Director, Academy for Teaching and Learning
313 Dowdy Building  
North Carolina A&T State University
1601 East Market Street  
Greensboro, NC  27411
simkinss@ncat.edu 

Phone: 336.334.7705, ext. 2237
Fax: 336.334.7136 

Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL)
 

The North Carolina A&T State University Academy for Teaching and Learning (ATL) promotes effective teaching pedagogies, innovative use of instructional technology, and classroom-based research through its programs and services.  For more information see the ATL web site.

National Science Foundation Research Projects

During the last decade I have been collaborating with Mark Maier, Glendale Community College (CA), on NSF-sponsored research adapting pedagogical innovations developed in STEM disciplines into economics and promoting more general cross-disciplinary dialogue on research-based teaching innovations. Our current research project features two additional team members, KimMarie McGoldrick (Univ. of Richmond) and Cathy Manduca (Carleton College and Science Education Resource Center).

Developing an Economics Pedagogic Portal -       Starting Point: Teaching and Learning       Economics

This project makes innovative pedagogical resources and effective teaching practices easily accessible to economists via a web-bsed pedagogic portal. The portal - Starting Point: Teaching and Learning Economics - is being developed in collaboration with the Science Education Resource Center (SERC) at Carleton College. The Starting Point site will introduce economists to teaching innovations both within and beyond the discipline, provide instructors with the tools to begin integrating and assessing these innovations in their own classrooms, and encourage the sharing of teaching innovations. This three-year project (DUE #08-17382) began in September, 2008.

For more information contact Scott Simkins (North Carolina A&T State University), Mark Maier (Glendale Community College, Glendale, CA), KimMarie McGoldrick (University of Richmond), or Cathy Manduca (Carleton College, MN), co-PIs for the project.

Implications of STEM Discipline Research for       Instructional Innovation and Assessment in       Economic Education

This project explored the adaptability of a variety of innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) discipline teaching pedagogies and assessment techniques into economics. More broadly, the project sought to promote cross-disciplinary conversations exploring effective teaching and assessment practices across disciplines. The project (DUE #04-11037) was conducted from fall, 2004 through fall, 2008.

For more information contact Scott Simkins (North Carolina A&T State University) or Mark Maier (Glendale Community College, Glendale, CA), co-PIs for the project.

Just-in-TimeTeaching (JiTT) Pedagogy in the       Principles of Economics Course

This project focused on adapting "just-in-time teaching" (JiTT) techniques developed in physics education for the principles of economics course.  The initial project (DUE #00-88303) was conducted during 2001-2004 and includes a JiTTEcon web site with examples, research results, and information about JiTT pedagogy.

For more information contact Scott Simkins (North Carolina A&T State University) or Mark Maier (Glendale Community College, Glendale, CA), co-PIs for the project.

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