. They are also graded on their ability to appropriately identify economic concepts related to their topic, carry out an accurate economic analysis, and effectively communicate their arguments. I provide students with detailed feedback on their writing and analysis to help them improve their analytical and communication skills.
By encouraging students to actively engage in course content, become co-creators of knowledge in the classroom, develop responsible time and resource management skills, and apply their knowledge to the analysis of real-world issues, I provide students with analytical tools and learning strategies that will help them succeed within and beyond the classroom. I look forward to continuing my growth as an instructor at a teaching-focused institution where student learning and development is a priority.
Teaching Experience
As an adjunct instructor at Elon University, I have taught independent undergraduate sections of Principles of Economics with a focus on enhancing students’ abilities to apply economic concepts to ill-defined problems in the real world. I have also taught independent undergraduate sections of Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics at NC State University, again with a focus on applying economic knowledge. I have also served as a teaching assistant and lab instructor for several other Economics and Agricultural and Resource Economics courses at NC State. See my CV for more details about my teaching assignments.
Both as a teaching assistant and an independent instructor, I have developed my own course materials including class lectures, handouts, homework, quizzes, writing assignments, and exams. I have held weekly office hours for individual student assistance and have carried out student assessment in the form of graded assignments and exams.
I plan to continually expand upon my teaching style to ensure that as many students as possible have access to the resources that they require to succeed. To work towards achieving this goal while at NC State, I am acquiring my Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching through the Preparing Future Leaders program. I am also participating in the First Year Inquiry program, which provides instructors with the opportunity to create, teach, and further develop first year courses focused on developing critical and creative thinking skills among students.
I have briefly described the courses that I have taught at Elon University and NC State below. Beneath the course descriptions, you will find course artifacts including sample course materials and selected student comments.
Principles of Economics - Adjunct Instructor
Elon University, Fall 2015 - Spring 2016 (Scheduled)
2 sections of 33 students
Mean Student Evaluation = 5.09/6
This course is an introductory course on the fundamentals of both microeconomics and macroeconomics, including supply and demand, the theory of the firm, consumer behavior, macroeconomic equilibrium, unemployment and inflation. The course also introduces students to economic methodology, including creating arguments, empirical verification and policy decision-making. I taught this course as an independent instructor and was responsible for course design, lectures, and assessment. This is a general education course and so most of my students were not economics majors. The class sections met on Mondays and Wednesdays for 1 hour 40 minute lectures.
Principles of Microeconomics (First Year Inquiry Course) - Independent Instructor
North Carolina State University, Fall 2015
1 section of 19 students
Mean Student Evaluation = 4.65/5 (Departmental Mean = 4.23/5)
This course is an introductory course on the basic tools of microeconomic analysis including the supply and demand model, market equilibrium, elasticities of demand, externalities, utility, costs, profit maximization, and models of competition and of monopoly. As a First Year Inquiry Course, the course is structured to exercise students' critical and creative thinking skills. Course lectures are more interactive and assessment methods provide students with the opportunity to assess ill-structured questions with real-world applications. Students select into First Year Inquiry courses but there are no prerequisites for registering. I taught this course as an independent instructor and was responsible for course design, lectures, and assessment. The class met on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 1 hour 15 minute lectures.
Principles of Microeconomics - Independent Instructor
North Carolina State University, Spring 2015
1 section of 40 students
Mean Student Evaluation = 4.17/5 (Departmental Mean = 4.22/5)
This course is an introductory course on the basic tools of microeconomic analysis including the supply and demand model, market equilibrium, elasticities of demand, externalities, utility, costs, profit maximization, and models of competition and of monopoly. I taught this course as an independent instructor and was responsible for course design, lectures, and assessment. This is a required course for many majors, so most of my students were not economics majors. The class met on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for 50 minute lectures.
Principles of Macroeconomics - Independent Instructor
North Carolina State University, Spring 2012
2 sections of 40 students each
Mean Student Evaluation = 4.47/5 (Departmental Mean = 4.28/5)
This course is an introductory course covering basic macroeconomic theory including economic growth, unemployment, inflation, and monetary and fiscal policy. I taught this course as an independent instructor and was responsible for course design, lectures, and assessment. This is a required course for many majors, so most of my students were not economics majors. I taught two sections of 40 students, each of which met on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 75 minute lectures.
Principles of Microeconomics - Lab Instructor
North Carolina State University, Fall 2011
3 sections of 30 students each
Mean Student Evaluation = 4.43/5 (Departmental Mean = 4.3/5)
This is the same introductory microeconomics course listed above. I taught this course as a lab instructor. Students met for mass lecture on Mondays and Wednesdays. I taught three 50 minute lab sections of 30 students every Friday. The material covered in lab lectures was predetermined by the course instructor, but I was independently responsible for lab design, lecture format, and assessment.
2010 - present
2010 - present
Course Artifacts
Principles of Economics - Adjunct Instructor
Sample 'Learning Through Videos!' Assignment
Principles of Microeconomics (First Year Inquiry)- Independent Instructor
Principles of Microeconomics - Independent Instructor
Principles of Macroeconomics - Independent Instructor